10 Composting Curveballs
We present ten surprising items which you may have thought couldn’t be composted, but in theory, although not always practical, can be composted!
- Rubber/Latex: Natural latex is bio-degradable and compostable. Please don't go adding any tyres to the HOTBIN though!
- Pizza Boxes: A great source of cardboard. After you have finished your takeaway, shred / tear up those boxes and use them to control moisture in the HOTBIN.
- Nappies: We ran a trial with gNappies, so for gMums wanting to use the HOTBIN for this purpose here are some tips.
- Chewing Gum: Bio-degradable and compostable, chewing gum can be added to the HOTBIN however it will take a lot longer to breakdown than other types of waste.
- Sticky Tape: Unlike brown tape, Sticky Tape will compost but it is just very slow to do so.
- Human Hair and Pet Fur: After you have groomed yourself and perhaps your pet then both of these can be added into the HOTBIN, just avoid any dense thick layers in the bin.
- Vacuum Cleaner Contents: In theory yes, however it does depend on what has been vacuumed up! For example foil, plastic and carpet fibres will not compost.
- Q Tips and Cotton Wool: These can both be composted but whether or not you have the patience to remove every cotton bud end is another question.
- Wine Corks: Firstly make sure they are made from natural cork rather than the synthetic cork which are becoming increasingly popular. Natural cork is highly resistant to decay and so is very slow to decompose - cork will however breakdown eventually. If you are able to recycle them into something creative then do so - we’d even recommend using them as garden cane toppers
- Clothes: Surprisingly, in theory yes you can! Cotton fabrics and natural fibres do break down, so jeans and even jumpers can be composted. Bear in mind polyester can prove problematic as can adding clothing in one piece as it's likely to cause issues with aeration. We always suggest reusing clothes first or donating to charity though.
