Most animal bones, meat and seafood can be composted, albeit at a much slower rate than other items. It is recommended that large animal bones and whole carcasses are cut into smaller pieces and that meat is cooked and in chunks before it is added to the HOTBIN in a bid to speed up their decomposition.
Bones/meat/seafood | Will it Decay | Cold Compost | HOTBIN compost | Rate of decay in the HOTBIN | Comments |
Bones (chicken, duck, birds, fish) | Yes | Not Advised | Yes | Slow | Cooked bones are ok to hot compost - just ensure that larger bones are chopped into smaller pieces with secateurs. |
Cockle and mussel shells | Yes | Not Advised | Yes | Slow | Carefully break shells into fragments with a hammer. |
Crab and lobster shells | Yes | Not Advised | Yes | Slow | Carefully break shells into fragments with a hammer. |
Eggs (chicken, ducks) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Slow | Carefully break shells into fragments. |
Fish skins | Yes | Not Advised | Yes | Fast | |
Meat (cooked) | Yes | Not Advised | Yes | Fast | Chop it into small chunks (<4cm) - make sure there are no large bones. |