Nearly all types of fruit and vegetables can be added to your HOTBIN composter, although some are more practical to add than others and the time taken for them to decompose varies.
We have created a table of some of the most common FAQs to make things a little easier for you.
We recommend that any large pieces of fruit and vegetables are cut up into pieces <4cm to speed up their decomposition.
| Fruit & Veg | Cold | Hot | HOTBIN
decay
rate | Comments |
| Apples | Yes | Yes | Fast | They decompose quicker if they are chopped |
| Avocado stones | Yes | Yes | Slow | Nuts and stones are designed by nature to resist bacterial breakdown |
| Bananas | Yes | Yes | Fast | |
| Banana skins | Yes | Yes | Fast | Skins and stalks are soft and have weak fibres so decompose quickly |
| Broccoli | Yes | Yes | Medium | Stalks and florets, cut large pieces to less than 4cm |
| Cucumber | Yes | Yes | Fast | Take care if adding in large amounts - you may need to add shredded paper |
| Grapefruit | Yes | Yes | Medium | Avoid adding to wormeries |
| Juice pulp | n/a | Yes | Medium | If adding pulp from juicing, take extra care to add bulking agent and balance excess water with shredded paper |
| Lemons | Yes | Yes | Medium | Avoid adding to wormeries |
| Lettuce | Yes | Yes | Fast | Take care if adding large amounts - you may need to add shredded paper |
| Limes | Yes | Yes | Medium | Avoid adding to wormeries |
| Mango | Yes | Yes | Fast | |
| Melons | Yes | Yes | Fast | The seeds are likely to survive cold composting. |
| Onions | Yes | Yes | Fast | Avoid adding to wormeries |
| Oranges | Yes | Yes | Medium | Avoid adding citrus fruit peel to wormeries |
| Peaches | Yes | Yes | Fast | Stones will take longer |
| Pears | Yes | Yes | Fast | |
| Pineapple | Yes | Yes | Slow | The yellow flesh will compost quickly. Ensure the waxy leaves and skin are chopped up (<4cm) |
| Potatoes | Yes | Yes | Fast | Chop whole potatoes (<4cm) |
| Pumpkin | Yes | Yes | Fast | Seeds are likely to survive cold composting |
| Sweetcorn | Yes | Yes | Slow | Chop these up to less than 4cm (if you can grind them-even better!) |
| Tomatoes | Yes | Yes | Fast | Take care if you add these in large amounts - you may need to add shredded paper |
