The Types of Food That You Shouldn’t Put in the Compost

In an effort to minimise our impact on the environment, more and more of us are taking up composting. The idea is that anything organic can be placed into a compost pile, or a special bin, to biodegrade into a usable compost. Composting helps to reduce waste and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The main principle behind this is that we can put the nutrients and goodness back into the ground and avoid throwing good things into landfill sites. This is of great importance for any commercial operations with a lot of food waste to deal with. There is a responsibility on their shoulders to manage their waste in the most efficient way possible.

Items that you should not compost

To help you keep your compost pile in order, take a look at the following items which should not be put in the pile:

• Tea bags with plastic
• Meat & fish
• Onions & citrus peels
• Pet waste
• Glossy fruit & veg stickers
• Coal ash
• Thick tree branches

Let’s expand on these further:

• Coffee & Tea Bags

While the actual tea leaves and coffee grounds themselves can be great for any composting pile, the bags, packaging and containers are not good. You can find tea bags made from natural materials, and more companies are changing how their products are manufactured so they can go into a compost pile. Look for brands that offer compostable and plastic free tea bags.

• Meat & Fish

Are you the kind of person who has leftover meat to throw out? Well, don’t throw it in your compost pile. Not only would it create a huge smell around your property, but it might attract foxes and other scavenging creatures. Whilst these items do degrade nicely in a compost pile, the issues it may bring mean it isn’t advised. Many local authority waste services however have a food waste collection process in place, ensuring leftovers can be recycled into energy, heat and bio compost.

• Onions

Onion peels seem like the ideal thing to put in your compost pile. However, you might be surprised to learn these take longer to break down than other types of organic food matter. The naturally occurring chemicals in onion could be harmful to microorganisms in your pile, slowing down the process. So again these may be best recycling through your local waste collection service.

• Labels from fruit and veg

You’re doing the right thing by trying to recycle your leftovers into something useful. Make sure you take any sticky labels off your fruit and veg as these little pieces of glossy paper will not break down during composting.

• Cat and dog faeces

Although your pets’ droppings might seem like organic matter, avoid putting them in your compost pile, especially if you plan to use the compost to grow crops. There are dangerous parasites in the droppings of carnivores which need to be avoided.

• Coals and ash

Coal comes from the ground naturally, so you can see the logic for why people might put their ash and leftover briquettes on a compost pile. Given sulphur and other chemicals are used to treat coal, avoid putting these in your compost pile.

• Tree branches

The best thing to do with tree branches is to leave them in a pile to break down over a longer period of time and provide a useful home for many insects too. Once they have decomposed you can add them to a compost pile. Adding them any sooner means they will simply slow down your composting process and leave you without compost to use. The smaller the branches, the quicker they will break down.

• Citrus peels

You might have already guessed that the acidity of your citrus peels will be detrimental to your compost pile. Much like with onions, they have a tendency to damage microorganisms and won’t break down very quickly.

Why composting the wrong items can cause problems

Composting is a great way to reduce waste and help reduce any negative impact on the environment. However, some items can attract pests or cause bad odours around the area, as well as this, some items can affect the composting process negatively and contaminate the compost making it less safe or effective for use.

Composting advice for businesses

Companies operating in the hospitality sector should pay special attention to where their food waste ends up to ensure compliance with the Simpler Recycling and other regulations. Properly recycling large quantities of food waste helps to keep waste out of landfill sites and contributes to our UK environmental targets too.

Here are some tips for keeping composting compliant and efficient:

• Seperate your waste at the source, using clearly labelled bins to seperate out general waste, recyclable items, and compostables.
• Avoid any items that may cause problems
• Work with a licensed waste partner who can ensure that your waste is processed correctly.
• Stay compliant with the Simpler Recycling regulations by reading up on the rules, and finding a waste partner with the knowledge to support your business.

At Brown Recycling, we can arrange the compliant disposal of large quantities of food waste ensuring 100% recycling and avoiding landfill. For more details on our food waste management services or to speak to our specialist team, simply contact us today.