10 Surprising Things You Can Compost

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Fruit and vegetable scraps, newspaper, coffee grounds - most people know these items make for some good compost. But there may be some things you are throwing away that would be better off in the bin.

1. Paper egg cartons: Most people know that throwing egg shells in the garden helps increase calcium in the soil, particularly good for tomatoes. But the paper egg carton can also be composted. Rip it up, and toss it in!

2. Some household cleaning wipes - Method brand furniture cleaning wipes, for example, can be composted. Just check the label before throwing in anything that may have synthetic chemicals on it.

3. Some paper plates - Chinet paper plates can be thrown right in. I scrape any leftover food into the trash before composting.

4. Dryer lint - Lint mostly contains fabric fibers, which can be composted!

5. The stuff in your vacuum cleaner - This usually contains mostly hair, crumbs, dust, some soil, and pet hair, all things that can be thrown in the compost bin.

6. Toilet paper and paper towel rolls - Cardboard provides carbon, a necessary element for good compost.

7. Corks - They are made from trees, so throw them in!

8. Some dryer sheets - Seventh Generation sheets are compostable. Again, just check the label.

9. Paper bags - More carbon for healthy compost! Rip it up into small bits for quicker decomposition.

10. Nail clippings - Yes, these can go in too, as long as there is no nailpolish on them. I can't say I've taken my composting habits this far, but you certainly can!

A compelling reason to compost