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Composting
Mary Mazzoni
www.wasteadvantagmag.com
WasteAdvantage
The Advantage in the Waste Industry
When it comes to compostables, most of us think of the usual suspectsfruit and vegetable scraps, yard trimmings and paper. But thats only the start of what you can toss in your bin.
Office Leftovers
Sure, you can toss shredded paper, junk mail and cardboard onto your backyard pile. But what about other office leftovers? Rescue more materials from your office trashcan by composting some of these surprising supplies. You may think that the adhesive strips on envelopes, sticky notes and masking tape exclude these materials from your bin, but theyre actually just as easy to compost as other paper products. Just remember to remove any plastic windows from your envelopes before tossing them on the pile. Check for toxic ingredients first, but most water-based white gluesincluding Elmers brandare also 100 percent compostable. And dont forget all those pencil shavings! After all, theyre just wood, right?
Beer
Beer, including brews that are stale or skunked, is both biodegradable and compostable. Like wine, beer not only composts but also acts as a composting accelerator. How does it work? The beer itself is a great source of nitrogen, and the yeast within provides food for the microbes in your pile. So, the next time you host a party and find yourself disposing of 30 half-full bottles, just dump the contents on your pile before recycling the rest. If you brew your own beer, all waste generated during the homebrewing process is also compostable.
Houseplants
We cant all have a green thumb. So, if one of your houseplants has gone to a better place, toss it on your backyard compost pile to create nutrient soil for your garden. Like dry yard trimmings, dead houseplants provide carbon-rich ingredients for your pile. Also found in coffee grounds, wood ashes and sawdust, carbon gives microbes the energy they need to workenabling faster decomposition. To compost your fallen flora, simply remove the deceased plant and potting soil from your window box, and toss it all into the bin. Wilted flower arrangements and natural potpourri are also carbon-rich compostables.
TUFFMAN
A division of worldwide recycling equipment sales, llc.