From the kitchen:
- Coffee grounds and filters
- Tea bags
- Used paper napkins
- Pizza boxes, ripped into smaller pieces
- Paper bags, either ripped or balled up
- The crumbs you sweep off of the counters and floors
- Plain cooked pasta
- Plain cooked rice
- Stale bread
- Paper towel rolls
- Stale saltine crackers
- Stale cereal
- Used paper plates (as long as they don't have a waxy coating)
- Cellophane bags (be sure it's really Cellophane and not just clear plastic—there's a difference.)
- Nut shells (except for walnut shells, which can be toxic to plants)
- Old herbs and spices
- Stale pretzels
- Pizza crusts
- Cereal boxes (tear them into smaller pieces first)
- Wine corks
- Moldy cheese
- Melted ice cream
- Old jelly, jam, or preserves
- Stale beer and wine
- Paper egg cartons
- Toothpicks
- Bamboo skewers
- Paper cupcake or muffin cups
From the bathroom:
- Used facial tissues
- Hair from your hairbrush
- Toilet paper rolls
- Old loofahs
- Nail clippings
- Urine
- 100% Cotton cotton balls
- Cotton swabs made from 100% cotton and cardboard (not plastic) sticks
Personal items:
- Cardboard tampon applicators
- Latex condoms
From the laundry room:
- Dryer lint
- Old/stained cotton clothing—rip or cut it into smaller pieces
- Old wool clothing—rip or cut it into smaller pieces
From the office:
- Bills and other documents you've shredded
- Envelopes (minus the plastic window)
- Pencil shavings
- Sticky notes
- Business cards (as long as they're not glossy)
- Receipts
Around the house:
- Contents of your vacuum cleaner bag or canister
- Newspapers (shredded or torn into smaller pieces)
- Subscription cards from magazines
- Leaves trimmed from houseplants
- Dead houseplants and their soil
- Flowers from floral arrangements
- Natural potpourri
- Used matches
- Ashes from the fireplace, barbecue grill, or outdoor fire pit
Party and holiday supplies:
- Wrapping paper rolls
- Paper table cloths
- Crepe paper streamers
- Latex balloons
- Raffia
- Excelsior
- Jack o' Lanterns
- Those hay bales you used as part of your outdoor fall decor
- Natural holiday wreaths
- Your Christmas tree. Chop it up with some pruners first (or use a wood chipper, if you have one...)
- Evergreen garlands
Pet-related:
- Fur from the dog or cat brush
- Droppings and bedding from your rabbit/gerbil/hamsters, etc.
- Newspaper/droppings from the bottom of the bird cage
- Feathers
- Alfalfa hay or pellets (usually fed to rabbits)
- Rawhide dog chews
- Fish food
- Dry dog or cat food
jul 31 2009 ∞
feb 25 2021 +