It’s around this time of year that we start to clear our drawers of old socks which have got too many holes in to remain decent. It seems a shame to throw them in the bin, so cut them all up for compost. Stirred into a hot pile compost heap, these socks will rot down in no time, and come summer, I’ll be spreading the soil over my beds.
Cutting up and composting socks might be a bit hippy, but it is just one of the ways gardeners can cut down on the amount of rubbish that ends up in landfill sites. Here are a few other household items that you can compost:
The contents of your vacuum cleaner (although do not do this if you have been vacuuming broken glass).
Cardboard – avoid anything with glossy printed coatings.
Non-meaty food waste such as pasta and rice.
Old wine (I would never suggest using good wine as a compost activator – what a total waste).
Hair (although this always takes a while to rot down in my heap).
Bedding from rabbits, guinea pigs etc. Do not use cat litter as this harbours the deadly toxoplasmosis.
Spent coffee grounds and tea bags.
Needles from your Christmas tree (and yes, I know it’s still hiding at the back of your garden, waiting for you to throw it out).
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