Compost or Not

Wooden lumber compost bin in a gardenCompost tumbler on a garden lawn

Can I compost it?

Type any item and get a straight answer: yes, no, or it depends, plus how to do it right.

  • ✓ Clear yes / no / sometimes verdicts
  • ✓ Any item, even the weird ones
  • ✓ Free, no sign-up

Recently answered

The latest items people asked about.

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Gear guides

The few tools that make composting easier, and which ones to buy.

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Black compost bin with its lid lifted at the edge of an autumn vegetable gardenBest compost bins for beginnersTumblers, bins and the easiest way to start.Stainless steel countertop compost pail beside a cutting board of vegetable peelsBest countertop compost binsCollect kitchen scraps without the smell.A compost tumbler and a compost bin side by side in a gardenTumbler vs. binWhich one fits your yard, and why.Two bokashi fermentation buckets on a kitchen counter with bran and food scrapsBest bokashi kitsFor meat, dairy and cooked food.

How it works

A compost answer engine that grows every time someone asks.

🔎1. Ask about anythingPizza boxes, dryer lint, a sock, a “compostable” fork. Type it the way you would say it.
⚡2. Get an instant answerIf we have covered it, you go straight to the page. If not, you get a fresh answer in seconds.
📚3. It becomes a pagePopular questions turn into permanent guides, so the next person finds the answer even faster.

Browse by category

Not sure what to search? Start here.

🍌Food ScrapsPeels, cores and leftovers📦Paper & CardboardBoxes, napkins, receipts🍂Yard & GardenLeaves, grass, weeds, wood♻️Packaging & Plastics“Compostable” cups and bags🧦Textiles & FabricSocks, cotton, wool🏠HouseholdDust, lint, hair and oddities🐾Pet & AnimalHair, bedding, droppings🪥Bathroom & Personal CareTissues, swabs, toothbrushes🌱OtherEverything else

New to composting?Greens, browns, and what never goes in the pile: the basics in five minutes.

Read the basics →