14 Things Never Use to Make a Compost Pile

Compost refers to a mixture of organic matter that is used to nourish the soil. Many people make compost to transform garden and kitchen waste into nutritious soil. With a perfect combination of minerals and nutrients, compost creates a perfect growing environment for plants. When you make compost, you need to be aware of some important aspects. There are certain things you cannot compost. When you add wrong items to a compost pile, the composting process gets slower. Further, some of the items contaminate the compost and may even kill the plants. Here are the 14 things you should never add to your compost:

Chemical fertilizers

Chemical fertilizers contain heavy metals that create a negative impact on your organic compost. Leaching through the soil, they get into the water table to cause damage.

Diseased plants

You should never use diseased plants while making compost. These items often contaminate the entire garden.

Droppings of carnivore/omnivore

There is no harm in using herbivore poop to make a compost pile. However, you should never use the droppings of carnivore/omnivore. The droppings of meat-eaters contain harmful things like E.Coli bacteria and parasites.

Citrus peels

Citrus peels are of the common things you cannot compost. The natural acidity destroys the microorganisms and worms available in a pile. With a slow break-down process, citrus peels cause delay the formation of compost.

Animal fats and meat scraps

It is a fact that meat scraps and animal fats decay or putrefy over time. Nevertheless, the smell during the decomposition stage is unbearable. This smell also encourages raccoons, cats, mice, and many other creatures to your compost pile. This situation leads to complete damage.

Animal bones

Like meat scraps and fats, animal bones take a lot of time to break down and attract critters easily.

Cooking oil

Cooking oil creates a bad smell that is appealing to pests. It also makes a negative impact on the composting process.

Sawdust from pressure-treated wood

Sawdust from pressure-treated wood contains harsh chemicals which don’t break down easily. . So the decaying process gets slower. Chemicals such as arsenic, copper, and chromium might leach into your compost and damage your garden.

Fruit and vegetable labels

Plastic is used to make fruit and vegetable labels. These items won’t break down to make your compost formation process ineffective.

Black walnuts

Juglone is a common component of a black walnut tree. This toxic chemical is highly dangerous to the health of other plants.

Glossy paper

If you add regular printer papers such as newspapers, you don’t need to worry about any negative impact. However, glossy paper such as coupon inserts and magazines don’t break down fast. Moreover, they contain toxins that might cause serious damage to your compost pile.

Dairy products and eggs

Things you cannot compost include dairy products and eggs. The dreadful smell of these items will invite rodents and other types of pests to your compost pile.