Hello! You know I’m all about suburban gardening and I’m wild about COMPOSTING, in particular!
The other day, I was reminded of when I would visit my grandma on her farm in South Dakota. She always had a slop bucket sitting in the sink for the pigs. It was such a great way to recycle!
Then, I realized have my own slop bucket and my own pig in the backyard and that … is my compost bin, of course (which might actually “eat” more stuff than the pigs probably would!)
Today I’m introducing you to five things from the bathroom that your lovable compost-pig will break down for you. Wait….Bathroom? Did I just say “bathroom” items? Uh……. Oh yeah, we’re going there, just wait for it!
You know I have tons of tips and tricks for composting. I also love gardening. Follow along here, subscribe to my YouTube channel, or find me on Instagram @burbs_and_blooms to keep up with all the fun.
OK, we’re not going to get super gross or anything. (Whew?) While things like composting toilets exist (and more power to whoever ventures that way!), I’m more about composting regular old items that we would throw in the trash without thinking twice.
If you’re into watching, check out this video. If not….by all means, keep on reading!
First up: Cotton swabs
Now, we all have heard that we’re not supposed to stick these bad boys in our ears, but sometimes you just have that itch! Your pinky finger’s too big to get in there and you just have to use a cotton swab. As long as it has the paper or cardboard shaft (not plastic), then compost it! Use your judgment and don’t throw anything saturated in nail polish remover, etc, in your compost bin. But earwax? Compost on!
Cotton balls
Of course, you can compost cotton balls! They are a natural material that breaks down beautifully in a compost bin. Again, use your judgment. Don’t put something in the compost bin that’s soaked in, say, nail polish remover. But you wouldn’t do that…
Hairballs
I have a ton of hair. I also have two little girls. Between the three of us, we fill up our hairbrushes pretty quickly. When I was a kid, my mom always would tell me to throw the hair out on the lawn for the birds, but I live in a newish neighborhood at the moment, and we don’t honestly have a lot of trees…or birds… which is a huge bummer. So I wouldn’t throw hair out on the lawn, because it would hang around for awhile. But you can absolutely throw it in the compost bin! Plus if you have pets, throw their furballs in the compost bin as well!
Used Tissues
Okay guys, I must be a mom. I am SO not afraid of germs. With three kids at my house, there is no shortage of…SNOT…all the time. It’s nasty. But think about how fast dirty, snotty tissues accumulate when you have kids. …Or even you don’t have kids and somebody is sick! …Or for heaven’s sake, you have kids AND somebody’s sick. Luckily, this silver lining is that all of those dirty tissues can be composted and diverted from the landfill.
Old washcloths or cotton rags
Are you surprised? Maybe not? Cotton washcloths. We’ve all seen these things get old, ratty and raggy, and when that happens and you’re ready to have fluffy, soft new washcloths, you can absolutely cut up the old ones into small pieces, shred them, tear them – whatever you want to do – Heck, take out your aggression on your washcloths and then… throw them in the compost bin.
If they have a tag, I’d tear that off because it’s probably some kind of synthetic material that won’t break down. And I know you can recycle textiles in various places, but I know I can also recycle really efficiently and quickly in my own backyard, so I’ll save myself some brain cells figuring out my other options and just hock them into the compost bin with all the other goodies.
That sums it up! Now you know five things from the bathroom that can be composted at home in your home compost bin! Was anything new to you?
Also, please tell us down below in the comments if you compost anything unconventional – the composting community is always eager to hear new ideas!
Thanks for stopping by!
–Katie
Burbs & Blooms 