When people talk about composting they are often not aware that some things are inappropriate to put into compost bins.  One would think that any table scraps, or items found in the kitchen after cooking could be put into a compost bin. This is a great idea, but not really a good one. While there are quite a few things you can use to compost, there are some things that just do not work.

Here are many of the items you would never want to put into a compost bin, while the list is fairly complete you may want to double check an item if you are not sure.

• Animal droppings are a no-no. Now you may ask why, and that is a fair question since we all know about cow manure, pig manure and so on being used by farmers for fertilizer. The issue is the animal must be a vegetarian in order for the droppings to be used. So some of the good ones you can use include: cow, horse, rabbit, goat, even hamster. But stay away from birds, dogs and cats, they contain harmful organisms.

• Any kind of animal waste is bad news. So things like bones, fish waste and leftover meat are not to be used. These items can not only make your compost pile smell bad, they can also invite unwanted pests to your pile.

• For the backyard barbecue-r, ashes should not be added. While ashes from a wood fire could be used they should be used sparingly as they can make your pile more alkaline than desired.

• If you decide to use any dairy products in your pile do so sparingly. These items will attract pests, so if you decide to use them only add small amounts and cover them up afterward.

• You may also want to consider adding weeds and other natural items you find around your garden. But when doing so make sure your compost is working properly. You want to make sure the weeds are killed during the composting by the heat generated, if they are not then when you use the compost they may grow back again. An excellent precaution is to dry them prior to including them in the pile, insuring they are not going to re-grow later on.

There are a number of different ways to do composting as well. You can use a barrel to make a small pile which you could even put on a balcony or in the garage. You could get into worm composting. And depending on how far you want to go you could even sell worms, or compost as a small or large side business.

So here you have some do’s and don’ts about what to include or not include in your compost pile. As you get into it you will find many other tips and tricks along the way to help you get greener and more organic in your gardening efforts. If everyone chipped in just a little it would go a long way to helping out our environment as well as provide us some excellent organic vegetables.