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40+ Things You Can Compost

40+ things you can compost

Things you can compost

Composting is more than just a natural and free fertilizer for your garden. To truly reduce waste, (more than food waste), is  a sustainable necessity. Depending on household, composting can remove 20-50% from your household waste, which helps reduce the amount of waste in landfill, and acts as a natural supplement to plants, trees, lawn, and your garden. Even if you compost via curbside pickup, you are still making an impact on what goes into landfill, and what doesn’t.

 

When food and any organic matter ends up in landfill, it decomposes anaerobically, which means without oxygen. During this process, a greenhouse gas – methane, is produced. Methane is 20-35 time more potent that carbon dioxide at warming our planet. United States Landfills are the United States’ 3rd largest source of methane gas, according to the EPA.

 

We can compost more than just food waste – this will help eliminate the amount of methane produced by unnecessary waste in landfills.

 

Rule of thumb – anything that once lived or was made from a living thing, can be composted. If it’s made with natural items, or ingredients, it will eventually break down.

 

  1. Wooden toothpicks

  2. Bamboo skewers

  3. Wooden and bamboo chopsticks

  4. Burnt popcorn kernels (yaknow, the ones that didn’t quite pop)

  5. Nut shells – excluding walnut shells – these are toxic to plants

  6. Paper plates & cups – only the ones without the wax coatings

  7. Cardboard boxes – like cereal, pasta, plastic bag boxes – make sure to remove plastic windows if any

  8. Old spices and herbs

  9. Any stale food: pretzels, cereal, crackers, chips, bread, pita bread

  10. Paper bags – Recommend shredding these

  11. Paper Towel rolls – recommend shredding these too

  12. Used Paper towels or napkins

  13. Seeds and pits: pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, avocado pits – try to chop these up so they don’t sprout

  14. Cardboard egg cartons – also recommend cutting or shredding these

  15. Moldy cheese

  16. Vegetable scraps & peels

  17. Egg shells – crush these

  18. Coffee grounds AND Coffee filters

  19. Spoiled milk – dairy or nut works

  20. Old jelly, jam, marmalade, or preserves

  21. Stale or old Beer and wine – pour on top of pile

  22. Wine corks – chop up

  23. Crusts off bread or pizza

  24. Really, any type of food

  25. Nail clippings, from you or your animal – make sure it’s unpolished

  26. Toilet paper rolls – shred these

  27. Hair from your drain or hairbrush – your animals hair works too

  28. 100% cotton balls or cotton rounds

  29. Cotton swabs made with 100% cotton and cardboard

  30. Pencil shavings

  31. Paper with no gloss – shredded: business cards, bills, sticky notes, envelopes – make sure there are no plastic windows

  32. Dead houseplants and their soil

  33. Used matches

  34. Fireplace ashes, BBQ ashes

  35. Dead leaves

  36. Clippings from your lawn

  37. Flowers from a dead or dying bouquet

  38. Newspaper – I would shred this for a faster decomposing process

  39. Cotton and wool fabrics

  40. Feathers

  41. Sawdust

  42. Vacuum cleaner bag contents – remove any pennies or bobby pins! Things that aren’t natural

  43. Watermelon Rinds

 

Compost With Us! We have a few savings programs for our compost warriors

Go Green Save Green Program

Other Savings Programs 

 

Other articles you might enjoy:

Common Compost Questions 

The Importance of the 3 R's

25 Ways To Conserve Water At Home

  • Gabriella De Luca

Why Do You Need Sunscreen on a Cloudy Day?

Why Do You Need Sunscreen on a Cloudy Day?

cloudy day

 

When there’s no sun shining outside, it’s easy to skip the sun screen. When it’s overcast or extremely cloudy outside, these clouds can actually increase UV levels.

What are UV levels you ask? Let me explain!

UV Levels or forecast: This is a forecast of the amount of skin damaging UV radiation expected to reach the Earth’s surface at the time when the sun is the highest in the sky (typically around midday). The higher the UV levels, the greater the rate of skin damaging and eye damaging UV radiation. (1)

 

Difference between UVA and UVB Rays:

UVA: Long wave ultraviolet A (UVA) – these are the most damaging rays to the skin as they penetrate down deep into the dermis. UVA rays play a greater role in premature skin aging, including wrinkle formation, age spots, dilated blood vessels, spider veins, and “freckles”. There are approximately 500 times more UVA rays than UVB

UVB: Short wave ultraviolet B (UVB) – these are the rays that will typically burn the first few layers of skin. The intensity of these rays usually vary by season, time of day, and location. UVB rays also play a great deal into causing skin cancers, and melanoma (2).

 

There really is no such thing as a sunless day. For minimum sun protection factor – or SPF for daily wear should be at least 15. Products containing zinc oxide, titanium dioxide or Parsol 1789 are broad spectrum – meaning they block BOTH UVB and UVB rays (3).

 

If you want to protect yourself from UVB and UVA rays, it’s smart to cover up when applicable, wear sun glasses, a hat, and stay protected with SPF 15 or higher. Always re-apply after you’ve been exposed to moisture or after a high-sweat condition.

 

 

Here at Natural Home Brands, we think it’s important to stay protected and prevent skin cancer. We have added a new line to our Natural products, and the line WILL be expanding as time goes on. Our sun protection is made with ingredients that are certified organic to USDA/NOP standards. We’ve made it compactible for easy carry – just toss in your backpack, or purse and SPF protection will be there 

Lip balms are SPF 15

Sunsticks are SPF 30

  • Gabriella De Luca

The Best Way To Clean Your Reusable Sponges & Reusable Cloths

A Quick How to For Cleaning Your Reusable Sponges And Reusable Cloths

We wipe down kitchens and bathroom and all sorts of funky things in our sinks and tubs, and counter tops. We often get the question on how often or how to wash and sanitize these so they can last their longest life!

Our Reusable and Sustainable cloths and sponges help reduce how often you need to replace ordinary sponges and cleaning cloths. Made with natural fibers, they're easy to machine wash and when cared for as directed, will provide long lasting service without losing their strength or absorption power.

We've gathered some of our favorite ways to keep our sponges and reusable cloths clean.

 

Sponges:

1. Wash in your dishwasher on the top rack - No Dryer Heat Setting

2. Wash in the washer machine on light setting with other dish towels. Tumble dry low - no heat

3. Soak in DILUTED bleach water for 30 seconds-1 minute

4. Wet and wring out after every use 

5. Recommended not to dry in the dryer unless it's no heat setting

6. Do Not Use Fabric Softener 

Our sponges are made with natural fibers that outlasts ordinary sponges.

Unlike cellulose sponges, it outperforms without the problems of bacteria growth. 

Cloths:

1. Wash in the washer machine with other dish towels - do not use fabric softener, as this will inhibit the absorbency power - hang dry or lay flat to dry ( I lay mine flat on top of my dryer and dries within a few hours)

2. Wet and wring out after every use

3. The customer favorite is the Anti-Bacterial Cleaning cloth - they have silver particle technology woven into the fabric. This technology helps to prevent bacteria that create mildews and odor build up on our cloth. Smart® Cloths are made from all natural tree fibers and are reusable, just throw in the wash

 

 

  • Gabriella De Luca

The Importance of the Three R’s

The Importance of the Three R’s : Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The three R’s : Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. These three are the best way to make a positive impact on our environment. It’s important to put these into practice, as landfill space is quickly running out, the plastic pollution in our oceans are increasing, and our environment is deteriorating at a faster pace.  

 Reduce Reuse Recycle

Reduce: One of the best ways to help the environment is to reduce the amount of waste you produce!

  • Shopping - The majority of grocery stores are even getting on board, offering bins of beans, popcorn kernels, nuts, and seeds and more, to buy in bulk, to aid in the effort of reducing packaging waste. When shopping, keep in mind the amount of packaging material you are buying, and having to toss out. Meats still come in Styrofoam trays and plastic packaging are used to extend shelf life. These can be inevitable with some food items, so make sure you recycle what CAN be recycled, like items in cans and cardboard packaging. It’s a good thing to be mindful of.

  • Carpooling – carpooling, walking, taking public transportation or riding your bike instead of driving can make more of an impact that you think. Not only do you save on gas, but you reduce the amount of emissions that are polluting our air quality.

  • Decluttering – Some of us have a bad habit of throwing away things when we are decluttering or spring cleaning our homes, work spaces, and garages. The majority of things that typically get thrown out, can in fact be donated. Check out where there is a donation center near you. Having a block party or multi-neighbor garage sale is also a great way to get rid of unwanted items instead of just throwing them away, plus, you could earn some extra pocket cash. They also have great online resources where you can post your items right from your phone, like the Facebook market place, the Letgo App, or Craigslist. Sometimes, parking lots in shopping centers have a clothes donation drop off box. These are donated to people in need, or textile companies pick them up and they get recycled into workable materials. Clothes take anywhere from 3 months-80 years to decompose in landfill depending on what material they are made with. There are also tons of fun ways to repurpose and reuse your clothes to turn them into something else that’s useful to you!

  • Work place – Print on both sides to reduce how many pages you print. Bring your own silverware and reusable napkins when eating lunch at work. It’s always a good idea to use a reusable bag to being these in as well.

  • Food Waste – The majority of people don’t realize that food waste rots in landfill and releases methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Regardless if you think global warming is a hoax or not, landfill space is filling up, and we are running out of places to put all of our waste. An easy way to reduce food waste is to start composting. If you don’t garden, or time or space for an outdoor compost pile, food waste can be tossed into your green waste organics bin on garbage pickup day. Waste management companies usually provide this bin for free or for a low cost. It’s ideal for yard trimmings, and food waste. Read up on why composting is important, and learn how you can do your part to start reducing your food waste!

 

Reuse: Instead of using one-time use items, like plastic water bottles or plastic grocery bags, opt in for a reusable option.

Food & drink – Store leftovers in reusable containers instead of using plastic zipper baggies. Pack lunches in these containers as well. Reusing jars that sauces, salsas, etc. come in make great storage jars as well! Jars in general are awesome for storing home-made items, or if you’re buying in bulk from the bulk grocery bins as discussed in the Reduce section, jars make great storage for a zero waste transition. Bring your own silverware when packing your lunch for school or work – you’ll feel better about not tossing a plastic one in the garbage every day. Same with a reusable coffee mug or reusable water bottle. The majority of coffee shops actually provide you with a small discount if you bring your own travel mug!

Shopping – Swoop a reusable tote to go grocery shopping with, and choose reusable produce bags to truly eliminate the plastic consumption issue!

Clothes & household items – There are a TON of upcycle ideas, crafts, and ways to upcycle and reuse old clothing and old houseware items. We gathered a few ideas for you.

Work place & School – Use both sides of writing paper. Create scratch paper for reminders, notes, and important tasks by cutting paper into 4’s – this is a great way to use up all the paper you can before recycling it.  

Recycle: Recycling is beneficial in so many ways. Not only are you preventing recyclable items from ending up in landfill where it can take 100’s of years to decompose, but you’re giving your recyclable item a chance to get made into something else.

  • Check out our recycling basics to see what your recyclables are made into. Recycling also reduces air and water pollution, along with reducing landfill space needed for items that can’t be recycled.

  • It's important to recycle in the right bins or areas, the below are items that usually aren't picked up curbside. 

  • Car Parts:

    • Motor oils - many auto parts stores accept used motor oil and other auto fluids for recycling or disposal! DO NOT throw motor oils in the basic trash bin - this is considered a hazardous waste.

    • Car Batteries - these can also be recycled. Take them to your auto shop or car parts store, they have a program where they ship these out to be recycled properly. 

    • Tires - Tires are typically not even allowed to be dropped off at landfills - take them to a local recycling facility or tire retailer and they will take it off your hands for you. 

  • Electronics:

    • Inkjet Cartridges - More than 500 million printer cartridges are sold each year in the United States, and more than half — 350 million of those — are sent to landfills. Toner cartridges are both recyclable and reusable, so more eco-friendly options for disposal exist. There are two main choices for keeping printer cartridges out of landfills: recycling and refilling them.(Earth911.com). Many office supply stores offer to recycle your cartridges for you

    • Batteries - In some areas, it's actually illegal to throw away rechargeable batteries in the garbage due to the heavy metal elements in them. Single use batteries on the other hand are easier to recycle. You can drop them off at a local facility, or many counties even have an e-waste program that offers curbside pickup or mail in recycling options. 

    • Computers & Monitors - See if you can donate these items first. If not, manby e-waste programs offer curbside pick up or drop off locations that recycles these properly. 

 

It’s important to be mindful of the three R’s in our everyday life. Our environment does so much for us, it’s time to do the same for our Earth and environment.

  • Gabriella De Luca
22 Ways To Reuse Plastic Bags

22 Ways To Reuse Plastic Bags

Ways to Re-use & Reduce Your Plastic Bags

The majority of us all have that drawer or container with plastic bags we collect from grocery stores, takeout meals, & shopping. If you’re like me, you don’t want to just throw these out! After all, plastics can take up to 1,000 years to break down in landfill-yikes! Not to mention, thousands of plastics end up in our oceans and have a negative effect on wildlife.

We’ve gathered some ways you can reuse your plastic bags as well as a few ways to reduce plastic bags altogether!

 

  1. Recycle Them – Most recycling centers have plastic bag receptacles, you can always check out this link to find a drop off location – the majority of the time, grocery stores also have a plastic bag recycling bin as well.

  2. Use them for Grocery shopping – so these aren’t as hip as the canvas reusable totes, but it’s still reusable! Keep a stash in your car for a go-to shopping bag so you don’t end up collecting more!

  3. Trash can liners – line bathroom trash cans for easy disposal and less cleaning of your waste bin.

  4. Easy Funnel or Piping Bag – Have a clean or hardly used zipper bag? Cut a corner off and use it as a funnel or an easy piping bag for appetizers or desserts.

  5. Got plants? - Protect some of your herbs and favorite plants from frost – cover these up overnight and remove them in the morning.

  6. Ditch the bubble wrap! – Instead of using bubble wrap to ship small items or fragile items, wrap them in a plastic bag to prevent breakage. You can also inflate zipper bags with air and use these as packaging as well.

  7. If You Have a Pet – Use plastic bags to clean up pet waste or clean out a litter box. Upgrade to a compostable pet waste bag if you can!

  8. For traveling – wrap your shoes in a plastic bag so they don’t get your clothes dirty, bring a spare bag to separate dirty clothes from your clean ones so you’re all nice and organized.

  9. Bring Your Own Lunch – Reuse plastic bags by bringing in your own lunch to work or school.

  10. Remove Soap Scum From Your Shower head – filled a plastic bag with white vinegar and tie it around your shower head to remove built up soap scum or mildew.

  11. Store You Plunger – Keep your plunger and all its germs away by storing it in a plastic bag to keep under your sink or in the nearest closet – you’ll feel better about it being stored in its own area – I promise.

  12. In The Glove Box – Keep a few plastic bags in the glove box if you have anyone who gets car sick. These are also handy to put muddy shoes in to prevent your car mats from getting muddy!

  13. Wrap Toiletries When Traveling – Wrap anything that may have the potential to leak or explode when traveling – this will prevent a big mess is your suitcase or overnight bag.

  14. Dirty Diapers – Keep a few plastic bags in your diaper bag or in the storage area of your stroller – it’s way more polite to wrap a stinky diaper you’ve changed in plastic so you don’t stink up a friend’s home trash.

  15. Swimming Suits – When going for a swim at a friends house, bring a plastic bag to store your wet suit and other items in if you’re planning on changing.

  16. Wrap Decorations – Wrap up fragile holiday decorations like Christmas ornaments, or glass pumpkins for Halloween to prevent them breaking when you go to store them.

  17. Lint Collector – Hang a bag up near your dryer to have a quick lint trap disposal. Dispose of the bag when it’s full

  18. Unmatched Socks – Collect unmatched socks in a plastic bag near your dryer or linen closet – when the bag is full – dump it out and try to find those sock mates!

  19. Having a Garage Sale Soon? – Keep a stash of plastic bags so your garage sale customers can carry out their new treasures without a hassle.

  20. Moving? – Wrap fragile items like drinking glasses and plates in plastic bags to prevent them from clinking and shipping during transport

  21. Icy Winters? – Wrap a plastic bag around your side mirrors to prevent you having to scrape ice off.

  22. Homeless Helpers – Collect/shop for items that would be useful to someone who is homeless. Living close to San Francisco, I ALWAYS keep a few plastic bags stored with food, toiletries, etc. in my car for an easy hand off to a homeless person in need.

 

There are so many ways to make use of your stock piled plastic bags! The best way to eliminate this pile is bringing your own bag.

Some states don’t require this, but states like California, charge a small fee for using plastic bags – even some farmers markets have banned the use of plastic bags.

Even though grocery store bags come with a small fee in some places, produce bags, do not. Eliminate the use of collecting produce bags by opting in for a reusable option, like the Reusable Veggie Bags – great for both shopping, and storing your fresh produce, and farmer’s market trips!

reusable veggie bags

 

 Some other articles you might enjoy:

25 Ways To Conserve Water At Home

Pollution From Plastics & How You Can Help

Eliminating & Reducing Food Waste

Why Is Composting So Important?

 

 

 

  • Gabriella De Luca
Why Are You Still Using Plastic In Your Kitchen?

Why Are You Still Using Plastic In Your Kitchen?

Why are you still using plastic in your kitchen?

Knowing that the majority of plastics contain something called BPA or bisphenol A, which is known to be a TOXIC endocrine disruptor meaning that it disrupts the body’s hormonal system and can also affect your immune system, why are you still using plastic in the kitchen???

 
Many researchers believe BPA can produce many health-related problems, such as early puberty in females, reduced sperm counts, altered functions of reproductive organs, obesity, altered sex-specific behaviors, and increased rates of some breast, ovarian, testicular, and prostate cancers. BPA is especially dangerous for fetuses, babies, and young children who are still developing and who don’t have the same detoxification abilities as older children and adults. Kids who are exposed to higher levels of BPA have been shown to have more obesity, depression, and inattention, for instance.”[5]

 

Even Tupperware that is claimed to be “microwave-safe”, might not be all that safe.  Prolonged exposure to heat can cause plastics to break down and leach chemicals that no one would want inside their bodies if they could help it. Some labels even confidently show “BPA-FREE” on the front of it, however, just because it’s not made with BPA doesn’t mean that the company didn’t just substitute for a different hormone-disrupting chemical in place of the BPA. "However, recent studies provide evidence that some BPA free plastics aren’t really BPA-free, while other studies show that the BPA-free plastic alternatives may not be any better, and may be even worse, in terms of their toxicity"[5]

So why don’t you help it?! It can be a simple task to reduce your exposure to BPA.

 

Ways to reduce your exposure to BPA:

  • Switch to Molded Bamboo® cooking utensils, serving utensils, dinnerware, and bowls
  • Avoid using plastic cooking utensils when cooking over the stove - opt in for these instead
  • Switch to a different type of storage to store leftover in, such as glass, or Molded Bamboo®
  • DO NOT microwave food in plastic containers
  • B.Y.O.B (Bring your own bottle) - there are so many alternatives to using plastic water bottles, choose one that's healthy for YOU & the planet!
  • Avoid leaving store bought plastic water bottles in a hot car and drinking from them

So What is Molded Bamboo®?

  • Molded Bamboo® is our patented technology, created from 100% sustainable bamboo, and natural fibers

  • It's 100% plastic free, BPA free, melamine free, & chemical free

  • Its shiny appearance is due to our special molds during the manufacturing process - there are absolutely zero chemical coatings

  • Molded Bamboo® won't leach chemicals or toxins when exposed to heat, or extensive use, because, well - there are no chemicals to leach!

BPA Free & Plastic Free Molded Bamboo Bowls

Shop All Molded Bamboo

Some other topics you might enjoy:

 

 

Sources:
[1]http://universityhealthnews.com/daily/nutrition/is-tupperware-bpa-free/
[2]http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0300483X13000565
[3]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23994667
[4]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23485653
[5]https://universityhealthnews.com/daily/nutrition/bpa-free-plastics-get-canned/
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