Our thermal compost has special capabilities that most city composting sites do not. These special materials require strict rules. Please read the full list and rules before bringing anything questionable. If you have any questions, we are always there to help at the open days.
What and how to put in the compost?
We recommend that you bring the compost in reusable/washable containers. (e.g. sour cream, pickle buckets). Cut them into 3-5 cm pieces so that it can decompose faster! Do not leave tags, stickers, barcodes, threads (e.g. on tea filters), etc. in it.
What you can put in your composter:
Fruit and vegetable scraps (seeds, peels – citrus and banana peels are also fine!)
Whole fruits, vegetables – but only chopped or crushed
Coffee grounds, filters, eggshells (wash the eggshells beforehand and break them into small pieces to prevent salmonella from multiplying)
Raw rice, cereals, beans, flours (only in small quantities – max. 1 bag!)
Litter for herbivorous small animals (rodents, birds), if the litter is made from natural materials and does not contain chemicals
Moldy, rotting or frozen foods
Make sure to handle waste in the following way:
✅ No longer than 6 cm – not even dried flower stems and large leaves
✅ Cut up whole fruit – e.g. cherry tomatoes, broccoli stems
✅ Tear cardboard into 5×5 cm pieces
✅ Mix the fresh material into the older compost
✅ Smelly things need to be “diluted” with a lot of other waste
✅ Add flour or rabbit apples, scattered and swirled
What NOT to put in the composter:
Meat, fat, oil, butter
Dairy products, cheese
Salted, cooked foods
Breads
Processed foods
Plastic and metal objects (labels, tea bag labels, ties, cords, staples, metal objects)
Thermal paper (e.g. store receipts)
Make sure that the waste does NOT contain:
❌ Plastic tea bags, labels, stickers
❌ Plastic and metal ties
❌ Cigarette butts, ash
❌ Metal staples, thumbtacks, needles
❌ Glossy paper (due to plastic layer)
❌ Office photocopy paper (due to chemical bleaching)
❌ Painted/treated wood, furniture panels
❌ Duct tape, electrical tape
❌ Banana boxes (may have rat poison residue)
❌ Greaseproof papers (probably contain PFOS)
❌ “Compostable” plastic cups, bags (do not actually decompose properly)
♻️ Do you have any questions? Ask us! We’ll help you make composting really work!
A composter is not a garbage can! Although many things decompose over time, this is not necessarily true in a city composter – and not always in ours. We accept a variety of waste because we take responsibility for keeping the temperature above 55°C every week. If you are not sure if something is compostable or you cannot properly chop it up, let us know! We are here, feel free to ask – we will help!
