10 Composting Curveballs

10 Strange Items You CAN Compost with HOTBIN (but never thought about).

Here is a list of ten surprising items which you may have thought couldn’t be composted, but in theory, although not always practical, they can be composted! We recommend to have your HOTBIN steaming at >120°F before adding some items on this list, as they are made of hard-to breakdown materials and will require special handling. More on precautions below by item (if applies).

1. Rubber/Latex: Natural latex is bio-degradable and compostable. Caution: Please don't go adding any tires to the HOTBIN though!
2. Pizza Boxes: A great source of cardboard. After you have finished your takeaway, shred or tear up those boxes and use them to control moisture in the HOTBIN.
3. Chewing Gum: Bio-degradable and compostable, chewing gum can be added to the HOTBIN. Caution: It will take a lot longer to breakdown than other types of waste.
4. Sticky Tape: Unlike brown tape, Sticky Tape will compost but it is just very slow to do so.
5. Human Hair and Pet Fur: After you have groomed yourself and/or your pet, you can add the hair into the HOTBIN. Caution: Avoid dense or think layers of hair, and mix well with the rest of the waste being added. 
6. Vacuum Cleaner Contents: You can compost most of your vacuum cleaner waste content. Caution: Avoid adding aluminum foil, plastic and plastic fibers, as they will not compost.
7. Wine Corks: Firstly make sure they are made from natural cork rather than the synthetic cork which are becoming increasingly popular. Natural cork is highly resistant to decay and so is  very slow to decompose - cork will however breakdown eventually. If you are able to recycle them into something creative then do so - we’d even recommend using them as garden cane toppers
8. Clothes: Surprisingly, in theory yes you can! Cotton fabrics and natural fibers do break down, so jeans and even jumpers can be composted. Caution: Bear in mind polyester can prove problematic as can adding clothing in one piece as it's likely to cause issues with aeration. We always suggest reusing clothes first or donating to charity though.
9. Coffee grounds, paper coffee filters, tea, and teabags are great composting ingredients and a valuable component part of your compost. By composting them, you are stopping them from reaching a landfill and using them instead to bloom the plants in your garden.
10. Seaweeds: They are powerful composting ingredients and commonly used as a constituent in home composting in coastal areas. It acts as an activator speeding up the compost process.

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