Cheese is a kitchen staple and has many nutritional benefits. Now the question is, what do you do with the leftover cheese in your fridge? Can you compost cheese and dairy products? Well, the answer isn’t exactly straightforward.
Dairy and meat products are technically compostable. However, it is advisable not to, as they can attract pests and ruin your compost pile.
In this article, we will cover in more detail why composting dairy products like cheese, milk, and cream isn't such a good idea. We will also look at how you can avoid the downsides and effectively compost cheese and other dairy products.
Are our cheese and dairy products compostable?
Considering cheese and dairy products fall under food waste, we should expect a typical yes or no answer. Many traditional composters will maintain that composting cheese is not a good idea. This is mainly for two reasons. The first reason is that cheese is prone to odor production. The second reason is that cheese and other animal food waste can attract rodents and pests.
Dairy also contains high-fat content, which can slow down the composting process. This is because high-fat content contains a waterproof coating that prevents microorganisms responsible for the decomposition process from functioning correctly. They are prone to odor because clumps of food stick together and encourage anaerobic decomposition, a much slower composting process than aerobic decomposition. You can know if your heap is functioning under anaerobic conditions if your compost smells of ammonia.
However, you can avoid these problems with proper composting and maintenance.
How to compost cheese and dairy products
What makes cheese and dairy different from other kitchen waste is their very high moisture content and low material structure. To properly compost cheese, it is important to include a proper balance of both brown and green materials. Adding dry fibrous materials or dry brown materials like leaves, brown paper, coffee filters, and straw will act as a bulking agent, improving the structure of the entire compost pile. Here are a few tips for composting dairy products properly:
Break up your dairy waste into smaller chunks for faster decomposition and prevention of anaerobic conditions.
Add cheese and other dairy products to the center of your composting mass. Ensure it is at the center of some dry brown materials, which will act as a bulking agent and break down leachate from the cheese or dairy.
The bigger the compost bin, the better. Bigger compost bins do a better job of composting animal food scraps. They can accommodate large compost piles, which build more heat at the center. Hot composting kills pathogens that come from dairy waste.
Make sure your compost bin is far away from any water sources. By doing this, you avoid leachate contamination.
Another tip to help you compost properly is to bury your cheese products in a thick layer of decomposing compost and some dry materials. Make sure you bury your cheese very deep into the soil to help filter the smell.
While your compost decomposes, turn it regularly to keep your compost aerated. This will speed up the process and avoid anaerobic bacteria.
Don’t forget your gloves as you compost dairy products or kitchen scraps. Organic waste carries bacteria and parasites which can contaminate your food.
Hot composting bin
You may want to consider using a hot composting bin to deal with your dairy products and organic matter.
Hot composting is an effective method for composting and is considered much faster than the traditional method. Hot composting uses microbial activity during decomposition to produce really high temperatures. This method requires a healthy mix of both green and brown materials.
You can compost a wide range of organic materials with hot composting, killing harmful bacteria and pathogens thanks to its high temperature. The best part is it doesn’t attract pests.
Bokashi composting
Bokashi is a composting method developed by Dr. Teruo Higa in the early 1980s. This method uses the anaerobic process, which requires no oxygen.
It is more appropriately a fermentation process and involves adding food scraps, organic wastes, and bran into an airtight container. This prevents any smell or vermin. This process can take as little as a month which is faster than the traditional method. You can also do it on a small patch of land or in a small bucket. After weeks of fermentation, the preserve is then buried deep into the soil, which will help prevent any smell or rodent infestation.
Electric composter
Electric composters are an excellent alternative for composting cheese and dairy. This compost system turns your food scraps and other compostable materials into finished compost in a matter of hours or half a day.
They are very versatile and can contain almost anything from vegetables to dairy, meat, eggshells, or any organic material. Electric composters also eliminate odors and methane emissions. When shopping for an electric composter, consider the capacity and size as well as the number of hours it takes to compost.
Can you use Vermicomposting for dairy products?
Vermicomposting is a decomposition process that involves the use of worms to turn organic waste materials into compost. Various species of worms like red wigglers, white worms, and earthworms are used to create the compost mixture.
Worms need specific environmental conditions to stay happy. They function with an alkaline pH level. Unfortunately, adding dairy products to your compost can distort the pH level, making it more acidic for the tiny worms. Further, when it comes to what worms eat, unfortunately, they do not digest dairy lactose-based products very well.
You don’t want to keep your cheese in plastic wrap, as this can shorten its shelf life. Cheese wax is typically made for coating and preserving cheese. It helps retain moisture and prevent the growth of mold and bacteria. They are soft and more pliable than beeswax.
But is cheese wax compostable? The answer is no. Cheese wax is typically made from crude oil and petroleum-based products like microcrystalline wax and paraffin. They are synthetic materials and not suitable for your compost pile. Adding them to your compost pile, compost bin, or sending them to landfills is a waste of time as they can take years to break down.
Thanks to its soft and pliable texture, you can easily reuse your cheese wax. You probably didn’t know that you can use them as a fire starter during camping. You can also mold them into unique objects to give to your kids. You can also use clean cheese wax to seal your jars or bottles as a plastic wrap alternative.
Can you compost cottage cheese?
Cottage cheese is a curd product from cheese. It has a creamy soupy texture and is made from cow’s milk. Like your regular cheese, you can technically compost cottage cheese, but you need to be careful with the process. This is because it equally produces odors and attracts pests.
The trick is to ensure you maintain a healthy mix of green and brown materials like standard cheese. One-half of your compost should hold your cottage cheese and other materials, while the other half should hold brown materials like leaves, wood chips, and so on. This will help absorb leachate from your compost bin and speed up the composting process. Apply the same tips listed above when composting cottage cheese.
Can you compost vegan cheese?
Vegan cheese comes from plant-based ingredients. You can get different types of vegan cheese, including blue cheese, herb cashew, almond, and so on. They fall under organic materials, and just like your regular cheese, vegan cheese should be carefully composted.
Ensure you have the right mix of brown and green materials to aid the process and prevent leachate contamination. Apply the same methods as listed above for composting regular cheese.
Is cheesecloth compostable?
We primarily use cheesecloth for making cheese. You can also use a cheesecloth for straining water. But is it compostable? The answer is yes and no.
You can compost cheesecloths if made of natural fibers like cotton, linen, and hemp. However, you should not add cheesecloth made of synthetic fibers like polyester or nylon to your compost pile. For faster results, shred your cheesecloth into smaller pieces.
Should you add sour milk to your compost?
Adding sour milk to your compost presents the same problem as composting cheese. Its high-fat content and are prone to odor-causing anaerobic decomposition. This will also attract pests.
To compost sour milk, it is important to do so carefully. Ensure you add the right mix of brown and green material and let it go through the traditional decomposition process. However, it is advisable not to use the vermicomposting method. This is because worms function within a small range of pH values and may be sensitive to any environmental changes.
Is cheese biodegradable?
Cheese is an organic product that comes from animals like cows, and so it is biodegradable. This means it can naturally decompose into the soil with the activity of bacteria and microorganisms. It is biodegradable regardless of the type of cheese. This is why you can add them to the compost bin. However, you need to compost them cautiously to ensure that they biodegrade without attracting pests and releasing an unbearable odor.
Conclusion
Composting cheese and dairy products are something most people will avoid adding to their pile. This is because of the unpleasant smell and pest infestation when you compost dairy products. However, you can avoid this if you compost your cheese and other dairy products.
Although composting is one of the best ways to handle food waste, there are limitations to what kind of food waste can be composted. The EPA cautions against composting dairy products, meat scraps, and fish bones.
Is moldy food, which is recognizable, all right to use in the compost bin? Answer: You can add moldy food (vegetables and fruits only) to a backyard composting bin anytime. Mold cells are just one of the many different types of microorganisms that take care of decomposition and are fine in a backyard bin.
Is Cheese Biodegradable? Yes, cheese is biodegradable and that is why it should end up in compost if it is no longer needed in the house. Cheese is a dairy product, made from naturally occurring animals, like cows, goats, and sheep. Therefore, being an organic product, it is biodegradable and can safely be composted.
Ineffective composting: Dairy products differ from normal organic waste due to the high moisture and fat content. Fats and oils slow down composting by creating water-resistant barriers around the waste, displacing water, and reducing air flow.
Overcoming the concern about salmonella bacteria from the eggs in your compost is less challenging when armed with knowledge. Let's just start out by saying: putting egg shells in your compost is okay; they are a rich source of calcium and other essential nutrients that plants need.
When grounds are stored they tend to develop green or blue-green fungus that looks like mold. The green fungus called Trichoderma, is very beneficial to the soil. The blue-green fungus is moderately beneficial. At any rate, moldy coffee is good to use directly in the garden, on your houseplants, or in the compost pile.
Put dried or cooked pasta, rice, and grains into your green cart for composting. This includes: All types of pasta (spaghetti, lasagna etc.) All types of rice.
How about potatoes? Yes and yes. Veggies and fruits are the quintessential compostable foods. You can compost them in any form: scraps and peels, raw or cooked, and even when rotten.
Can I place used paper towels, napkins, and tissue in my compost cart? Yes, absolutely. These items can be composted even if they are wet or stained with food, vegetable oil, or grease.
Of course, you can compost processed foods. They are organic and proper additions to the compost. Another advantage is that they might not contain too much grease or cooking oil.
DON'T add meat scraps, bones, grease, whole eggs, or dairy products to the compost pile because they decompose slowly, cause odors, and can attract rodents. DON'T add pet feces or spent cat liter to the compost pile. DON'T add diseased plant material or weeds that have gone to seed.
👉 Bread can be composted when broken into small pieces. It decomposes quickly and adds nitrogen to your compost pile. However, some breads have ingredients added to them that are non-compostable.
The microorganisms in compost need both nitrogen and carbon to work. If there is too much carbon, the process will slow down. To speed up the process try adding 'greens' – items that are high in nitrogen, such as grass clippings or manure.
Put leftover chocolate and candy into your green cart for composting. This includes: All types of chocolate (chocolate bars, baking chocolate, chocolate chips etc.) All types of candy (candy bars, hard candies, gummy bears, candy canes etc.)
Answer: No! You may think these cardboard containers would be naturals for the compost pile, but they hide a sneaky secret! “Ice cream containers are lined with a thin film of plastic, which does not decompose,” Rick explained.
Yes!You can compost avocado pits, avocado skins, and even unusable or brown avocado meat. However, avocado skins tend to be slow to decompose. To speed up the process, cut the peels into small squares with kitchen scissors before adding them to your composter.
When cooked, vegetables break down and start to rot quickly, which is unsanitary and can lead to unpleasant odors. A small amount of rotting food is okay for compost, but too much can compromise the compost pile by attracting pests.
Apparently composting cooked food creates very dense and wet compost. Composting this kind of waste can also attract pests, such as rats and flies. What's more, it can create some pretty pungent odours.
Put leftover cakes, muffins and pastries into your green cart for composting. This includes: All types of cakes (cheesecake, ice cream cake, fruit cake etc.) Muffins and donuts.
Should You Wash Eggshells Before Composting? It is not a requirement to wash eggshells before composting them, but you definitely need to. First, cleaning them speeds up how fast they will break down inside the composting bin. Secondly, cleaning them is important so as not to attract animal pests.
Orange peels are safe to add to your compost pile. Over time, as the citrus peels decompose, they add nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus to your compost. Those are three of the most essential nutrients needed by plants.
In most cases, the grounds are too acidic to be used directly on soil, even for acid-loving plants like blueberries, azaleas and hollies. Coffee grounds inhibit the growth of some plants, including geranium, asparagus fern, Chinese mustard and Italian ryegrass.
The best way to reduce moisture content in a compost pile is to add more “brown” material to the pile. The dry, woody material absorbs some of the moisture in the compost, reducing the overall humidity and, thus, mold growth.
If you notice a bad smell, a lot of bugs, lots of green mold, and mushy compost, that means that your compost isn't getting enough air. That could be because it is compacted and might need to be aerated, or because it's too moist.
Special Instructions. Soiled paper plates should go in the organic waste container unless they are coated or waxed, as the coating is typically plastic and not compostable. If the paper plate appears to be coated, it should go in the garbage.
Recycling facilities can't accept cardboard that has been soiled with grease, cheese, and other food waste. Fortunately for us, all of those materials are compostable!
So, what about the to-go coffee cups marked as "biodegradable" or "compostable"? Driscoll says they typically use a poly (lactic acid) lining and can be composted. With that being said, that doesn't always happen. Compostable plastic, for instance, can't be broken down in a home composter.
The easy answer to the question of whether meat belongs in compost is that it is an organic material which will break down just fine along with all of the vegetable matter in your compost.
Food – You can feed your worms most fruit and vegetables scraps, coffee grounds and paper filters, crushed eggshells, paper tea bags (without staples), and crushed eggshells. Avoid citrus fruits, odorous foods like onions and garlic, meat, dairy products, greasy foods, bones, and pet waste.
Citrus fruit, tomato products and pickled food products can do harm to your compost. High acidity can actually kill the good bacteria that helps break down the material in your compost pile.
The majority of the items that can be composted are food scraps, with the general rule of thumb being that anything that can be consumed, can be composted. The same applies to fish and bones.
Absolutely!Kleenex boxes are compostable and would be a great addition to your compost pile. However, you must prepare the material beforehand – the plastic film won't break down fast because it's a non-natural material.
Papter towel and toilet paper rolls can be recycled or composted! If you have a compost pail in the bathroom (which we recommend due to being able to compost tissues and cotton swaps with paper sticks), toilet paper rolls can go into the compost as well!
Are Chips Compostable? Yes, chips are completely compostable. Almost everything out there that is organic can be composted, including leftover chips. The rule of thumb is that anything organic, or occurs in or comes from nature and is not man-made, is compostable.
Special instructions: Drain any excess liquid down the sink before composting filters and tea bags. Remove any staples from the tea bag before composting. Put nylon and other fabric-based tea bags into the garbage (tea leaves can be separated out for the compost).
It's simple, says Linda Norris Waldt, advocacy and chapter relations director for the U.S. Composting Council. “The biggest barrier is that there are not enough compost facilities to process all of the [organic] material” that households generate.
If a compost pile is just left sitting, and not turned, it will take 6-12 months or longer to completely break down, depending of the climate and weather. The cooler it is, the longer it will take.
Beware that enclosed compost piles can overheat and create high levels of dangerous gasses, such as methane, so be sure to rotate the container or till the pile daily. Do not place compost near a building. In addition to the fire concerns, compost placed adjacent to buildings can promote infestation.
You should use bigger compost bins to encourage the generation of enough heat to kill present pathogens, as well as speed up the process. You should also bury the spoiled milk at the center of the composting pile where the heat is highest, and can also conceal the odors that attract pests.
Put cheese and dairy products in your green cart for composting. This includes: All types of cheeses (blue cheese, shredded cheese etc.) Cottage cheese.
What goes in your food waste bin. You can put the following in your food waste caddy: fish, meat and bones (raw or cooked) dairy produce (such as cheese, yoghurt, eggs)
There are a lot of DIY compost bins projects that you can easily use. For example, there are those made from wooden pallets, cinder blocks, bricks, cardboard boxes, and straw bales. To add to this list, you can also use milk crates for composting.
Why Can't I Put Meat In Compost? Putting meat in compost is a food safety risk. Decomposing flesh stinks, attracting disease-spreading pests like rats and flies to your garden. Raw and cooked meat can also contain harmful bacteria, which could spread through your compost and later contaminate your crops.
Dairy and meat products are technically compostable. However, it is advisable not to, as they can attract pests and ruin your compost pile. In this article, we will cover in more detail why composting dairy products like cheese, milk, and cream isn't such a good idea.
Certainly, you can compost eggs, although you have to use the correct methods. All organic matter, including eggs, eventually decomposes. Compost takes all those unwanted scraps of organic waste matter and makes them useful.
In short, yes you can compost bread… but it depends on a few factors, in particular what kind of compost setup you're using. Bread is an organic material, and all organic materials should be able to go into your compost. There are just a few things you have to keep in mind when composting your bread.
Except for colored and glossy paper, which might contain some toxic heavy metals, newsprint and other paper is safe to use as mulch or in compost. In fact, one study revealed that paper had less toxic material than straw or grass!
Can I place used paper towels, napkins, and tissue in my compost cart? Yes, absolutely. These items can be composted even if they are wet or stained with food, vegetable oil, or grease.
Parchment or wax paper will work too. After it's wrapped, place it in a Ziploc bag, which allows the cheese some air to breathe. Remember to date and label your cheese as well. IIf you have a softer cheese like brie, Camembert or a blue cheese, you should store it in a clean, airtight container after wrapping.
Store cheese in cheese cloth, waxed paper or an airtight box in the fridge. This will allow it to breath enough to inhibit moulds whilst containing the smell of the cheese. Cheese left in its original plastic packaging or wrapped tightly in plastic may 'sweat' and cause moulds to grow faster.
If you want your compost pile to be totally organic, then you should only use ink-free parts of the cardboard/recycled paper egg carton. [1] This is because the inks used for printing egg cartons are colored. And colored inks contain trace elements of heavy metals.
Cereal boxes are biodegradable, which means that they can decompose. In addition, they are made from paper, so essentially, they would serve as excellent compostable materials. They decay well too, so don't hesitate to chop up your cereal boxes and carefully plant them a little below the soil.
– Coffee grounds can be an excellent addition to a compost pile. The grounds are relatively rich in nitrogen, providing bacteria the energy they need to turn organic matter into compost.
Introduction: My name is Patricia Veum II, I am a vast, combative, smiling, famous, inexpensive, zealous, sparkling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
