Why can’t we compost meat or dairy at home?

It is generally not recommended to compost meat or dairy in your home compost. Meat and dairy can attract pests that could cause other problems. Composting meat and dairy requires an expertise, access to commercial grade equipment, and commercial quantities of organic waste to produce an internal temperature high enough to kill off pathogens. Before composting check your municipal code, there may be restrictions on what can be composted at home.

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1. Who is the largest contributor of food waste?
2. What’s the most important thing I can do to reduce my food waste?
3. How do I safely preserve my leftovers?
4. Why is food waste a problem?
5. How do I donate my unused food to a food access location?
6. Is it safe to cook with leftovers?
7. Where can I take a cooking class?
8. How can I learn to safely store and preserve my food?
9. Why can’t we compost meat or dairy at home?
10. Where are community compost/scrap drop-off locations, how do I sign up?
11. What’s the cost of food waste?
12. How do I keep my food scraps from smelling in my house before pick-up/drop-off?
13. Can we compost utensils/bags/plates that say “compostable”? If not, why?
14. What kind of container is best for holding food scraps?
15. What is the benefit of composting?
16. How is compost helpful for my garden?
17. Are there services that pick-up food scraps from multi-family homes?
18. What’s the difference between compost and dirt?
19. Can I compost my dog, cat, rabbit, pet manure?
20. Where are my scraps taken and composted in the community? Does it smell?
21. What happens to food in a landfill?