r/composting • u/Historical_Cattle633 • 5h ago

Question Canned food

Hi Everyone!!!

I got a simple question. I live in a rural area so I got a bin in the back maybe 50 meters from the house for compost. It got holes on the sides and bottom, and I leave it open. Really I got 2 bins, that I rotate every 1st of march. So one bin is for all household waste for 1 year, then goes without any additions for one more year, and then I use it as compost. So it’s degraded content can go from 2 years in there to just 1 year. I do add leaves in the bottom when i empty it, and some cardboard every now and then, but mainly is household leftovers, fruit peels etc.

Here’s the question, I had never added canned food leftovers cause of it’s high salt content, or potato chips , or such foods with high salt. Since the bin is left for so long outside, would the salt wash away? It’s OK to use those leftovers or is it safer to keep not adding such high salt content in the bins?

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6

u/Theme_Training 5h ago

I can’t imagine that the amount of salt is going to affect the compost unless it’s a really small compost pile.

3

u/chrisbuckets11 5h ago

especially when OP waters it/rain. it'll be fine as long as there isn't a bunch of straight vinegar poured in there from pickling and stuff, I'd probably avoid that because liquids probably don't even do much benefit for the pile anyways

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u/Historical_Cattle633 5h ago

Sometimes the bin gets full, it’s 60 gallons bins, but by the second year when I actually use the compost it’s always around 1/3 capacity.

1

u/toxcrusadr 4h ago

Save up a lot of leaves in a chicken wire corral and use them all year to layer with your food waste. You’ll lose fewer nutrients and get more compost.