1. Paper(will ink hurt?)
Newspaper and junkmail is fine, it doesn't have many nutrients however and therefore I try to minimize it.
2. Cardboard boxes- Same as Paper, high Carbon, low in nutrients, I use some but prefer to get unprocessed carbon such as leaves to add to the compost pile to get a more nutritious product in the end. It is a good way to reduce landfill use when recycling isn't available but does not make the most nutritious compost.
3. Grease left over from kitchen pans
I don't. Actually I don't cook anything that leaves grease in pans.
4. Corn cobs- Yes! Use them Chop them up, they are high carbon and take a while to break down but are better than paper and cardboard for browns.
5. Rotten fruit & veggies- Certainly. These are my most prized additions to the pile.
Other additions I add are garden refuse spent plants, hedge trimmings, Spent houseplants and potting soil, Dead birds(I occasionally get a dead fledling or dove in my yard, goes into the pile)
Fish scraps (Only on good active piles and buried deep.
Food scraps. (Leftover or over old, Pasta, rice, breads, old eggs, expired milk, occasionally a few chicken bones, freezer burned goods such as ice cream, etc.)
I leave my grass clippings where they fall and if I harvest any they are for veggie mulch.
I will add my own urine for moisture. If you have nosey neighbors it can be colected indoors and poured a gallon at a time.
I sometimes colect seaweed from The gulf Coast to add and while I am down at my parents I usually can get a yard or so of rabit manure into the truck.
"Hi, mom, Hi Dad, Can I have some rabbit manure? " "Help me pile it ontop of that seaweed"
We add every weed and spent plant from the garden, all bad tomatoes (BER< insect damage, spliters, overripes, ground contact).
Do not put fresh stuff on top where flys can get it, open the pile up and set fresh stuff into the center where it is most likely to rot quickly, get hot and be protected from flies.
Another great source of bulk material is Starbucks. I get 50-100 pounds of used grounds and teabags at a time from a nearby shop. Placed ontop of a pile it helps to deter flys in my experience. , it works it way deep into the pile with each watering.
Experiment with your local ingredients. investigate your local sources and most of al enjoy recycling your waste into a valuable soil ammendment and mild fertilizer.
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