I recently moved into a new house with a garden that needed quite a bit of work. As I was cleaning up, I found an old compost bin that the previous owners started but didn't add much to. Inside, there are some broken twigs, food caddy liners, and... surprisingly, a bunch of hard boiled eggs both with and without shells! I can't believe they haven't decomposed in over two years! We want to set up our own composting system, but I'm wondering if I can safely use what's in the bin or if I should just clear it all out and start from scratch. The contents only fill about a fifth of the compost bin. Any thoughts? Thanks! 🙂
2 Answers
So, about those eggs: they don’t break down quickly unless you crush them up. The shells themselves are fine but will add some grit. And those compost bin liners? Usually they don’t break down well unless you’re composting on a big scale. The twigs will take a while to decompose, but they won’t harm your compost. If you're adding your own green/brown mix, that should help balance things out! Just keep an eye on it all as it breaks down.
Just a heads up, when I got a compost bin from the last owner, I found lots of plastic in it which ruined a lot of the compost. You don't want to deal with microplastics in your garden! So, it’s smart to check beneath that layer of old eggs and clippings before deciding to add anything new. If you're worried, it might be worth emptying it out and starting fresh.