Can you compost egg cartons? YES! Egg cartons are a good addition to your compost pile because they add fast nutrients to your compost! Composting egg cartons is also a great way to save money! I mean, let's be real, who doesn't love saving money?
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Composting Egg Cartons
When you take the time to add your egg cartons to your compost pile, you are not the only benefiting, so are your plants, soil and the rest of the world. Egg cartons are generally made up of recycled organic material, that if placed in the trash and sent to the dump will just add to the increased levels of pollution and waste.
But, if composted in your backyard compost pile, they will increase your soil health by adding essential plant nutrients when breaking down, increasing moisture retention, and increasing drainage.
Did you know that your soil is full of little microscopic living organisms? These organism are what break down the soil into beneficial plant nutrients. Well, fun fact, egg cartons will serve as a home for these organisms.
Can You Compost Egg Cartons Various Types of Egg Cartons?
- Paper egg cartons (paper-pulp egg carton): Paper cartons are one of the two most common types of cartons that you see in the store. They are made from paperboard and are biodegradable. They are an excellent egg carton to add to your compost pile. You can also use these to start your seeds, donate them to a friend who has backyard chickens and could use them for storing eggs, or to make DIY camp fire starters.
- Plastic egg cartons: You can not compost plastic egg cartons. They are generally bought to be reused over and over again and can be washed between uses. If you choose to throw them away, they need to be recycles and will take years and years to break down being they are generally made with products such as PVC and PET.
- Styrofoam egg cartons: Styrofoam egg cartons are one of the two most common egg cartons that you see in the store. They are not biodegradable being they are made from polystyrene foam, but in some states they are recyclable and can be placed in your recycling bin instead of your trash.
- Cardboard egg cartons: Cardboard egg cartons are made up of compostable materials. You will usually see carboard egg cartons in the form on flats. They are the food packaging layers that are placed between the eggs when you buy them in packages of 5 dozen or more. They are flat with an egg carton design and are very easily composted as they are biodegradable.
How to Compost Egg Cartons
In order to compost your old egg cartons you will have to assure that you have a compost pile of organic matter that consist of more than just egg cartons.
Common materials that you will find in a compost pile are coffee grounds, green materials such as grass clippings, brown materials such as dead plants, dead leaves or shredded paper products, egg shells, kitchen scraps that are not meat, dirt, and grass-fed animal waste.
As long as you have a mixture of organic materials to start a compost pile, you can easily incorporate egg cartons.
- Break the cartons down into small pieces: Before tossing your egg cartons or cardboard egg boxes onto your compost heap, either cut/rip the cartons into small pieces or run them through a shredder. This makes it easier for the bacterial microbes to enter into the structure of the cardboard and get to work at breaking it down into soil.
- Adequate moisture content: Assess the aeration and moisture content by using a pitch fork to flip the pile once in a while. If the pile is dry, add some water. You do not want your compost overly dry or overly wet, so make sure you are not making a muddy mess when adding water.
How Long Does it Take for Egg Cartons to Compost
Egg cartons can break down in just a few months if all the conditions are perfect. It is not common for it to take longer than this in states that have cold temperatures though. There are a few things to keep in mind to help make the egg carton composting process go smooth.
- The smaller pieces of egg carton will break down quickest.
- The moisture and aeration factors of the compost pile need to be ideal. The pile should not have excess moisture. It also should not be dry or too compact or too loose.
- The compost bin must be "stirred" or flipped often to keep in mixed. The compost mix may seem like a heavy heap on the edge
- You will need to have a combination of green matter and brown matter in the compost. Worms are also a great help to speeding up the compost rate. They eat the matter in the compost pile and release is as worm castings.
Frequently Asked Questions About Composting Egg Cartons
When an egg carton is done composting will be a light-weight, nutrient-rich soil.
I would suggest buying a soil thermometer.
You can definitely speed up the composting process by adding a compost activator. I do want you to keep in mind that most compost activators are synthetically made.
I would not recommend composting these, as the coloring of them is usually a chemical dye. This also stands true for any egg cartons with colored inks.
You want to avoid adding whole eggs to your compost because the yolks and eggs could contaminate your soil with salmonella. If it is just a small bit of egg residue that is on your carton, it's totally fine.
Fun Fact
Did you know that you can also use paper egg cartons as homemade seed starters? If you fill you egg cartons with seed starting soil and place a seed in them, they make a great starting pot.
- They will hold moisture, so the soil doesn't dry out as quickly and they release nutrients as they decompose.
- They are also able to be place right into the ground when you are ready to transplant your seedlings. Tip: poke some holes in the bottom before placing it into your garden.
- As the carton breaks down, it will feed the earthworms and turn into compost!
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