Composting FAQ

We thought this one was so important, it was our first blog post ever shared on the site. We update it occasionally to make sure it’s up to snuff so check it out if you’re curious. We love when our customers dig into the science behind one of nature’s best recycling processes.

Organic waste is any type of waste that originally came from a living thing like a plant or animal. Food scraps are the most common type of organic waste that often come to mind. But there are many other types of organic waste as well.

Any type of yard waste like grass clippings, weeds, and leaves is organic waste. Paper, cotton, wool, and other natural materials are all derived from plants and trees, so these are organic waste as well. Even things like human hair, fur, and toenail clippings (eww…gross) are organic waste. If you can trace the waste back to a plant or animal, it’s organic waste.

All organic waste can be composted, but unfortunately, WasteWell can’t accept all types of organic waste in our Swell Wells. Some things take a really long time to decompose while other things attract pests and unwanted wildlife to our composting facility. This is okay in nature but creates some issues for us.

We’ve shared a list of all the things we accept in our Swell Wells, for your reference. We even created a printable cheat sheet that we think makes great decor for your refrigerator. We also noted some things we specifically cannot accept. If you’re not sure about something, just shoot us an email and we’ll let you know if we can take it. And chances are, we’ll add it to the list on our site because you’re probably not the only one with that question.

We could talk about this for days. Just ask anyone who has asked our founder that question. But for now, hit up this little composting primer on how composting works and why it’s important if you’re curious.