Can You Compost Meat Scraps? The Surprising & Smelly Truth Jenny Graham, July 16, 2024July 16, 2024 What about meat? Can you compost meat? Many folks who are new to composting at some point will ask this question. Here you’ll find the breakdown of composting meat products. Can You Compost Meat? Yes, you can compost meat. Almost any organic matter can be composted. If it was once alive, it will decompose. The Problem With Composting Meat Composting organic materials like meat, fish, or dairy products could cause problems within your compost bin. Composting these things will likely attract rodents to your pile, encourage flies and maggots, and smell to high heaven. Furthermore, they take longer to break down, slowing the composting process. Luckily these issues can be solved with a properly managed compost pile. Can You Compost Meat Safely? What are the Health Concerns? While the Environmental Protection Agency advises against composting meat scraps, they can be made into nutrient-rich compost. Meat, but not all meat, can contain bacteria like Salmonella, E. Coli, or Listeria, which can contaminate the compost and spread to nearby plants if the meat isn’t fully decomposed. So, can you compost meat? Starting with meat that has been fully cooked can eliminate this issue. Raw meat scraps are more likely to cause this problem but they can still be composted. Can You Compost Meat and Food Waste Safely at Home? Composting meat safely at home can be done. It’s important to build a pile with the correct amount of greens, browns, water, and oxygen to encourage a healthy composting process. I prefer to build a hot compost pile, which is the fastest way to get finished compost. The high temperatures will kill off any harmful bacteria or pathogens that may be present in the compost bin. There are other methods of composting that work well with meat products but I will stick to what I know best, which is hot composting. Materials and Supplies Needed for Hot Composting Compost Bin- Not required, as you can build the pile on the ground. I prefer mine contained and covered, using a broken chest freezer. Water- Preferably a hose with a good sprayer. Thermometer- One of the long ones. Finished Compost- This can be store-bought if you don’t have any. Types of Organic Materials The composting process requires a few different things: nitrogen-rich materials, carbon-rich materials, water, and oxygen. I like to start collecting piles of greens and browns to build one big pile at a time, as opposed to adding a few things to a pile here and there. That’s more of a cold composting technique. Aim for enough material to build a pile 3 feet tall x 3 feet wide x 3 feet deep. Compost Pile Ratios When collecting materials to compost you’ll want to keep the ratio of 2-3 browns to 1 green material in mind. All animal products are considered to be green or part nitrogen materials. The ratio of brown to green will vary depending on your green material. If it is really hot or wet, you’ll need more browns. An example would be grass clippings, chicken manure, or meat products. If it is a milder, drier green like feathers, green yard waste, or kitchen scraps, you’ll need fewer browns. The ratios don’t have to be exact so don’t get analysis paralysis here. Just build the pile and see if it works. You can always correct compost problems as they arise. An Easy Way to Measure Organic Materials I like to measure compost ingredients with a five-gallon bucket. So 2-3 buckets of brown material to 1 bucket of green material. This can also be done by the shovel full. Nitrogen-Rich Organic Materials (Greens) Kitchen Scraps Green Yard Waste Grass Clippings Meat Products Other Animal Products such as Bones, Feathers, or Offal Green Garden Waste Coffee Grounds Animal Manures- Chicken manure is my go-to. Be cautious with ruminant manure, as it can contain persistent herbicides. Carbon-Rich Materials (Browns) Brown Yard Waste Brown Garden Waste Egg Shells Wood Chips Dried Leaves Paper Bags Paper Towels Cardboard Can You Compost Meat? Step-by-Step Instructions Collect your green and brown materials, keeping the 2-3 browns to 1 green ratio in mind. Collect enough for a 3x3x3 foot pile. In your bin, or on the ground, put down a layer of finished compost. Moisten it lightly with water. Aim for enough moisture so it feels like a damp, wrung-out sponge. From here you will alternate layering your brown and green materials, moistening each layer as it is added. Again, enough water so it feels like a damp wrung-out sponge. I like to add a layer of finished compost every couple of layers. This will introduce beneficial bacteria and increase microbial activity in the pile, speeding up the decomposition process. Once you are out of browns and greens, top your pile off with finished compost. Insert your compost thermometer into the pile. After a few days, you should notice that the temperature has risen. Aim to have your pile at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit. When your pile reaches the optimal temperature of 120-140 degrees, it’s time to turn the pile. This will introduce oxygen to the pile. Insert your thermometer and start the heating process over again. Keep at this routine until the pile is no longer hot and the organic materials are fully broken down and unrecognizable. Finished compost should smell earthy and have a nice crumbly texture. Can You Compost Meat? Best Practices When it comes to composting meat and other animal by-products, there are some details you’ll want to keep in mind. Let’s look at some specifics of composting meat. Preparing Meat, Food Scraps, and Organic Materials for Composting The best way to prepare materials for composting is to get a jump start on the composting process. How’s that, you say? Simply shred or cut up your materials into smaller pieces. This essentially is the process of breaking down the organic matter. Building your Pile With Animal Products When building a compost pile with any meat or animal products where they go matters. When it comes to adding your green layers of compost, you’ll want to make sure that they are spread out evenly over the brown layer, except for your animal products. Try and keep meat and such in the center of your layer. This will keep it away from the outer edge, keeping smells and critters at bay. Maintaining Proper Conditions in Your Compost Heap To compost meat and such safely, you must have the correct ratio of water, oxygen, greens, and browns. The pile must get hot to kill bacteria and pathogens. If it’s not getting hot, you may need more green materials. Having high moisture or too little moisture will also cause this. Furthermore, be sure to keep an eye on the temperature. I end up turning my piles about every 3-5 days depending on how hot it is. Turning the pile also adds oxygen, which is essential for aerobic bacteria to thrive. Problems With Composting Meat, Fish, or Dairy Products The answer some people have to the question, can you compost meat, is often no. Composting these types of things can create smells, attract critters, and produce bad bacteria. They also take longer to fully break down, making the composting process take longer. However, it can still be done. Preventing and Addressing Problems Fixing your compost problems is easier than you think. Most problems, depending on what they are, can be fixed by adjusting the moisture, adding greens or browns, or building a bigger compost pile. If you are having problems with your compost, we have you covered. Head over and read How to Fix Your Stinky Compost Problem or Help! My Compost is Too Wet. Deterring Pests and Reducing Unpleasant Odors The fear of pests or rancid odors are common reasons why people won’t start home compost piles. I always recommend adding a really thick layer of brown material on top of my compost pile when it has meat products in it. The extra thick layer helps keep the smell down so rodents and such are not attracted to the pile. Moreover, putting your compost pile in a bin also solves that problem. I use a large, broken chest freezer to contain my compost. How Long Does Meat Take to Compost? If your pile has reached at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit, the meat will start to break down within four days or so. Meat will usually take anywhere from 1 to 3 months to fully decompose. Can You Compost Meat Using Other Traditional Composting Methods? Why, yes, you can. These other composting methods can work as well. Cold Composting Bokashi Bin Composting Vermicomposting with a Worm Bin Choosing the Right Composting Process Choosing the right method of composting is really up to you and what you prefer. I prefer hot composting because I get a finished product in less time. It does take a little more work than a cold pile though. Which is why some people prefer to build a cold pile. Cold composting takes less work but be prepared to wait 3-6 months for finished compost. If you aren’t sure which is right for you, head on over to explore different types of composting, like Bokashi Bin and Vermicomposting. Alternative Composting Options for Meat Scraps or Animal Products Ok so, maybe you have found that composting meat isn’t for you. It’s ok, you do you. There are plenty of other ways to get rid of meat scraps other than composting. Use Animal Products as Free Fertilizer Around here, we tend to have lots of animal scraps that need to be composted or used in some way. We collect blood from butchered animals to add to our swamp water barrel to make free fertilizer from the garden. Another great way to use organic waste, like animal carcasses from butcher day, is to bury them around fruit trees. The natural process will decompose the organic waste, feeding the trees over time. Feed It to Chickens or Other Livestock Being that chickens are omnivores, they can eat a wide variety of things. And you guessed it, meat is one of them. They will love picking the rest of that steak off the bone. Feed It to Your Dogs From raw meat, bones, and leftover meat scraps, your dogs will be happy to take care of any meat you’ve decided you don’t want to compost in your backyard bin. It’ll save you some money on dog food as well, which is good because that stuff is not exactly cheap. Benefits of Composting Regardless of how you end up composting your meat scraps or animal by-products, using them up around the farm is just smart and benefits the environment. Composting reduces methane emissions by keeping stuff out of the landfill. Want more? Making and using compost is a great way to make free fertilizer, reduce erosion, build nutrient-rich soil, regulate soil temperatures, keep weeds and grasses at bay, and also increase water retention in the soil, conserving water and your time. Can You Compost Meat? Yes, you can safely compost meat, while reducing your waste. An Added bonus, you can also make compost tea with your finished compost. It’s another great way to make free organic fertilizer, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizer. If you ask me, composting is a win-win. Happy Homesteading & Composting, Jenny @ The GrahamStead Family Farm Jenny and her family have been homesteading for over 20 years. They are currently farming on their 10 acre Florida farm, that they built from the ground up, 9 years ago, growing 100% of their meat and most of their vegetables. From their small herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle, pastured poultry, sheep, and seasonal pigs, they are able to raise enough meat for the family while selling extra to the community. Striving to butcher at home, as much as possible, using the bits and pieces of their harvest by preserving food, making bone broth, and (Jenny’s favorite) tanning all kinds of hides! Composting Homesteading