Pasta, that amazing food of Italians everywhere. Some kids will eat nothing but pasta, but can you compost pasta? The answer is yes, but…it depends on the kind of pasta that you are talking about. Let’s discuss the kinds of pasta that you can add to your compost bin.
Our main concern is between cooked pasta and raw, or uncooked, pasta.
Can You Put Cooked Pasta in Compost?
We are going to give cooked pasta a no. It’s usually cooked with animal products like butter or meat. Oil is often added to it. Cooked pasta degrades quickly, and the smell and residue of anything it was cooked with can attract mice, rats, raccoons, and other animals or insects that you don’t want in your compost. They come in and eat the food in the compost pile, leaving nothing to compost. (They also attract mice and can then head into your house!)
If you use a hot composting system, then cooked pasta isn’t a problem.
How to Compost Pasta
If you decide that you want to try to compost pasta in your compost pile (or worm bin), here are some things to consider:
- Break up or cut up the pasta to speed up decomposition
- Place your pasta into the middle of the compost pile to cover the smell
- Layer the pasta between layers of green material
- Regularly turn your compost pile, but try to keep the pasta on the inside of the pile until it decomposes
Keep an eye on your compost pile to ensure that no mice, rats, raccoons, or other pests are getting in. They will eat all the food scraps. Then you’ll have a pile of brown material and nothing else. This will basically stop the composting process. You might want to try a small amount first to give it a try and see how it works.
Can You Compost Raw Pasta?
Yes. Raw pasta doesn’t have the same problems as cooked pasta. It can be added to your compost with little or no preparation. It helps considerably to break them down into little pieces.
Can I Compost Pasta?
Raw pasta usually isn’t an issue. To avoid pests, you want to avoid cooked pasta unless you’re using a hot composting system.