Can I put chocolate in compost? The Short answer to this question in case you are in rush is that chocolate can be added to the compost without any problem. The only problem that may arise is when you added chocolate that contains butter or which is wrapped with non-biodegradable materials.
In this case, you need to employ different compost techniques if you want to compost the chocolate efficiently.
Read on to find out how to compost chocolate the right way.
Can you Compost Chocolate?
Composting is one of the methods that can be used to repurpose your kitchen and garden waste. This helps us conserve our natural resources and more importantly keep our environment clean while enriching our plants with nutrients.
Chocolate waste is one of the many scraps that can be obtained from our homes and factories. But, is chocolate compostable? But, before we go any further, let us look at the materials from which chocolate is made.
Chocolate can be described as the preparation of roasted and ground seeds of cocoa, which is usually produced in liquid, block, or paste form.
Chocolate is generally considered pure organic and analysis had revealed that chocolate contains numerous essential plant nutrients that help improve plants’ growth and yield.
100 grams of milk chocolate was found to contain 189mg of calcium, 63mg of magnesium, 208mg of phosphorus, and 372mg of potassium. And all these nutrients are required for plants’ growth. Click here for more information.
Coming back to the Composting, all parts of cocoa are considered safe to be composted and used as a fertilizer unless they are contaminated by pathogens or toxins.
Studies have shown that cocoa when used as a compostable in compost alongside other compostable materials can help improve growth parameters in plants.
For instance, one study revealed that when waste cocoa pods were combined with triple superphosphate and poultry manure produced good compost, which was used to improve growth in cocoa seedlings.
Unlike other compostable materials that take a long time to decompose, cocoa scraps do not take that time. They usually break down or decompose so quickly. One study found that while composting cocoa husks during an experiment.
Read also: Can You Compost Flowers?: Here Is What You Need To Know
Is chocolate green or brown compostable material?
Chocolate contains more potassium, other minerals, carbohydrates, and sugars. And these nutrients are mainly made of carbon compounds. And this shows that chocolate is a brown compostable material not green.
How to compost chocolate
Before you add chocolate to your compost, ensure that you remove all packaging and wrappings from the chocolate. However, if the packaging and wrappings are compostable, meaning they can be decomposed. You can also add them to the compost together with the compost.
Combine the chocolate with other brown compostable materials such as sawdust, dried leaves, straw, and shredded cardboard. Make sure you place the chocolate in the center or after you place several layers of greens and browns
Cover the compost bin when it is filled up with compostable materials. Turn your chocolate compost from time to time. This can help generate heat and speed up the composting process.
Read also: The Detailed Guide To Eggshells Composting
How long does it take chocolate to decompose
On normal condition, chocolate compost will not take more than 3-6 months or a maximum of one year to decompose. However, if you added other compostable materials such as avocado rinds that are hard to decompose, your chocolate compost can take a long period to decompose.
So, avoid adding compostable materials such as citrus peels, weeds that started producing seeds, unchopped tree branches, unshredded cardboard, and pineapple crowns if you want to harvest your compost on time.
Read also: Can You Compost Hair?: Here Is What You Need To Know
Frequently asked Questions
Can you put candy in compost?
Yes, you can compost candy. This includes all types of candies such as candy bars, hard candies, and candy cane. But, you need to break down bigger size candies into smaller pieces so as help the decomposers break down the candies so quickly. Additionally, remove all wrappings and packages that are not biodegradable and are synthetic.
Read also: How To Make Liquid Fertilizer From Kitchen Waste
Cab you compost cake?
Despite, some compost enthusiasts are avoiding cake in their compost, but the fact is that cake can be composted and will decompose so quickly. The only problem is that cake sometimes can attract pests such as rats. You can prevent this problem when you place the cake between layers of brown and green compostable materials.
Read also: Can you compost weeds: Here is what you need to know
Can you compost flour?
Yes, you can compost flour. But, avoid adding the flour that is contaminated with fungi and other pathogens.
What should you not put in compost?
Some compostable materials that are usually avoided in compost are diseased plants, treated plants, carnivores feces, citrus peels, and any other non-biodegradable waste.
Conclusion
In this article, I looked at how to compost chocolate the right way. I also answered some of your frequently asked questions about composting chocolate. I hope you will find the article helpful. Let me know if you have questions in the comments section below.
