Compost Discussion Thread (Merged Threads)

headcovers · 2 August 2006 at 8:02PM

Quick question, honestly not a flippant one.

Can one put the fluff from the filter on a tumble dryer into the compost? I know that you can put hair and vacuum dust in.

....and before someone berates me on the economical and ecological waste of a tumble dryer.....remember, baby steps, baby steps.......

orainsear · 2 August 2006 at 10:30PM

Yeah it will be ok - it may take a little bit longer to break down and make sure it's from natural material, e.g. cotton, and doesn't contain any harsh chemicals.

Volcano · 2 August 2006 at 10:35PM

If most of your clothes are cotton/polyester/wool then this should be fine though I don't know how long they'd take to compost down. The only slightly dodgy stuff would be dyes in the fabric but I'd imagine they'd be negligable.

dianasnan · 2 August 2006 at 10:39PM

as an alternative use for tumble dryer fluff pack it into the empty sections of an egg box ,each individual cone works well as a barbeque lighter. very flammable.

Skiduck · 2 August 2006 at 10:52PM

how about making pillows? or is that just stupid?

Cardew · 2 August 2006 at 11:03PM

I recently used the contents of a compost bin that hadn't been touched for a couple of years and the fluff had not broken down at all.

Skiduck · 2 August 2006 at 11:06PM

Cardew wrote:

I recently used the contents of a compost bin that hadn't been touched for a couple of years and the fluff had not broken down at all.

I would imagine it wouldn't - too many synthetics nowadays, you can't be sure what's in your fluff.

Bring back eco-fluff!

I'm sure there are ways of using it, insulation etc, however it's not very fire retardent either. A good bed for cress though and maybe drainage for other plants and seedlings.

tru · 3 August 2006 at 6:05AM

I put the fluff onto the bird table so birds can use it for their nests.

pollys · 3 August 2006 at 9:19PM

I put it in the compost bin and have not had any problems, I also empty the vacuum cleaner contents in.

Ciara111 · 5 August 2006 at 11:32AM

Ok this is my first time on this area of the MSE website... I am really interested on starting my own composting. My council doesnt offer a free one in my area its about £15. Now I realise this is cheaper than buying from the diy stores, but in the Moneysaving spirit I wanted to try and make one myself. Can anyone suggest any sites or have instructions on how to make a bin? I think we've got some old bricks, chicken wire and maybe a few empty pallets.