Compost Pails in the Bathroom?

We recently decided to place a compost pail in each bathroom. You may be wondering why we would do that. Do we frequently eat or prepare food in the bathroom? No, of course not. These pails aren't for collecting food scraps. They are for the many other compostable items frequently found in a bathroom.

We put a variety of items into the bathroom compost.

Facial Tissue - During this time of year it is common for me to use multiple facial tissues in a day. I try to use handkerchiefs when I'm outside working, but when I'm indoors I'll frequently just grab a tissue from a convenient box. Andrea and Jen do the same. The result is that we were throwing away several tissues daily, which could easily be composted. You may wonder about spreading germs, and I'll admit that I've had this concern myself. The composting process should kill any germs, but I've still decided to continue throwing away tissues if/when one of us is sick, rather than just having a simple runny nose.

Toilet Paper - We do not add all toilet paper to the compost. Any that only has urine on it, though, does go into the compost, as does any used for nose-blowing, wiping eyes, etc. Since I'm already collecting urine and adding it to the compost I have no concerns about adding urine soaked toilet paper to the mix. If you are concerned about the smell, you can remedy that by using an air-tight container. The strong smell of stale urine is caused by exposure to air, so limiting this exposure should prevent any odor problems.

Cotton Balls, Swabs, etc - Things like cotton balls can also be added to the compost, along with cotton swabs, as long as the sticks are made of a material that will decompose.

Hair - Any hair that is collected while cleaning out combs and brushes is added to the compost. Additionally, when my hair or beard is trimmed I collect that hair and add it to the compost as well.

Nail Clippings, Dead Skin, etc - Other things such as nail clippings or dead skin can also be added to the compost.

Dust, lint, etc - Most of what is collected while sweeping can be added to the compost. Anything that will not decompose, such as plastics, can be picked out and thrown in the trash before dumping into the compost pail.

Toilet Paper Rolls, Paper Packaging, etc - I shred toilet paper rolls and paper packaging for mulch. However, those could just as easily be added to the compost for anyone not already using them for another purpose.

As you can see, there are plenty of items that can be collected from a bathroom and added to the compost. A small pail takes up little space, and once you start using it you will be surprised at the amount of waste you add to it.