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Composting enrichesand improves soil, plus it’s a great way to dispose of food.
Bread requires minor processing to decompose rapidly and integrate with the rest of the compost pile.
Greens are nitrogen-rich materials like food waste and grass clippings.
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Browns are dry, woody, carbon-heavy items like twigs and leaves.
For theproper compost ratio, add one part greens to three parts browns.
Where does bread stand in the greens-to-browns ratio mix?
For convenience, the bucket does not need to be exclusively bread.
It can be mixed with other greens.
Why Composting Bread Is a Good Idea
Composting bread works well because it is loaded with nitrogen.
Whole wheat bread contributes more nitrogen to the compost pile than white bread.
Whole wheat bread contains about four times more nitrogen than even nitrogen-rich green vegetables like spinach and kale.
How to Add Bread to the Compost
Break up the bread by hand.
Or use a blender or food processor to break it into smaller pieces with less effort.
Avoid tossing full loaves or slices of bread on the compost pile.
Gropper says that adding bread to the middle of the pile serves two purposes.
“One, it aids in quickly decomposing the bread.
Two, it will protect it from pests and wildlife looking for a little snack.”
“Just like bread, they should be broken into smaller pieces and buried deep in the pile.
Not all grain products should go in the compost pile, cautions Gropper.
“Its best to avoid adding foods high in sugar and dairy, like cookies and pie.”
She notes that sugar and dairy elements will only attract pests and wildlife.
This even includes pasta sauce.
Old bread can be composted and turned into a fertilizing agent that benefits plants.
Among gardening products, though,compost and fertilizers are not the samething.
It can take bread from a week or two to several months to decompose on a compost pile.
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Contribution of whole grains to total grains intake among adults aged 20 and over: United States, 20132016.
NCHS Data Brief, no 341.
Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.
A Comprehensive Review on Bio-Preservation of Bread: An Approach to Adopt Wholesome Strategies.
2022 Jan 24;11(3):319. doi: 10.3390/foods11030319.
PMID: 35159469; PMCID: PMC8834264.
