hm. coffee grounds egg shells and banana peels were organic matter last time i checked? they rot and are not made of synthetic materials.

i thought that even if you were throwing things such as old cooked dishes paper towels old sodas old beers in that you are still being organic. gardening organic is about not using synthetic chemical fertilizers to push plant growth, it's about feeding the soil to feed your plants.....compost feeds the soil.

Yes, they are organic material but the concern is that the herbicides and pesticides that were used in producing the fruits and vegetables are part of the make-up of the material and will get into the decomposed matter and be introduced into the soil, making it less than purely "organic".

I'm afraid it's another confusion over the choice of the word 'organic'...

Strictly speaking to be Organic (with a capital O) you need to be registered with the relevant group and follow their standards. Without the capital O, all fruit and veg would count as organic.

The Soil Association, which is supposed to have the highest standards for Organic growing, allows the use of household waste and many other not strictly 'Organic' sources as it is in harmony with the basic principles of sustainability. If they were too strict, no-one would ever manage to turn Organic.

Here is a link that might be useful: soil associstion green waste standards

How far can you stretch the point? Might want to use caution, then, in adding your grass clippings, garden debris, and fallen leaves lest particulate air pollutants, road salts, wind drift from distant agricultural sites, etc. contaminate your assortment of compostable ingredients.

I don't use chemicals, but I can't guarantee they're not blowin' in the wind from somewhere else. And though I try to be a worthy steward of the earth, wasting things that could be composted and returned to the earth seems less beneficial than trying to achieve 100% composting purity IMHO.

All compost is "organic" by its very nature. And no, we are not talking about Milorganite or similar community sludge reclaimation projects that "call" themselves compost - they aren't.

Pushing the point beyond that is bending over backwards to beat a dead horse. It totally ignores the nature and benefits of the process itself. Even those growers that are organically certified are allowed to use compost from multiple different sources.

If one pushes the point too far then nothing would end up being composted.

Dave

If you eat that material it is acceptable to add it to your compost. If it grew in your garden it is acceptable to add it to your compost. Even a Twinky would add some value to compost, and who knows one might even make the bacteria really happy.

It's a valid debate. You and your husband have to come to an agreement on how pure you want your compost to be, how strict your definition of 'organic' will be.

In the big picture, which is better: composting those non-organic kitchen scraps or burying them in a landfill? On the other hand, a compost pile is not a waste disposal site. Personally I draw the line at putting paper products of any kind in my compost, but I'll put non-organic food waste in there, even hotdogs and buns from kids' parties, crossing my fingers and trusting in the magic of the composting process to take care of it.

"wasting things that could be composted and returned to the earth seems less beneficial than trying to achieve 100% composting purity"

Amen to that!

If you want, you can make separate piles for the kitchen garden, using only the "pure" ingredients in those, & put other people's grass clippings, etc, into the compost you use on your ornamentals.

the only reason i have two piles, is cuz one gets dog crap thrown in it, which is okay to throw in the yard n on flowers, but not in the veg. garden.

I tend to put the "pure" ingredients in my worm bin and the other miscellaneous items in my compost heap outside

Thanks for all your thoughts! I'd rather hoped that someone would know of some studies that showed what happens when "non-Organic" materials are introduced into the soil. I tend to think we shouldn't attempt at being so pure. My husband on the other hand tends to be somewhat obsessive compulsive. Until we learn more about composting I guess it will remain a matter of opinion. Can't win any arguments with that!

Sometimes I wonder if there is any such thing as winning an argument...

For harmony in the home, maybe you should consider separate compost piles!