The following tables list suggested green and brown materials to add to your compost pile:

GREENS (NITROGEN)	BROWNS (CARBON)	Avoid putting the following materials into a compost pile:
Coffee grounds and filters	Animal bedding such as straw and sawdust	Bones*
Droppings from poultry or rabbits	Branches (small diameter is best)	Cooking oils*
Grass clippings from an untreated lawn	Cardboard (corrugated is best)	Dairy products (milk, cheese)*
Kitchen scraps (vegetables, fruits)	Dead plant material	Diseased plants
Live plant material	Egg cartons (made from cardboard)	Manure from cattle and horses**
Seaweed (rinse off salt first)	Eggshells (crush first)	Meat or fish*
Tea bags	Hair	Weeds that are difficult to control (e.g., bindweed, quackgrass, or thistle)
	Leaves, fallen
	Newspaper (shred first)
	Paper (shred first to speed decomposition)
	Paper towels or napkins
	Sawdust (do not add sawdust from treated lumber)
	Straw or hay
	Wood ash (use minimally as it makes soil more alkaline)

Never use animal waste from carnivorous animals—including dogs and cats—because it might contain dangerous pathogens.

Bones, cooking oils, dairy products, meat, and fish will attract rodents and scavengers.

Cattle and horse manure may contain persistent herbicides.