- Can charcoal go on the compost?
- Charcoal without heavy metals
- Compost charcoal without fat residue or alcohol
- Do not compost too much charcoal ash
There are very different views on the question of whether charcoal should be used in the compost. Ultimately, there are good reasons for all opinions. There is certainly no great danger if you pay attention to a few things when composting the ashes from charcoal.
In principle, charcoal can be disposed of in the compost
Can charcoal go on the compost?
Charcoal is made from organic materials, either wood or special charcoals. The ash can be composted, but the Federal Environment Agency advises against adding charcoal ash to the compost.
The reason for this is deposits of heavy metals that the trees absorb over time. These are not broken down in the compost and are later distributed in the garden when fertilizing. This is a problem, especially when fertilizing vegetables and fruit, since the heavy metals get into the human organism when they are eaten.
If you rarely grill and make sure not to unnecessarily contaminate the charcoal with fat or grill lighters, composting is certainly not a problem.
Charcoal without heavy metals
- Use charcoal with little heavy metals
- do not use grill lighters
- Do not allow fat to drip onto the embers
- Compost charcoal ash in small amounts
If you grill, for your own health's sake, you should only use charcoal that has been certified as "low in heavy metals". With these products, care is taken to ensure that they come from stocks that have not been exposed to excessive environmental pollution or contaminated in any other way.
You should not buy products that are not marked as "low in heavy metals" and certainly not put them on the compost site later.
Compost charcoal without fat residue or alcohol
If you grill without aluminum trays, fat will drip onto the embers. This creates the dreaded acrylamides, which are considered carcinogenic. The ash is contaminated with it and belongs in the household waste and not on the compost.
This also applies if you have used alcohol or other such lighters as a lighter.
It is harmless if you have poured beer over the charcoal while grilling.
Do not compost too much charcoal ash
Let the ashes cool down before composting! Don't put too much charcoal ash on the compost at one time. Mix them with other green waste, preferably wet.
tips
Basically you can put all organic materials on the compost. However, some substances pose health hazards. This is especially true for dog poop and cat litter.