Can you compost meat?

Meat and bones do decompose, but a domestic compost heap is the wrong place for it. Home heaps seldom sustain the 55 to 65 °C needed to destroy pathogens, so what you get is putrefaction rather than composting, along with strong odours and a reliable draw for rats, foxes and flies. Municipal and industrial composting operates hot enough and is designed for exactly this, which is why many councils accept meat in food-waste collections even though the same material is unsuitable at home.

What goes wrong

• Attracts rodents and other scavengers within days.
• Home heaps rarely reach pathogen-killing temperatures.
• Produces strong odours as it putrefies rather than composts.

What to do instead

• Use a council food-waste collection, which goes to industrial composting or anaerobic digestion.
• A sealed bokashi bin ferments meat scraps before they are buried.

Other "can you compost" questions

• Can you compost citrus peel? It depends — Yes in an ordinary compost heap, in moderation. Not in a wormery.