---
title: "Can you compost meat? No"
description: "Not in a home heap. It attracts vermin and rarely gets hot enough to be safe. What actually happens, what goes wrong, and what to do instead."
url: https://atoneplace.net/can-you/compost-meat/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Can you compost meat?

**No: Not in a home heap. It attracts vermin and rarely gets hot enough to be safe.**

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?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/compost-citrus/) — It depends — Yes in an ordinary compost heap, in moderation. Not in a wormery.

## Common questions

### Can you compost meat?

Not in a home heap. It attracts vermin and rarely gets hot enough to be safe.

### What happens if you compost meat?

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

## Related pages

- [Can you compost citrus peel?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/compost-citrus/)
- [Can you microwave styrofoam?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/microwave-styrofoam/)
- [Can you microwave aluminum foil?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/microwave-aluminum-foil/)
- [Can you microwave plastic containers?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/microwave-plastic-containers/)
- [Can you wash pillows?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/wash-pillows/)
- [Can you wash sneakers in the washing machine?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/wash-sneakers/)
- [Can you recycle pizza boxes?](https://atoneplace.net/can-you/recycle-pizza-boxes/)

## Sources

- US Environmental Protection Agency — EPA (https://www.epa.gov/) [Public domain (US Government)]