Feedstock Sources

Photo courtesy of Diana Chantalle
The following often have free compostable materials and will be happy to give you some for your compost:
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Pine Ridge Arabians, 7200 Corrales Road, Corrales, NM, offers free horse manure. You may take truckloads or smaller amounts. Please call 505-263-4316 to arrange a pickup.
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The Squeezed Juice Bar has lots of fruit and vegetable pulp to give away. Make arrangements with Ryan Fellows, the owner, to pick up the pulp. Call 505-389-5766. Note that the pulp is not available at the juice bar locations, only at their processing facility near I40 and Menaul. Ryan will give you directions and a pickup time. You'll need to bring your own bucket.
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Many coffee shops often have used/damp grounds they are happy to give you. Just bring a bag or bucket and ask. Coffee grounds are a great source of nitrogen ("greens") in your compost.
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Some local businesses and individuals offer feedstock on ShareWaste.
If you are a business that has food waste to contribute, please contact webmaster@nmcomposters.org and we'll add your business to the list.
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Your neighbors might have ripe cactus fruit, mowed grass clippings, leaves, rotting apples, halloween pumpkins, etc. that they'll be glad to see get recycled.
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Many horse and other animal owners are happy to give away manure and bedding straw. Be careful that the animal has not been treated with de-worming medicine. Be aware that horse manure can be a source of weed seeds unless it is well hot-composted.
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You can often pick up pine cones in the street. Great for bulking your compost to enhance aeration.
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From your home you can compost your kitchen scraps, moldy leftovers, used paper towels, vacuum cleaner contents, dryer lint (if it's natural fiber), even shredded newspaper and other non-slick paper products.
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And of course, when you clean up your garden, your pile will grow.
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Be careful not to put weed seed or perennial weeds (such as bindweed or bermuda grass) in your compost unless you are doing a hot pile and you know it will get very hot.
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Take care not to add plants that have been treated with persistent herbicides or manure from animals that have eaten such plants.
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