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I recently wondered if I could compost peanut butter. I would assume it is fine since it is an organic material. If you can compost it, what are the pros and cons to doing so? Is there anything else I should know about adding peanut butter to my compost?

The_Compostinator
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1 Answers1

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This question covers similar ground. See especially @baka's comment there:

the fats and oils slow down "bug" growth

If you are composting a little bit of peanut butter then it should be ok -- e.g peanut butter on a bagel that didn't get eaten and ends up in the compost bin.

But I wouldn't dump a whole jar of peanut butter into the compost. The issue is that peanut butter is mostly fat. Fat doesn't compost well. It will take longer to break down and will end up as a gooey, smelly mess in the meantime. It may also attract unwanted pests (raccoons, rats, neighborhood dogs, etc.).

Community
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bstpierre
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    Animal fats especially will attract animals, but for veg oils the reasons you give are the same reason we don't compost waste vegetable oil (eg. From frying). In theory they'll break down nicely but they take a very long time and almost certainly inhibit the break down of other things in the pile due to oxygen starvation. – winwaed Jan 14 '12 at 15:26
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    If you have waste liquid vegetable oil (from frying, etc), post on Craigslist, and find a biodiesel homebrewer in your area who would love to take it off your hands and use it as fuel. – Flimzy Feb 16 '12 at 20:44