Compost
I compost anything that has once been alive and that rots down relatively quickly. Cotton and wool decomposes quite rapidly but if they are composted with artificial fibres you get a mat of thread which is a devil of a job to get rid of. So check them carefully and look at the label to see if they are 100% woollen or cotton.
This could include woollen carpets and rugs, sweaters, shirts and trousers.
Cotton is ubiquitous; genes, shirts, socks etc.
Leather decomposes quite quickly but only if it is quite thin. Handbags and gloves are the best but I have also composted shoes, sandals, satchels and thick leather bags.
I would challenge anyone to find these in my compost after a year.
Thin wooden baskets also rot down quite quickly. Paper and card rot well but seem to attract an unfair number of slugs and snails. Vacuum cleaner fluff rots down well.
All these things will take nutrients out of the compost until they have fully rotted down. I would suggest that they lock up nutrients that would otherwise leach out of the compost, though but I have no evidence to back this up. I like to mix them with normal vegetable compost and with layers of soil and a dusting of lime. I often put stable manure on this compost if it has too many wood shavings in it.
If you regularly spread cow and horse muck over your allotment like I do there is sure to be quite a lot of germs in the soil. Wash your hands and cover cuts carefully. It’s always worth being cautious but never worth being paranoid.
