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David Hare-Scott[_2_] · 31-01-2012, 08:33 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible

Alfred Falk wrote:
(Dick Adams) wrote in news:jg7ru7$95r$4
@reader1.panix.com:

Question: Is it ok to add hair to a compost pile?

I'm talking about dog hair, cat hair, and human hair.
Has anyone done it?
Does anyone have cites about it?

Thanks,

Dick
--
Richard D. Adams
Ellicott City, MD

I used to throw dog hair clippings onto my compost pile. I live in a
cool (sometimes very cold!) and I don't like to turn my piles more
tha a few times over our short summer. I found that that hair would
take more than a year to break down. It wasn't a big problem, but
lumps of matted hair were a mild annoyance so I don't bother trying
anymore. (Being organic matter, hair will break down eventually, but
you will note that users of septic tanks are advised not to flush
hair, and hair generally outlasts everything except bone in most
conditions.)

I run my own aerated treatment system. You don't put anything down it that
will bind or clog the various pipes and chambers, and that will not break
down fairly quickly. Hair has a way of catching on any lip or sharp edge.
The contents of my vacuum cleaner (dog and human hair included) goes in the
compost not in the toilet.

David