Forum: gardening.stackexchange.com
Tags: <compost><coffee-grounds>
Title: Can I put coffee filters into my compost?
Question: I've heard that coffee grounds are a good "green"(nitrogen rich) to put in your compost, but I was wondering if I could throw the filter in there as well?  They are the standard "accordion side" white ones.

Answers:
sents: text: The paper ones?
text: Sure - they're just like blotting paper and break down quickly.
text: The usual things that can make some papers questionable should not be present (plastic coatings, metal and/or oil based inks) - or if they are present, you need to quickly change your filter brand!
text: What I would probably do if possible, is to try and tear the paper a little so that it all mixes up more easily and quickly.
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/69/winwaed
score: 24
sents: text: Yes, you can add coffee grounds with their filters to your compost pile.
text: Because they are wet, they decompose fairly quickly.
text: The filters may dry out you if leave them on top of the pile in dry weather.
text: Keep it inside the pile and keep it moist.
text: Also, worms compost the grounds and filters very fast.
text: I have a five tray worm factory
text: and I just drop the whole filter with the grounds in and close the lid, and my army of five thousand redworms eat it in less than a week.
text: I found filters to be easy to compost in almost any composter.
text: If you have a two week ComposTumbler you will want to shred them before you add them, to keep it even.
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/419/J. Musser
score: 9
sents: text: I agree that coffee filters do not break down quickly.
text: However, I simply move any uncomposted material such as the coffee filters to a new compost pile, and let the composting complete there.
text: I always screen the compost to catch any twigs, etc., that did not break down sufficiently.
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/7347/DovidM
score: 5
sents: text: My brown coffee filters breakdown quickly.
text: The white chlorinated coffee filters take longer to break down.
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/7497/Gregory
score: 5
sents: text: We purchased a bag of cow manure from a local hardware and placed a small amount in a container with water to serve as a manure tea where we also deposit coffee filters, grounds and fruit trimmings.
text: Works for us.
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/10789/Jerry Reynolds
score: 4
sents: text: Absolutely ok; we have incorporated coffee grounds into our plant food and many of those grounds included the paper filter.
text: You can go to our site if you are curious, there is a lab analysis on the site: www.beantogreen.com
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/873/jeremy
score: 2
sents: text: I don't mind they don't break down fast, I consider it a mulch for the soil and or weed discourager.
text: I have my colleagues use a plastic bin to save all coffee grounds with their filters
text: and I recycle them to my garden.
text: You can imagine the amount of filters that go into my garden.
text: I haven't seen a problem at all with them.
text: It's true if the filters are exposed to air
text: they do not decompose unless covered in soil.
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/10993/Betty
score: 2
sents: text: Paper coffee filters do not break down quickly at all.
text: I've tried different brands:
text: all natural, brown etc.
text: Those of you say they do have maybe never actually watched a coffee filter in a compost pile.
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/4624/steve rea
score: 0
sents: text: You need carbon materials for compost, which is all the paper filters are, so they are not only fine, but part of what is needed.
text: Just try and rip/break them up when turning over your compost, just as you would rather throw in a shredded newspaper instead of one that is fully intact.
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/15588/PoloHoleSet
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
Filters will break down very quickly. You need to careful that your filter doesn't contain anything like a plastic coating or oil based ink. Try to rip it up before putting into the ground to aid decomposition.
Just drop the whole filter with the grounds in. They can be added to the compost, but break them up when turning over your compost, just as you would rather throw in a shredded newspaper instead of one that is fully intact. They need to be covered in soil to decompose. There should be no plastic coatings, metal or oil based inks present.