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Can you safely home compost clothing? Yes, with a few big caveats

While natural fibres are technically brown compostable materials, not everything that goes into a garment is written on the care label

Whether it’s the drawer you keep old tote bags in or a forgotten basket of stained T-shirts, piles of miscellaneous fabric you don’t know what to do with are an almost unavoidable part of modern life. Technically, 100% cotton, linen and wool fabrics – those that have not been blended with any type of synthetic material (ie elastane, nylon or polyester) – are organic matter and should biodegrade in your home compost. “Whilst it seems intuitively right that all natural fibres can safely compost, wool can have chemical treatments which make it more durable, smooth and shrink resistant,” says Stephanie Devine, the founder and CEO of The Very Good Bra.

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