Can I Compost Bedding With Parasites?

Composting Method

• Hot composting is a way to quickly get compost to break down. The compost pile is carefully balanced with nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials so that it will break down efficiently. It is also turned when it reaches internal temperatures over 140 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to kill parasites. It reaches this temperature several times, ensuring that the pile is parasite-free by the time it is finished.

Problems

• Other composting methods, such as cool composting, often do not kill parasites. This means that if the compost is used in areas where animals or people susceptible to the parasites have access, the parasites can reinfect. Also, if the compost pile is located where runoff can reach areas accessed by people or animals the parasites can infect, the parasites may leach from the pile and become a hazard.

Caution

• Any parasites that can infect humans must be treated with every precaution. Composting tools, including but not limited to long rubber gloves and rubber boots, must be sanitized after each use and stored away from the composted bedding infested with parasites. This compost should not be used in vegetable gardens unless all parasites are killed, and even then it is safer to use it in areas where people seldom go.

Considerations

• Time away from a host can kill many parasites. It is important to know which parasites you're dealing with and what their life cycle requires. Whether using hot or cool compost methods, if the parasites are kept away from their hosts in the pile longer than they can survive outside of the host, they will die. If relying on this method, the compost needs to be kept away from other hosts, such as vermin and wild animals that can pick up the parasites and keep the life cycle going.