To put the mussel shells in the food waste recycling?

[thatorchidmoment]

Currently eating moules mariniere, and I was just pondering the clear-up. Do the shells go in normal bins or food recycling bags?

I appreciate this is quite a middle-class dilemma. Please help!

You should be OK putting them in the compost bin. The companies that process the food waste will also be dealing with heavy garden waste including branches etc and have heavy duty machinery to break it down. The shell will be broken up in the processing, and will be packed with lovely nutrients. Good green compostor guide says yes to mussels, and most other shellfish except oysters oddly enough.

maggiecate that's really helpful, thanks. Although I loved eating my dinner, I now cannot bear going near the fishy-smelling shells as it makes me gag (thanks, pregnancy), so I shall let DH dispose of them in the food recycling.

Phew, so glad to get that resolved! Thanks all for your input. It has more or less mirrored my thought processes before I posted, so I actually broke off mid-bowl to post in AIBU yes, I'm pathetic so that I could enjoy the rest of it while we reached some sort of consensus!

Shellfish shells can be composted but will break down very slowly unless they are crushed into smaller pieces or ground into a meal. At the same time, they are also a rich source of calcium and important plant micronutrients, and can therefore make a valuable and sustainable amendment to the home garden.

Normal waste. I used to live in Belgium where they are keen on mussels and sorting waste out. The pictogram for the food waste for mussel shells had an x through it.

It will depend whether your food waste goes for simple composting, or anaerobic digestion, I think. It varies from one council area to another.

ZOMBIE

Zombie thread… do we reckon the shells will have started decomposing in the last 5 years?!

@Elsiemary1302, what possessed you to resurrect this thread?

[quote ThatsNotMyGolem]@Elsiemary1302, what possessed you to resurrect this thread?[/quote]
It's their only post too.

So I can only conlcude that Elsie is, in fact, a spy and thatthings a coded message.
J'accuse.

[quote ThatsNotMyGolem]@Elsiemary1302, what possessed you to resurrect this thread?[/quote]
^ this!! I am always intrigued as to how zombie threads get resurrected. I can understand someone googling “partner having affair” and coming across an old thread - but mussel shells in the food bin / how the heck does someone come across that!!

@CommunionHelp

We just crush them and put on the garden. But if you don't want to do that then, yes, fine in the compost technically, but I'd give them a quick smack with a big rock just to help them on their way.

I do this year round and my tomatoes seem to love it. I pop them in a plastic bag do some therapeutic hammering and then scatter in the vegetable garden.

Keep them for when you have friends round for that Spanish Night, they make passable castanets. Arriba, arriba !

Zombie mussels!

@Weedsnseeds1

They're inorganic so won't compost, so normal waste I would say.

Chemist here. The outer membrane of the shell is organic and provides the “framework “ that the calcium carbonate is laid down onto to. Once recycled the protein breaks down and leaves CaCo3 . Rain with dissolve that into calcium and CO2. So you’re not exactly right But, they do take a long time to recompose so I think it’s debatable to put in food bin. But then if don’t want you’re normal bin to get covered in 2 weeks of rotting sea food remains (the stalky bits) you create a worse problem. I’ve stuck the small amount I have in my food bin. Larger quantities in biodegradable bag in main bin.

Damn, I got caught.

Still, I’ll bet those mussel shells are still going strong five years on. We find shellfish shells in archaeological contexts all the time.

What can go in which bin does vary between councils, depending on the composting processes used. We can put bones in with garden waste, but it does say specifically that seafood shells should go in the black bin if you can't reuse (and it recommends crushing mussel shells to use in the garden.

I Googled whether mussel shells could be added to compost. This thread came up, as well as good advice saying ‘yes mussel shells can be added’ which is good advice, when some answers on here suggested they could not be added.

I Googled whether mussel shells could be added to compost. This thread came up, as well as good advice saying ‘yes mussel shells can be added’ which is good advice, when some answers on here suggested they could not be added. Why do you think that is odd? What a strange reaction to a response message.

Bones and all sorts go in ours. Goes in an anaerobic digester.
Maybe depends on local policy.

This site often receives commendable re views. However, for those who may be interested, have a look at this website. Obviously, if mussel shells are crushed it does help, as with other shellfish, eggshells etc. when we moved to our current house (1985), we dug the garden soil over and discovered a lot of tiny seashells, www.bountifulgardener.com/composting-shellfish-shells-can-you-compost-mussel-oyster-and-clam-shells/#google_vignette

@Weedsnseeds1

They're inorganic so won't compost, so normal waste I would say.

No they aren't

I wouldnt put them in the food bin. They are not edible. Check your council's guidelines.

Keen Gardner here. Food waste or compost. Alongside eggshells they are quite good in compost for giving it w litt more substance. They break out quite naturally when turned in the compost.

@BernardsarenotalwaysSaints

Keep them! If you have a garden that is prone to slugs you can crush them up & put them on the soil to deter them

Didn't know this!

Of course they are organic! Otherwise how the bloody hell would the mussel make them?

Same way oysters make pearl. Mussel shells are predominantly made up of calcium carbonate, which is chemically inorganic (www.britannica.com/science/organic-compound).