Christmas Eve is over and the guests have feasted on dozens of oysters and other seafood. What to do with all those empty shells?
Can we recycle them and at the same time avoid cluttering up our trash?
Know that
oyster shells can be very
useful in the garden
, especially as compost.
Why use oyster shells in the garden?
In the garden, oyster shells have their uses: they bring minerals to plants (calcium and magnesium in particular).
The shells can therefore be broken into large pieces in order to place them in the plant pots.
The effect will be the same as clay balls.
In addition, shell debris repel snails and slugs, which injure themselves.
It is also possible to reduce them to crumbs to use them in the soil, as a limestone amendment.
This trick is to be moderated in alkaline soils, which already contain a sufficient quantity of limestone.
Finally, third solution: reduce the oyster shells to powder to recycle them in the compost.
Read alsoHow to reduce the pH of alkaline soil?
To know
Whatever the chosen use, it must be borne in mind that the effectiveness will be variable, even difficult to perceive.
Indeed, the quantity of oysters is limited and very often punctual, once or twice a year.
How to grind oyster shells for compost?
You have decided to compost your oyster shells in the garden, now you have to crush them or reduce them to crumbs.
The shells are often very solid, it is recommended to pass them in the oven or in the fire of a fireplace so that they are more friable.
Then place the shells in a kitchen towel and crush them with a hammer or a large stone.
In order to avoid any incident due to potential projections, remember to put on protective goggles.
Also make sure that the surface on which the grinding is carried out is stable and flat.
Read alsoDoes compost attract rats?
How to give oyster shells to your chickens?
Another way to recycle your oyster shells after a holiday meal is to use them to feed the chickens.
To do this, it will be necessary to reduce the broken shells to powder, otherwise they will not be edible.
The powder obtained can be mixed with the daily ration of the poultry house.
This food supplement helps strengthen the bones of hens thanks to trace elements such as calcium.
In addition, the eggs that will be laid will also be more robust thanks to this addition of limestone.
Read alsoWhy raise chickens in your garden?
I don't have a garden, how do I recycle oyster shells?
Oyster shell can also be used at home.
Indeed, it can be used as an anti-limescale sponge, which will be placed in a dishwasher or a cistern, to absorb all the limescale deposits.
Finally, if you are determined to get rid of empty shells, know that there are in some municipalities, or local authorities, skips intended to recover shells of all kinds: mussels, oysters, whelks, etc.
Ask your town hall or a fishmonger.
This waste is recycled to make planters, roundabouts, cosmetics or even aquarium decorations.
The Friendly Frenchy company, for example, makes eyeglass frames from seashells.