Should I put yew hedge trimmings into my compost bin?
Mark Vanston, Co ingley
Stefan says: You say you have read that yew foliage is toxic. Certainly, yew foliage is highly poisonous to livestock and to people. In fact, almost all parts of the tree contain chemicals called taxine alkaloids. They cause cardiogenic shock and death. However, the fact that yew is a common native plant and is grown everywhere as hedging indicates that accidental poisoning is extremely rare and improbable – the foliage must be eaten and provided no-one and no animals do this, all will be well.
But can it composted? Yes, the toxins will be broken down in the composting process but, as with any other conifer, decomposition is slow and the material should be finely shredded first. Even then, a large amount of yew in relation to other material in the bin will slow down the overall process. If you can’t shred it finely, then bag it up for recycling.