1. Sunflower seed hulls have some alleopathic qualities, but I think that composting gets rid of the alleopaths, so you should be fine.

2. The filters would be a brown, but if you're talking about composting the grounds and filters together, the effect of the filters would be negligible.

1. Sunflower seed hulls are supposed to have some allelopathic (growth suppressing) properties, however I have not seen any evidence of that. What keeps plant growth from occuring under my bird feeders is the scratching by the birds but out further where they kick the hulls the grass grows greener, thicker, faster then a few feet away that does not get those hulls.

2. The filters used to make coffee are all cellulose fiber, carbon, about a C:N ratio of 170:1.

Thanks for the info. I am throwing other stuff like finely shredded leaves into the compost for the browns but just wasn't sure if thats what the filters were or not. Since fall what I have been doing is building a compost bin when it's not cold. I've just about got it done but have still started collecting things to put into it. I started by buying a 10 horse troybuilt chipper/shredder which does a beutiful job shredding any type of leaves minus walnut ones, by choice. Next I take some and put some of them into a 32 gal. trash can then put a layer of coffee grounds on them, next a layer of food scraps such as old vegetables and fruits, from a local store, that I have cut up. I repeat this process untill the trash can is full. I then dump the can mixing the contents and put it all in trash bags. I have recently got enough of the compost bin done so have been dumping some of the trash bags into it. I don't have a front gate on it yet so I can only put so much in it but it's heating up great. It's amazing it will heat up this good when it's this cold out. My 9 year old son loves to pitch in and help. Imagine he dosen't even mind getting a little dirty, god love him. His favorite saying now when he talks about helping me garden is, " A country boy can survive".

How to tell if it is brown or green:

If it has protein value, like ground grains, nuts, beans, and seeds (ex. wheat flour, corn meal, coffee, alfalfa, etc.), hair, skin, meat, milk and animal byproducts, then it is green. If it is primarily woody stalk or made from wood (like paper), then it is brown. Sugars are also brown because they have no protein.

Most green materials are not entirely green because they are composed of proteins and carbohydrates. What makes them green is the high proportion of protein. Most brown materials have very little protein at all.

According to what I have read, many plants have alleopathic properties to varying degrees and also many plants have substances that are toxic or unpalatable in varying degrees to one form of life or another. That said, I don't think you have to worry much about sunflower hulls. Rather than highjack your thread, I think I will post a separate question on what plants should never be used.

I have a bird feeder tray. I empty the tray full of hulls and icky seed remnants into my pile about once a week. Sometimes in the spring, the seeds sprout... because I don't have hot pile. I just turn the sprouters right back into the pile.

I have noticed the area under my bird feeders is greener than most of the yard. I assume that is because of the bird poop... I do get some grass die off from scratching... but generally that area is more lush than the surrounding area.