Felt can be reused and recycled and we encourage our customers to take advantage of such nature of wool. The main component of sheep wool is keratin – a protein which makes wool a strong biological material. This makes felt a compostable material as it releases essential nutrients such as nitrogen, sulphur and magnesium back to the soil. This is called natural closed loop recycling or restoring the initial inputs of soil and grass. Wool decomposes more slowly than manure, so it nourishes plants longer. Some farmers use wool compost to foster growth of vegetables, trees and flowers. Another benefit of wool in growing plants is that wool enhances water holding capacity which as a result improves water infiltration. Wool granules in the soil also swell and thereby loosen the earth which is good for a plant.