By Sunbeam
West Midlands, United Kingdom
Can shredded paper go on my compost heap?
I shred things like letters on white paper (not coloured) and had been putting in the recycling for the council to collect. My council now say it shouldn’t go in there but to put in the compost
Please could someone advise if this is a good idea?
Thank you very much
- 11 May, 2019
Answers
If it is only a small amount then that should be fine. but if its a lot I would put it in the council compost bin.
11 May, 2019
If the paper isn't shiny then it's okay to compost. The amount of plastic & so on in the ink is a tiny portion of the total bulk. A lot of inks are made with soy & vegetable oils anyway these days
11 May, 2019
Plain black & white printed newspaper is fine, but not colored glossy as others have already said.
11 May, 2019
Our council does a separate collection for paper - I wonder why yours doesn't appear to? There's no way we could compost all the glossy junk mail we get. Its just not realistic.
12 May, 2019
Thank you lots everyone. Using all your good ideas I think I’ll divide it up and put some in my own compost heap, some in the councils green waste bin and the rest in the councils domestic waste bin
12 May, 2019
Previous question
Lots of paper that contain material produced from photo copiers and commercial printers contain chemicals and metals so I wouldn't want to include them in the compost heap. Material like plain, corrugated cardboard and packaging, I would shred and soak and compost them in layers in the heap.
11 May, 2019