QUESTION: I’ve been throwing away paper towels, but it seems like we should be composting them. – Rita M.
When it comes to composting, paper towels are comparable to other paper products. Paper towels are a nitrogen-rich brown organic material that is perfectly safe for composting and is much better off in a composting bin than it is in a landfill if you have clean, unused paper towels. As with the majority of compostable materials, tearing, cutting, or shredding your paper towels will hasten the decomposition process.
However, depending on what they were used to clean up, used paper towels might not be suitable for composting. Keep the paper towel out of the compost if you used it to clean up oil, butter, or anything else that is greasy. By removing air from a compost pile, adding oil or grease increases the risk of anaerobic bacteria problems, which not only destroys the compost but also gives off an unpleasant odor.
Do not compost any paper towels that you used in conjunction with cleaning products. Instead, throw them away. Even all-natural organic, or green cleaners will kill bacteria, which is the last thing you want to be in your compost bin. Paper towels that have been soaked in cleaning products are covered in chemicals that could be harmful to the macro and microorganisms that exist within compost on top of soil.
Paper towels that haven’t been contaminated with grease or chemicals are great to add to your compost pile because they decompose quickly. That doesn’t mean that they have to be clean. Paper towels used to clean up dirt, water, or plant-based foods can be composted without any problems. As long as you don’t have a contagious virus, even paper towels used for sneezing are safe for composting. Add paper towels to your compost mix as a brown, or carbon-rich material. When dry leaves are scarce, paper towels are a good alternative to use in a compost pile.
Paper towels with a single layer and those with a quilted pattern both degrade and decompose quickly. For composting, paper towels that were used to dry dishes or hands are ideal. To achieve their bright white color, paper towels are typically bleached, but fortunately bleach does not accumulate in the food chain and actually decomposes in the environment very quickly.
Paper towels used to pick up dog waste should never be composted because they may contain pathogens that spread disease or harm the microorganisms that aid in the decomposition of your compost. Paper plates are a great paper product for composting as long as they are not covered in oil, butter, or grease. Toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls’ cardstock centers are other carbon-rich paper products that compost well.
What Sorts Of Papers Can You Compost?
Let’s begin by examining the types of papers you can and cannot compost, as well as the reasons why some papers are appropriate for compost while others are not.
Almost all paper will contain very small amounts of chemicals, it is important to note this.
For instance, newspaper and printer paper have both undergone some bleaching.
Despite this, these are frequently recommended as helpful additions to a compost bin, so do not omit them based on that alone. Since the amounts are small, they shouldn’t pose any problems.
In light of this, let’s learn what materials you can safely add to a compost pile and what you should stay away from.
Yes, you can compost newspaper according to most sources. The ink is typically soy-based, which is safe and natural.
Although there is some debate regarding bleach and petrochemicals, there has been no evidence to date that newspaper is unsafe, and many people toss it in their compost piles without any problems.
However, it is advisable to slightly tear and scrunch it up first.
This is because if your newspaper is kept in layers, it may turn into a thick, moist mat that is difficult for bacteria and worms to decompose.
Due to the water-soaked pages’ lack of contact with any air movement, which makes it impossible for bacteria to survive, it will eventually disappear, but it will take much longer.
Try tearing newspaper into strips and then squishing them up when adding it to your compost pile.
It’s not necessary to make the strips too thin, but doing so will help to aerate the compost pile and ensure that the newspaper can break down properly.
Standard white paper contains some bleach, but it is still safe to compost.
That applies to all types of plain white paper that is uncoated, including scrapbook pages, notebook pages, school book pages, work-related pages, etc. without having to worry, you can compost any of them.
This is a great way to add weight to your compost, especially if you frequently write by hand on things like to-do lists and reminders.
However, give some thought to the ink you use. Even though the sums involved are probably quite small, you might decide that buying eco-friendly pens (if you can find them) to take notes with is worthwhile.
Once more, shredding the paper before adding it to the compost is a good idea because it improves airflow in the pile and speeds up decomposition.
This somewhat depends on how you feel about your compost bin. Grease takes a long time to decompose, which turns some people off from composting it.
This is because it is water-repellent. Greasy paper will undoubtedly take longer to break down and may remain in the compost bin for some time.
Even though this is a problem, it will eventually decompose, so it is not a big enough issue to prevent you from composting anything oily.
In most cases, even though it takes longer, it will simply decompose without harming your compost pile.
You might be hesitant to put paper in the compost if it has animal fat soaked into it because it might attract rats or other animals.
However, generally speaking, this shouldn’t be a big problem.
Because greasy paper cannot be recycled, adding it to your compost pile is a great way to prevent having it landfilled.
This is a compelling reason to try incorporating it into your compost. Test how long it takes to disappear by tearing it up so that it can be thoroughly mixed through the pile.
You’ll probably discover that adding greasy paper is acceptable!
Unfortunately, this is a tricky one.
If you have any greaseproof paper products that rely on plastic coatings and chemicals to prevent food from sticking, do not add them to your compost pile.
To make some greaseproof paper products, however, the old-fashioned way of beating paper fibers until they are non-stick is still used.
Because this product is just paper and will decompose normally in your compost pile, it is completely safe to use.
It may state on the box how to distinguish between the two. There is a greater likelihood that your greaseproof paper is compostable if you purchase it from an eco-supplier.
However, you should still double-check the details because regular greaseproof paper won’t break down in your compost pile and won’t go away.
Yes, you can compost cardboard. However, keep in mind that it typically takes longer to decompose than paper will, so you might want to break it up into smaller pieces.
Since pizza delivery boxes are greasy and cannot be recycled, many people compost them. Additionally beneficial to your compost is cardboard because it adds carbon, structure, and aeration.
Try to avoid cardboard that has glue on it (e. g. from a grocery store box) or a card that is heavily inked, unless you are certain that the inks are eco-friendly.
Can you consign your massive pile of shredded bank statements, medical records, and embarrassing love letters to your compost pile?
Yes, that is fine. After all, shredded paper is just ripped up printer paper.
Compost your secrets to the earth, but make sure that any private or sensitive financial information is completely destroyed so that it cannot be recovered.
Again, this is a somewhat harder one. In most cases, you’ll be using a “best guess,” but if you know what the ink is, you can research that particular kind of ink and make a more informed choice. ”.
Basically, you should avoid placing heavily printed paper in your compost bin.
If the ink’s composition is unknown, it is impossible to determine whether it will likely harm worms, bacteria, or other animals if exposed to the elements.
The ink will quickly contaminate the soil and could cause harm.
Given that ink is typically used sparingly (even on heavily printed items), it is unlikely that it will have a significant negative impact on your compost pile.
However, when deciding whether to add paper to the compost pile, keep in mind the presence of ink.
As long as the tissue paper is plain, you can compost it. Given that it tends to lack structure and quickly absorb water, it will disintegrate into your compost pile and disappear very quickly.
In just a few days, you’ll probably discover that it has disintegrated.
Tissue may include dyes and bleach, just like other types of paper. Unless you have unbleached tissue, white tissue should be the safest, whereas heavily inked tissues may be more harmful.
Toilet paper can be composted with no problems, and doing so is a great way to keep it out of landfills.
Make sure to remove all adhesive tape before composting any tissue paper, and avoid composting any tissue paper that has glitter on it.
Both of these plastics won’t decompose in your compost pile and may be bad for the environment.
Most paper materials are both recyclable and compostable. Which option is the most suitable in a given circumstance? There are two options for paper that cannot be recycled, such as that greasy pizza box: compost it or throw it away. Based on the responses to our myth, composting is unquestionably the better option in this case. Simply shred it into small pieces and throw it in. One employee of the Green Action Center claims that she tears off the non-greasy portions, such as the top and sides, and recycles that portion. The greasy part goes to the compost bin.
It’s great that we have two alternatives for our waste that don’t involve sending it to the landfill, and in some cases we need both, but one question that did not come up during this discussion was whether it was better to recycle paper or compost it.
But occasionally, composting is a more advantageous choice. There are those soiled napkins and tissues that you can’t recycle, as well as those greasy pizza boxes, so are there other paper products that are better composted? That shredded paper, which is already in small pieces and will decompose quickly in your compost pile, might be better composted. According to the City of Winnipeg’s recycling FAQs, you must pack it tightly in your Blue Box or you can place it in a sizable (77 liter) transparent plastic bag. Before the rest of the recyclables are processed by the automated plant, these large bags are separated from the rest of the recycling and manually emptied. Again, each of us must determine what functions best for ourselves, but kindly prevent it from blowing down the street.
After Kevin addressed the myth, there was discussion about thermal paper receipts and whether the BPA they contained posed a significant risk to your compost. The discussion produced no conclusive results, and it appears that additional study may be required on this issue. Even though receipts make up a very small portion of the final compost product, for the time being each of us must decide whether they are better recycled or kept out of our compost.
Recyclable paper is generally the slightly preferable choice. One explanation for this is that by recycling our paper, we cut down on the amount of trees that need to be cut down. Paper recycling also uses less water, energy, and produces less air pollution than paper made from virgin materials.
I use an upside-down milk crate as a cutting surface and a cross-sectional slab of a log to slice through stems and long grass. Better exercise than stuffing it into a chipper, and using a machete gives you a primal rush. Now if you’re a bad machete-user, I suggest wearing thick gloves to prevent seriously hurting the hand that feeds the material onto the slab. You can construct a wooden rectangle and fasten one of its sides to the slab if you’re a hopelessly inept machete user so that you have to feed the stems, etc. through it. This will ensure that the feeding hand is kept safely enough away from the machete. (I’m a stickler for agricultural safety because I grew up in a rural area where many farmers lost fingers, limbs, and their lives in accidents. By the way, while we rightfully criticize the coal industry for compromising worker safety, the rate of injuries in agriculture is higher than in mining, and the number of fatalities among agricultural laborers is 12 times higher. ).
The only issue with paper is that because it contains a lot of carbon (which is one of the reasons it burns), if you add too much of it to your heap, you might end up with an unfavorable carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. The ideal ratio is 25 carbon to 1 nitrogen, but unless your finances are as complex as Bernie Madoff’s, your financial documents probably won’t change the ratio. Too much carbon slows down the process. You can always add high-nitrogen plant material, like grass, alfalfa, or manure, if that occurs. As you have undoubtedly already learned, the secret to a healthy, happy compost is properly chopped material and regular turning.
Newsprint and other paper are safe to use as mulch or in compost, with the exception of colored and glossy paper, which may contain some toxic heavy metals. Paper actually contains less toxic material than straw or grass, according to one study!
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Credit card statements and other documents containing private financial information are destroyed by me. I would love to add this shredded paper to the pile of green waste I usually have for my compost. Is such paper safe for composting? What about shredded newsprint?.