© 2024 South Carolina Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Compost Shredded Paper

Earthsense

Have you ever wondered if shredded paper is a good addition to your compost?  The answer is yes, you can compost shredded paper.  The key here is that you want to avoid colored glossy papers as they can contain some toxic heavy metals. 

But newspaper and other plain paper is safe to use as mulch and in your compost.  You can even use whole sheets of newsprint to line your flower beds to inhibit weed growth.  Keep in mind with your compost bin that too much paper can cause too much carbon since paper is high in carbon- this could slow the compost process.  If this happens, you can add high nitrogen material like grass and alfalfa to encourage a better carbon to nitrogen ratio.  If you decide to add paper to your compost, be sure it’s well chopped and turn your pile frequently for good, nutrient rich compost.