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Silly compost question

 
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Lisa



Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 248
Location: Cheshire
PostPosted: Sun Jun 19, 05 6:06 pm    Post subject: Silly compost question Reply with quote
    

Sorry to ask such a BASIC question here (and me a long-established composter) but can I put glossy card in? I add eggboxes without worry but I mean things like cereal boxes and those silly bits of card that come around pots of dip and the like. The council won't take them with the recycling paper and I hate to throw them out...
cheers
Lisa

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
PostPosted: Sun Jun 19, 05 6:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

There's not such a thing as a silly question. Some card is laminated with plastic and take ages to break down and I'm not sure what would happen to the plastic. Personally I only compost plain stuff like egg boxes as the chemicals in the paper worry me. If the compost is not used on fruit and veg then there's less to worry about but I've not tried it.

judith



Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire
PostPosted: Mon Jun 20, 05 9:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Things like cereal boxes are fine - they break down OK. I don't compost them as much as I should because our recycling place takes cardboard and I get plenty of "brown" material from animal bedding. When I think about it, I do put them on the heap, though.
I wouldn't bother with the plastic coated stuff either - it is a pain fishing out the plastic when you use the compost!

Blue Sky



Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France
PostPosted: Mon Jun 20, 05 9:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I wouldn't like to put stuff like that in my compost bin. The inks put me off. I used to be in the printing trade and I know that a whole lot of horrible chemicals go into it. As Treac said you should be OK if you aren't using it on fruit and veg. Personally, we just burn it. Burns off most of the chemicals then you could add the ash to the heap instead.

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