[billathome65]

 I have a question about compost or making compost.

Why is it we are told to use brown paper / card  in a compost bin and not ordinary news paper or paper?

Simply question now educate my simple mind  

Cheers Bill

[JayG]

Who told you that Bill?

It could be a reference to "browns" rather than "greens", the idea being to have a mixture of non-leafy and leafy material in your compost mix to avoid finishing up with a soggy mess (especially if you have quite a lot of grass mowings to process.)

In that sense, paper, newspaper, and cardboard are all "browns" (best at least partially shredded, and don't use envelopes with address "windows" - they're usually made of plastic although some are made from corn, but I've no idea how you tell the difference!)

[billathome65]

Hi I was reading up on a few sites and they where stating that the use of brown paper and brown card was desirable over white papers. It seemed to suggest that brown was better and I just wondered why this was the only thing I can think of is the chemicals in the ink but if that is the problem our bodies are being bombarded with chemicals every day any way.

but I am just checking to see if there is another explanation. If not I will just keep adding paper.

Cheers Bill

[Kristen]

Newspaper "ink" is just carbon (as far as I know) and coloured print inks are now required to use vegetable dyes (rather than the more noxious things they used to use) - again, as far as I know!

[compostqueen]

A bit of newspaper won't do any harm but the idea is to have a good mix of stuff to give you a well balanced, not too wet, compost. Give it a good stir occasionally

[Aidy]

I think a lot of the rules of composting you say are a little on the old side from when the nasty chemicals was used in inks, as said this is no longer the case, the only other reason I can think of is brown card will be thicker so less likely to compact down, as it is desirable to have little air pockets, also I may think that brown card etc has better water retention, other than that I have no idea.

[GreenOwl]

Brown cardboard rots down easier.  (Corrugated cardboard rots down lovely.)  I put shredded white paper in as well.

[solway cropper]

Brown cardboard, as used in packaging, is less 'processed' than white paper which has bleaching agents and optical brighteners added to it. Glossy paper is even more 'processed' although the chemicals used in the industry are now relatively harmless. As Aidy says, a lot of the rules were laid down when the world was a different place. I have no shortage of natural 'browns' for my compost but I still put cardboard and paper in as well.

[savbo]

and aren't the fibres bigger in brown card? I can see them!

[Christine]

From 4 years of very practical experience:
Glossy carboard doesn't rot down properly; any form of plain cardboard rots down.
Glossy paper and glossy paper don't rot down; plain newspaper crumpled up rots down.
Most teabags rot down but the brand known as TeaPigs don't because the covers are very nylon.

My compost heaps work just fine as in their second year they grow marrows and courgettes and squashes just fine before being worked into the soil.

Does that help?