I’m amused by the near breathless excitement some garden bloggers have when talking about their compost.
I expect poetry and songs next. Aw, shoot. Let me go first.
When I compare thee to a summer’s day Your fragrance is of fields of hay And in my fingers I feel your wealth And to my flowers…
What rhymes with wealth? Oh yeah. Health.
And to my flowers you give health.
Okay, all kidding aside, I love compost too. That love doesn’t lean toward the romantic side so much as the greedy side. I want more, MORE, MORE!
So it was with some interest in reading Joe Lamp’l’s (not a typo – his name is Lamp’l) book The Green Gardener’s Guide that I have been tossing perfectly good compost materials in the trash.
Lamp’l says I can also compost vacuum cleaner bag dust and even the bag, paper towels and rolls, coffee grounds and filters, cotton and wool rags, dryer lint, hair and fur. Hah! Finally a use for all that loose dog hair! You can also compost newspapers, although it’s best to shred them.
I know that most newspapers are now printed with soy-based ink, so they are fairly safe composting material. What I’m a bit leery of is his assertion that you can compost clean office paper. Does that mean clean as in there are no jelly donut stains on them? Or clean as in not having been printed on?
I still have to print out reams and reams of statistical output to write reports. I always use both sides of the paper. But still, I have a good amount of paper waste as a result. Is it safe to shred and compost paper that has been printed with laser or inkjet toner? Given my desire for a healthy and mostly organic garden, is it safe to introduce these into the mix?
I have tried some searching and found an interesting, if not authoritative, exchange over at Gardenweb.
What do you think? To compost or not to compost? Any experts out there?
Hi! I'm Robin Ripley author of Wisdom for Home Preservers, published by Taunton Press. I am also co-author of Grocery Gardening. Bumblebee is about my life in rural Maryland, my garden and my love of food, my little dogs and pet chickens. You can follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook. Thank you for visiting!
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Hi Robin, I found your website while visiting Kathy’s Cottage at blogspot.com. You have such wonderful inspiring photos and such good gardening advice. I am always trying to root other plants and found your post on the African Violets most helpful. I have 13 acres of hard untamed land that I am trying to turn into something beautiful one day. So glad to have found you! blessings, Kathleen
Hi Kathleen,
Glad you found me! Your 13 acres sound very familiar. I am dealing with my 22 by just worrying with what’s around the house–for now. I doubt I’ll ever be able to move much beyond the house and our very long driveway.
Robin at Bumblebee
Hi Robin,
Sounds like I need to get another compost container if I can start using all that other stuff too. Wonder if I could even start shredding my junk mail and adding that? Do you use red worms in your compost bins? I have read about them, but wonder if they would freeze during my Minnesota winter?
I have a compost bin built on the ground in my backyard and will occasionally find nightcrawlers in there when I’m turning my compost, but I’m pretty sure it’s all frozen up solid now.
Did you get “The Green Gardener’s Guide” from Amazon? Would you recommend it as a good book for a novice gardener (such as myself)?
Hi Ruthie,
When things are really rolling here in the summer my three compost bins aren’t enough. I still have a weed pile and a pile for larger brush. And yes, many people shred their junk mail. How satisfying is that? And bills too!
I don’t use worms in my composter–there’s really no need to since things compost pretty quickly anyway.
I found The Green Gardener’s Guide while browsing through Barnes & Noble. I would have to say it’s more about gardening responsibly than about how to garden. You wont learn about plants or about landscaping and such. But you would learn the importance of such things as rain barrels, composting and such. I find that much of the information is familiar, but he does add some helpful details. For example, he gives suggestions on what to look for in a rain barrel. Good stuff.
Robin at Bumblebee
Hey thanks for that link. I didn’t know about the packaging. I always just took those to the recycle center. I wasn’t sure. Turns out I did right. I do put my shredded bill in the worm bin. I love letting them eat my debt. Don’t put the envelopes with the little windows in them. The windows never break down.
Hi Deb,
I tried worm composting a while back. Unfortunately, the worms sat in the mailbox for a couple of days in a snowstorm. I didn’t know they were there. I don’t think they ever properly recovered, because they didn’t do much. Not sure if I would try again though. It’s just so convenient to send my 16-year-old out in the cold with the kitchen scraps. 🙂
Robin at Bumblebee
I don’t compost, though I know I should. I live in Tyler, Texas and have no problem getting things to grow in this lush, humid environment! I like your blog! Interesting info.
Brenda Kula
One of the things I like about composting as much as possible is that when I compost, it doesn’t go to a landfill. It’s another green living activity. Sure, it takes a little time, but not much in the overall scheme of things!
Thanks for visiting! I’ll drop by soon.
Robin at Bumblebee
Good question – I wonder if printer manufacturers’ websites might give some advice about the toxicity of the ink.
Lately I have looked into getting a composting system that sounds intriguing. It is called the Bokashi Bin system. I have great difficulty with composting over winter because of the cold and snow. This system sounds good on paper – it breaks down all kitchen waste, including meat bones.
In the summer, I have no problem composting. I have always plopped my dog’s hair in the compost, having read somewhere of how good it was to add. Same goes with the vacuum bag gunk (it’s interesting to see the various bits and pieces that my son vacuums up in his haste to finish his chores!)
Hi Kate,
The Bokashi Bin sounds interesting. I found it here. I’m curious whether this really works. Sounds like a great system in areas where going outside is just too painful or for people physically not able to get out of the house every day.
Thanks!
Robin at Bumblebee
I think I would try shredded paper that you know is printed with a soy-based ink. I’ve used old newsprint to smother the grass with good results.
But, I don’t know about laser or ink-jet printed paper. At work, we send bins and bins of paper to a paper-recycler and then I just imagine we are wiping our mouths with it when we get a paper napkin made of recyled paper.
Hi Carol,
I have used newspaper to start new beds with good results too. One year we ran out of newspaper and used all the old school papers my son had accumulated in his room. Boy, was he glad to help with the garden on that project!
Robin at Bumblebee
I have just thrown the kitchen waste on the ground in the garden for years, but hearing of all the other stuff I could add makes me want to start a real bin, with sides and everything!!
Christine! It’s time! Join the party!
Robin at Bumblebee
Robin,
This is a fascinating discussion. We recycle all our paper which is considerable, but I’ve never put it in the compost pile. I do use newspaper in the spring in between my garden rows, and then cover it with straw or grass clipping. It ultimately composts pretty well over the course of the garden season.
A word of caution about composting full vacuum bags and drier lint. Unless you have a fully ecological household with only wool or cotton clothing and rugs, there will be plastic in these materials. I don’t know what percent, nor the whole life cycle comparison of adding this material to your soil versus putting it in a landfill. I have been told by a composting consultant of a study that shows that ingestion of small particles of plastic is toxic to earth worms, but have not been able to track it down.
I would also wonder, since I don’t know anything, about the inks and dyes that are used in cloth materials.
I do use sweepings from my kitchen floor after taking out any plastic bits. The other two, vacuum bags and drier lint, I leave out.
Hate to dampen the enthusiasm. Just another thing to think about when you make your decision.
I’m not an expert.
I believe that toner inks are still questionable and are made of plastic. See http://www.conservatree.com/learn/Essential%20Issues/EIBuyers.shtml . Ink jet (liquid inks) may be like newspaper inks and soy based. Check the packaging. The color pigment in newspaper is not suppose to contain toxic metal anymore. I’m not sure about magazines and catalogs.
Printer’s inks, as you would find on colored bills, I believe is also questionable, unless they indicate soy based inks on the paper.
If you have a recycling program, it is generally considered a higher use to recycle paper then compost it. There is actually a current shortage of recycled paper available to US recycling mills because of a strong overseas market.
Hi Vicky,
Thanks for the input. Good suggestions all. I am skeptical about paper with toner and recylce it myself.
Robin at Bumblebee
I’ve been wanting to start my own compost now for awhile. You’ve kind of given me a push and I’m a little excited about my first composter. The hubby’s in the garage building me a wooden one.
Hi there,
Thanks for a good read. I would definitely say the way to go is “to compost”. Lately I’ve been using the Bokashi bin and it works perfect. I can’t make one myself since I live in a small apartment on the fifth floor, so the Bokashi bin is a godsend really. I love composting and I totally see what you mean with saying that you want more and more once you started!
Cheers,
Roel