shred paper & compost or recycle

[woodbob123]

We shred all our paper etc with names on, and mix with kitchen waste for compost heaps wonder which way to go with the rest leaflets and all the junk best to just put it out for council or shred via electric shreader and put on compost heap have an allotment with 5 compost bins so no problem with volume

[artdemole]

I would place leaflets and Shiny paper in recycle bin because of all the colored inks. The newspaper is okay for the compost.All my shredded paper goes in recycle bin as no Hampsters/guinea pigs.

[woodbob123]

ink on leaflets used to be oil based is that still the case (not been on a press for 15 yrs) has then to be washed out with solvents, in the compost with the other waste should be eaten by something as long as its not in volume and well mixed

[artdemole]

Some vegetable based non toxic inks are used.Glossy paper takes longer to break down.Still some concern on ink used because of environmental impact.Also not recommended to have on vegetables.

[basquesteve]

I am sure well mixed with plant waste there will be some little organism prepared to recycle it

Steve

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by woodbob123

We shred all our paper etc with names on, and mix with kitchen waste for compost heaps wonder which way to go with the rest leaflets and all the junk best to just put it out for council or shred via electric shreader and put on compost heap have an allotment with 5 compost bins so no problem with volume

Volume of recycled material probably has both financial and ecological benefit so participating in the Council waste collection is likely to be the broader benefit. Using the electric shredder obviously adds to CO2 footprint, and though the power use is tiny for each household, repeated across a population it would be a distinct negative. Where possible brown envelopes and corrugated carboard should definitely be composted unless the local council has a specific recycling contract, not merely a contract for community compost style disposal.

CM

[basquesteve]

Originally Posted by Cotham Marble

Using the electric shredder obviously adds to CO2 footprint, and though the power use is tiny for each household, repeated across a population it would be a distinct negative.
CM

I'm not sure its obvious
It depends on how the power was generated
How does your expected footprint compare with the fuel required to collect it and send to a depot, and there, the power to process it

Steve

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by basquesteve

I'm not sure its obvious
It depends on how the power was generated
How does your expected footprint compare with the fuel required to collect it and send to a depot, and there, the power to process it :

The calculation would be based on the fact that the collection is already being made. If we were talking about the principle of collection/recycling versus mass home composting (i.e every household in a given area composting its paper) then the cost of home processing could be set against collection and industrial processing, however in the UK there's no commitment to home processing so collection is happening and the individual calculation comes down to whether to use the collection facility or find a more ecological alternative.

The ecological benefit of recycling paper isn't simple to calculate in isolation, but given that it is a 'waste' product that has to be dealt with, then recycling is probably the optimal method and the greater the volume the more efficient the collection/industrial processing approach becomes.

CM

[basquesteve]

Thank you for your reply,
In my opinion individuals country wide wishing to shred and compost their paper waste(their labour being free) will leave a a far smaller so called Carbon footprint no transport to base, no resultant waste products after processing, a big problem in a centralised system and no logistics and delivery of new product

It is a pity your government has not invested well in electrical production on my latest edf bill it shows production in 2008 as

82.9% Nuclear
9.3% renewables of which 7.5 hydraulic
3.1% Coal
3.0% gas
1.4% oil

Not agreat deal of carbon dioxide

Steve

[brendaward]

Use a manual shredder, if you can't buy one invent one.