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composting cardboard
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Posted by hjust1 z5/6 (My Page) on Wed, Feb 21, 07 at 15:35
| I live in an area where ther is *NO* recycling (seriously, the closest aluminum can recycling is over 100 miles away and other recycleables can not be dropped off at their recycling center. If you don't get street pick up in that city, you can't recycle it with them). I'm using my (and others') cardboard and newspaper in my lasagna beds, but I heard somewhere that you shouldn't compost cardboard with color pictures on it because of lead. So do I have a seperate pile for non-food areas (tough to do since I'm sprinkling herbs everywhere) or did I hear wrong. It's either compost this stuff somehow or send it to the landfill.
Thanks for any suggestions. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: composting cardboard
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There is more a possibilty of various metals used in colored inks than black inks. The challenge is knowing whether a company is using soy based inks in which case any colors would be fine or old fashioned inks of which an over abundance of colors could be a problem. It not an easy yes no answer. So that being said I steer clear of using heavily colored ink on cardboard or newspaper in mulching composting or other-wise. I and many I know still use a lot of cardboard and newspaper so I am and you are still making strides toward reuse and helping to change a problem to a positive. Don't dwell on the few not saved but on the many that are saved. Dang that almost sounds spiritual and so it is. Any use where you can, is still better than the alternative . Mother Earth and I for one Thank You for thinking of us and helping yourself at the same time what a win-win. Congrats and
Happy Growing David |
RE: composting cardboard
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| I think this has come up on the Soil Compost and Mulch forum more than once, and most agree that it's a myth. From what I've gathered, lead based inks used to be used, but are now more expensive than soy based inks. |
RE: composting cardboard
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Thanks, I appreciate the help!
Heather |
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