Thanks. I went ahead and used the boxes but thought I would ask.

Well, I can actually say I think I have a sickness. I was driving down the interstate today and on the side of the road was half of a watermelon! If my bins were more established, I probably would have stopped and picked it up. I guess some other lucky veteran vermicomposter will have to get lucky on that find.

I wouldn't use any cardboard that was printed with a slick surface. That would include cereal boxes.

But I did shred a cracker box once and tossed it in. It broke down quickly. I don't think I will do it again.

I shred virtually all my paper/ cardboard unless it has a very glossy/ plasticky coating. So far the worms haven't objected too much. But I use all my own vermicompost, so I'm not too worried by little bits left at the end.

I have even been known to shred and use the very glossy cardboard. The only problem that I had with it was the fact that the glossy, plastic like coating did not break down. But, the worms ate the paper or cardboard off of it. I didn't care for hunting for and removing the "plastic" strips. So, I don't use the very glossy stuff anymore.

Robert

A long time ago I worked part time in a print shop. When they did 4-color glossy print jobs, the paper was sprayed with lacquer (or was it varnish?) after it was printed. I don't put anything glossy in the bin.

If you look on the side of your cereal boxes it may say "BHT added to package material to maintain product freshness" this is a food preservative which is counter productive to what one is trying to do in a bin which is to break down food.

Below is a link, a one page article on why it is used. Not all cereal boxes will say this by the way. So double check and only use those that do not say that it contains it.

Here is a link that might be useful: BHT the super preservative

Yes you can use any and all paper and cardboard and paper products can be used it all breaks down if the worms can't eat it they won't

Yes all cardboard is good worm bedding. But I pull off the top printed layer, any shiny layer or anything that is reflective. Like the shinny highlighted print on toothpaste boxes. It is a very thin plastic coating. So thin that when I started composting I would check the boxes for plastic and think there was nothing there.

I used to just toss in packaging in strips and chunks and add small boxes like the toothpaste boxes almost whole before I got a shredder. Back then I would find wrinkled up bunches of plastic in the finished compost with the printing still legible after the cardboard it was attached to was long gone. It could easily be see what packaging had plastic on it.

More and more I am finding packaging that didn't have plastic on it the last time the item was purchased now has a plastic layer added. Last week my favorite brand of noodles came with plastic on the box.

It may be time to start using that new R - Refuse, and start buying another brand.

I use cereal boxes all the time. If you want to attract worms to a particular area it seems you can lay a wet cereal box down and they will all congregate under it. I use them to also cover food in the bins instead of burying food. I use them to separate two sides of a bin when I am cleaning out one side. It will disappear in a short time as the worms tear through to get to the fresh side. BHT won't cause a noticeable difference if any at all.

I usually don't shred it or use it for bedding. I use unfinished compost from my yard waste bins for bedding. I sometimes tear it in chunks to make it easier to manage, though.