So, now that you’ve released your Green Issue [May 17, City Weekly] and have gone to printing a very colorful paper, I have a question: Is it advisable for me to compost old copies of your paper? I’ve been told to avoid newsprint with a lot of colored ink. I’ll continue to read either way, but should I compost or recycle?
Mary Brazell
West Jordan
Note: According to Brandie Balken, compost aficionado at Cactus & Tropicals, newsprint regardless of ink color makes an acceptable component in the compost heap, as long as it’s not used excessively. You may be thinking of advertising inserts, which typically are printed on heavier, glossy paper—these do not compost well; recycle them instead. You may shred or tear newsprint into small pieces to hasten the process. However, Balken adds, a more effective use of newsprint in the garden is its use in sheet composting, aka the “lasagna method.”
