by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
In an age where ID theft is high on the agenda and not just from the computer, but also from your very rubbish bins, you trash cans, in your garden or when at the curbside awaiting collection, shredding your documents, whether at home or in the office, is rather important. But, what to do with the shredded paper?
While it is true that the paper could also be taken to be recycled in to new paper, whether shredded or not, or, shredded, even added into the composter, the problem is that some paper is coated with a very fine film of plastic which basically cannot really be noticed and you can even write one that coat with a pen. This plastic, however, remains behind in a composter in the form on small strips of plastic tape. For recycling into new, therefore, such coated paper is unusable. It is also unsuitable for animal bedding – we come to that later – and composting, as mentioned.
Use for packaging
Instead of disposing of your paper shreds, why not use them in the next package you have to send....they work as perfect insulation/protection for anything fragile.
If you do a lot of selling on eBay or run another kind of business that requires sending stuff via carrier around the country and the globe shredded paper probably is better than anything else to use as packaging material. A little bit like the old “paper wool” that was used in packaging in the days of old, prior to the arrival of bubble wrap or the horrible Styrofoam beans. Much more environmentally friendly too. You can even use the coated – laminated – paper for transport purposes though for very little else.
Animal bedding
Shredded paper, but ideally without any of the coated/laminated stuff, is also a great material for bedding for chickens, and other small livestock. If you have lots of it it can even be used in the pony stable in lieu of straw.
I have some chickens, all of them rescued and donated, and they go through a lot of bedding, in that I am now getting wood shavings from a wood turner, who he would have to pay for to dispose off, to use as bedding too.
It is, however, a great way of getting rid off shredded paper and I dare anyone, after the chickens have been using the paper and it then goes into the composter to still reconstruct the stuff to read anything of it.
Shredded paper such as this can also be used and works well in “haybox cookery” in lieu of hay.
Even if you do not have a secondary use for the shredded paper just throwing it into the composter to be turned, well, into compost for the garden is already a great way and, in my thinking, preferably even to sending the stuff for recycling.
© 2011
