How Is Compost Rated?

Ever wonder about how compost is rated for quality?  U.S. Composting Council website to the rescue: Seal of Testing Assurance I think it's a pretty safe bet that if you're looking to purchase compost, look for the U.S. Composting Council seal of certification.  Further, look to buy from a nursery as opposed to a huge retail chain to increase your chance of getting some good stuff.

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Can You Compost Paper?

I've received a number of emails about this recently, and you'll be happy to learn that you can definitely compost paper.  Paper's quite high in carbon (burns easily, doesn't it?), which is good when you have what seems like endless amounts of food scraps and not enough browns in your pile to balance it out. I recommend recycling paper as a first choice, but if it's a document that has my name or other sensitive information on it, I'll give it to my worms to lay around in and munch on. A few quick tips: -Stick to using white paper and newsprint.  Colored and glossy paper run a risk of containing toxic heavy metals. -Shred the paper and distribute it throughout your pile.  Shredding is necessary, as paper gets clumpy…

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