What are some good carbon sources (brown materials) to use for composting?
Cardboard: Perfectly compostable (especially good for worm composting), but I’d recommend putting it with your recycling instead- there’s always going to be a recycling market for cardboard.
Paper: Just like cardboard, it’s best placed with your recycling. It is compostable (rip it up first!), but it’ll stick around for a while.
Shredded paper: Won’t make it through the recycling process due to its small size. Composting it is fine, just ensure there’s no plastic mixed in with it. It’s not going to add much value to your compost pile, but it will eventually break down.
Newsprint: The non-glossy stuff can compost (be sure to rip it up!), but if you have recycling available, do that instead.
Napkins/paper towels/tissues: These are all paper products that are on their last life. In the recycling process, they are considered “contamination”. Best use is to not use them at all, but when you do, put them in your compost. They’ll stick around for a while and they aren’t chock full of nutrients, but they will compost over time- view them as “filler”.
Leaves: The best! Of all brown materials, leaves are the one you need to have. Leaves are full of trace nutrients, they smell great, and will even insulate your pile in the colder months. Start a new compost pile with 12” of shredded leaves, and additionally use it as a weekly cover material after you add your food scraps to the center. You can’t go wrong with leaves, and there’s no limit to how much you add.
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