You don't have to shred it. However, it will take longer to compost.
Just how long depends, among other things, on how frequently you turn
it. At a guess, if you turn it 2-4 times in the year you could use it
next year. If you turn it once per year, it will take 2 or 3 years.
Turning will add air to the pile, which is required for composting.

Newspaper is also OK for composting, and is easier to shred since you
just do it after reading (presumably that doesn't get it wet). You will
want some sort of balance between the newspaper and the amount of grass
you add to the pile. You can also use scrap vegetable matter (assuming
you prepare food that includes vegetables). I wouldn't use magazines,
since they use different paper and inks, but newspapers are using
biodegradable soy-based inks (even the color sections are degradable
now). There may be a few small papers that don't but I believe states
regulate the environmental impact of newspapers these days.

The point of shredding is to increase the surface area of the material
you're composting. This will present more opportunities for the
composting organisms to get at the material.



Nathan Mellor wrote:
I'm looking for a biodegradable liner to put in the droppings tray of quail
cages I will build. This so I can add it to my compost bin. Kraft brown or
brown indented paper sounds like a good idea. From previous posts it sounds
like kraft paper is very recyclable.

My compost bin has never completely functioned, mostly because it is
disproportionately grass clippings (Nitrogen). The Coturnix quail droppings
will be high nitrogen too, but I would expect that the kraft paper will add
more carbon to the mix.

It's not very feasible to shred it finely since it will be covered with
droppings and likely damp. More likely it be crumpled up wads of 24"x36"
sheets with quail droppings wrapped up in them.

So how fast will it break down if not shredded? Mixed with grass clippings
and some small number of leaves and weeds.

Nathan
Near Portland, OR