"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article . com,
" writes:
|
| I've just got back from the garden where I've been forking out the
| results of my first attempt at compost making - quite respectable if a
| bit twiggy, so I'm reasonably pleased. I'd like to start adding
| chopped up newspapers to my compost but I'm a bit nervous about this
| because I read that a) the paper itself is bleached with chorine and b)
| the printers ink can contain chemical nasties. I read The
| Independent. I'm not sure how it rates in terms of compostability,
| although its editorial policy is certainly very green. Any views?

Chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is about the most environmently
friedly of household chemicals - it will not affect composting. And
it is pretty unlikely that there is anything very toxic in the ink,
as it is mainly black and matt, and carbon is the cheapest and safest
pigment around.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
Agreed-but the debate centres around the production of dioxins as a result
of the use of chlorine in bleaching pulp.