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Composting printed paper
My mother-earth sister, who is into all things green and environmentally
conscious, recently commented that I should not compost news print and other printed paper, because of the lead in the ink. I bring most of my waste printed paper to the recycling centre, but have used shredded printed paper and newspaper in the compost heap. What do experienced composters think? -- Cat(h) The world swirls... |
Cat wrote:
:: My mother-earth sister, who is into all things green and :: environmentally conscious, recently commented that I should not :: compost news print and other printed paper, because of the lead in :: the ink. :: I bring most of my waste printed paper to the recycling centre, :: but have used shredded printed paper and newspaper in the compost :: heap. :: What do experienced composters think? :: Modern inks do not contain any lead, this has been debated to death in alt.pets.rodents.rats There are quite a few good sources of information on it, I will try to dig them out... It's a compound known as 'carbon black' which is not toxic at all to animal or humans...rats are more succeptible to poisons through their innability to vomit and many breeders/fanciers use shredded newspaper as bedding. |
Cat wrote:
My mother-earth sister, who is into all things green and environmentally conscious, recently commented that I should not compost news print and other printed paper, because of the lead in the ink. I bring most of my waste printed paper to the recycling centre, but have used shredded printed paper and newspaper in the compost heap. What do experienced composters think? She was right twenty years ago! It's fine to use these in your compost now. -- If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; but if you really make them think they'll hate you. |
"bigboard" wrote in message ... Cat wrote: My mother-earth sister, who is into all things green and environmentally conscious, recently commented that I should not compost news print and other printed paper, because of the lead in the ink. I bring most of my waste printed paper to the recycling centre, but have used shredded printed paper and newspaper in the compost heap. What do experienced composters think? She was right twenty years ago! It's fine to use these in your compost now. -- Does this hold true for glossy paper and printing which I have been told is toxic |
Diane Epps wrote:
"bigboard" wrote in message ... Cat wrote: My mother-earth sister, who is into all things green and environmentally conscious, recently commented that I should not compost news print and other printed paper, because of the lead in the ink. I bring most of my waste printed paper to the recycling centre, but have used shredded printed paper and newspaper in the compost heap. What do experienced composters think? She was right twenty years ago! It's fine to use these in your compost now. -- Does this hold true for glossy paper and printing which I have been told is toxic As far as I am aware, yes. -- "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." -- Albert Einstein |
"Cat" wrote in message ... My mother-earth sister, who is into all things green and environmentally conscious, recently commented that I should not compost news print and other printed paper, because of the lead in the ink. What lead? [snip] Franz |
"Franz Heymann" wrote in message ... "Cat" wrote in message ... My mother-earth sister, who is into all things green and environmentally conscious, recently commented that I should not compost news print and other printed paper, because of the lead in the ink. What lead? [snip] OK, so she's talking rubbish and her ink knowledge is 20 years out of date. But would any environmentally conscious composter here have any reservation on composting printed paper/newsprint for other reasons? Are the inks or treatments incurred by the paper in any way toxic? -- Cat(h) The world swirls... |
On Fri, 1 Oct 2004 13:55:21 +0100, "Cat"
wrote: My mother-earth sister, who is into all things green and environmentally conscious, recently commented that I should not compost news print and other printed paper, because of the lead in the ink. I bring most of my waste printed paper to the recycling centre, but have used shredded printed paper and newspaper in the compost heap. What do experienced composters think? In the past, simple newsprint was merely a suspension of carbon black (aka lamp black or soot) in mineral oil. That's why it used to come off on your hands: it wasn't a 'drying' ink ('drying', as in paint drying). They wanted something really cheap. Including lead would have been expensive. Modern inks are better quality but I imagine they still use carbon as the pigment, as it's relatively cheap. The typeface for newsprint used to be lead-based, so I suppose a minute amount of lead might have got transferred to the printed paper during the printing process, but I doubt that that's how moderns printing is done. Newsprint paper is made from simple wood-pulp. Glossy papers, such as used for magazines etc. have coatings of fine white mineral pigments such as china clay, chalk or titanium dioxide, in order to give a smoother, whiter surface that is both glossy and better for printing on. In the past, many of the pigments in coloured inks use for magazines were toxic, but so much paper gets recycled these days, and health & safety considerations are so important, that I doubt very much if any modern inks are toxic. -- Chris E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net |
"Chris Hogg" wrote in message ... On Fri, 1 Oct 2004 13:55:21 +0100, "Cat" wrote: My mother-earth sister, who is into all things green and environmentally conscious, recently commented that I should not compost news print and other printed paper, because of the lead in the ink. I bring most of my waste printed paper to the recycling centre, but have used shredded printed paper and newspaper in the compost heap. What do experienced composters think? In the past, simple newsprint was merely a suspension of carbon black (aka lamp black or soot) in mineral oil. That's why it used to come off on your hands: it wasn't a 'drying' ink ('drying', as in paint drying). They wanted something really cheap. Including lead would have been expensive. Modern inks are better quality but I imagine they still use carbon as the pigment, as it's relatively cheap. The typeface for newsprint used to be lead-based, so I suppose a minute amount of lead might have got transferred to the printed paper during the printing process, but I doubt that that's how moderns printing is done. Newsprint paper is made from simple wood-pulp. Glossy papers, such as used for magazines etc. have coatings of fine white mineral pigments such as china clay, chalk or titanium dioxide, in order to give a smoother, whiter surface that is both glossy and better for printing on. In the past, many of the pigments in coloured inks use for magazines were toxic, but so much paper gets recycled these days, and health & safety considerations are so important, that I doubt very much if any modern inks are toxic. Thank you. That's helpful. -- Cat(h) The world swirls... |
On Fri, 1 Oct 2004 18:58:30 +0100, "Cat"
wrote: "Chris Hogg" wrote in message .. . On Fri, 1 Oct 2004 13:55:21 +0100, "Cat" wrote: My mother-earth sister, who is into all things green and environmentally conscious, recently commented that I should not compost news print and other printed paper, because of the lead in the ink. I bring most of my waste printed paper to the recycling centre, but have used shredded printed paper and newspaper in the compost heap. What do experienced composters think? In the past, simple newsprint was merely a suspension of carbon black (aka lamp black or soot) in mineral oil. That's why it used to come off on your hands: it wasn't a 'drying' ink ('drying', as in paint drying). They wanted something really cheap. Including lead would have been expensive. Modern inks are better quality but I imagine they still use carbon as the pigment, as it's relatively cheap. The typeface for newsprint used to be lead-based, so I suppose a minute amount of lead might have got transferred to the printed paper during the printing process, but I doubt that that's how moderns printing is done. Newsprint paper is made from simple wood-pulp. Glossy papers, such as used for magazines etc. have coatings of fine white mineral pigments such as china clay, chalk or titanium dioxide, in order to give a smoother, whiter surface that is both glossy and better for printing on. In the past, many of the pigments in coloured inks use for magazines were toxic, but so much paper gets recycled these days, and health & safety considerations are so important, that I doubt very much if any modern inks are toxic. Thank you. That's helpful. Google for "printing ink" pigments toxic and you'll get lots of info. -- Chris E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net |
"Chris Hogg" wrote in message ... [snip] The typeface for newsprint used to be lead-based, so I suppose a minute amount of lead might have got transferred to the printed paper during the printing process, but I doubt that that's how moderns printing is done. Considering that the printing plates produced a million odd copies, the amount which came off on to the paper must have been absolutely minute. [snip] Franz |
On Fri, 1 Oct 2004 21:53:30 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote: "Chris Hogg" wrote in message .. . [snip] The typeface for newsprint used to be lead-based, so I suppose a minute amount of lead might have got transferred to the printed paper during the printing process, but I doubt that that's how moderns printing is done. Considering that the printing plates produced a million odd copies, the amount which came off on to the paper must have been absolutely minute. Agreed. I was scraping the barrel to find a reason why the OP's sister might think there's lead in newsprint. -- Chris E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net |
"Chris Hogg" wrote in message ... On Fri, 1 Oct 2004 21:53:30 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann" wrote: "Chris Hogg" wrote in message .. . [snip] The typeface for newsprint used to be lead-based, so I suppose a minute amount of lead might have got transferred to the printed paper during the printing process, but I doubt that that's how moderns printing is done. Considering that the printing plates produced a million odd copies, the amount which came off on to the paper must have been absolutely minute. Agreed. I was scraping the barrel to find a reason why the OP's sister might think there's lead in newsprint. I realise that. I was trying to reinforce what you said. {:-) Franz |
In message , Franz Heymann
writes "Cat" wrote in message ... My mother-earth sister, who is into all things green and environmentally conscious, recently commented that I should not compost news print and other printed paper, because of the lead in the ink. What lead? [snip] Franz I thought the problem is not the printing ink/toner, but, rather, the (chlorine?) bleach used to make the paper white? Book publishers (especially US) also often identify the paper used as being 'acid-free', but what about other paper? -- Klara, Gatwick basin |
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