Recycling Office A4 Paper, poison ?

[Jimmy]

For many years I have used old office A4 sheets to make pots.
The A4 sheets were printed on one side, I rolled them around a coke can and then stapled them. You can get quite a few in a seed tray and fill them with compost.
I usually used them to raise my french beans in the Greenhouse ready for planting out after the frosts.
However this year I was short of pots and used some for my Tomatoes.
I had some tomatoes in re-used plastic drinks pots and some in the paper pots.
I noticed all the plastic pots we deep green and healthy but the paper ones were pale green and looked a bit sickly. So I scrapped the paper off and potted into bigger proper plastic pots. After a few weeks they seemded to recover.
However my french beans went out still in the pots. They still look very sickly but the weather may be the cause.
The only thing I can think is in the past our office had a Black/White printer and now uses colour.
However I also use my shreaded personal mail to compost and with the increasing advent of colour ink wonder if this is a good idea. In future I shall stick to platic pots.
Anyone any advise or knowledge on this ?
Thanks Jim

[Shortie]

Hi Jimmy

I've moved this acroos to here as the 'Growing Techniques' board is for reference threads only and not questions

Cheers
Shortie

[Two_Sheds]

"(refilling) printer ink can be messy job. It is toxic. You would not want to get it on your skin" Printer Ink Refill Packs Or Toner Cartridge - Cartridge Save UK
I contacted Epson for more info, and got this: "It would probably be more environmentally friendly to place in a recycling bin rather than compost heap due to the longevity of our inks will take quite a while to break down"

Epson
This gives a breakdown of what is in your ink. You need to click on the ink you're interested in, and be able to understand the toxicology charts!

*** Personally, I would not use printer ink on my seedlings, although newspaper ink is mainly vegetable-based so is safe, on the compost heap too.

[rustylady]

Office paper doesn't break down as well as newspaper as it seems to have some sort of waterproof quality. May be the ink too. My office type paper goes in the council recycling bin, and I use newspaper (shredded) for guineapig bedding. When this has been used it goes in the compost bin. Daughter makes pots for seeds/seedlings, but she always uses newspaper.

[Jimmy]

OK thanks for the replies.
I think it will be plastic drink cups or might try newspaper.
Any tips on newspaper pots
Wrap round a can an staple ????
Jim

[Two_Sheds]

Any tips on newspaper pots

yes, lots ~ use your Search button to find 8 threads on this (but don't tell Snadger ). Here's one to get you started http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...-pots_349.html

[Newbie]

I shred all our office A4 paper & put in into my compost bin along with grass clippings, kitchen waste etc - is this wrong?

[percy charlie]

my friend uses the toilet roll cardboard as plant pots and says there really good for sweet peas, i only use newspaper and toilet roll cardboard in the compost bin and shred everything else and give to friends family with hampsters, ginepigs and rabbits to use as bedding. with 5 people in my house the bins get full quick and we have the twin bin recycling here cant get bigger bins till you have 6 in a house so i compost and pass on shreds for animal bedding to people i trust to help this as well for the enviroment.
my grandad used to soak all this type of paper and newspaper of his and his neighbours to make papermashey bricks for his coal fire and the bbq to get them lit. but bless him hes no longer here or id be using his garden as a lotty!!!!