If you’re into gardening and live in the UK, chances are you’ve heard of Monty Don. The horticulturalist and presenter is famed for his green fingers and gardening advice ― and in a blog post, he shared one reason why those with a flourishing backyard might want to hang on to their unused boxes.
In a January instalment of his blog, the expert wrote that now’s a great time to get rid of old Christmas paper wrapping, packages, and other pieces of cardboard and paper.
“All the wrapping, packaging[,] and cardboard can go on the compost heap,” he shared.
How do I turn old paper and cardboard into compost?
Your recycled packaging may take longer than usual to break down in the colder months, Monty Don points out.
That’s because there’s a “shortage of ‘green’ or nitrogen-rich material such as mown grass to leaven the carbon-rich material like cardboard and paper.”
Fear not, though, as “it all rots down and will end up as part of the mix over the coming months,” Monty Don says.
So, to turn your waste products into usable gardening gold, add paper and cardboard ― or “brown waste” ― onto your heap; shredding or cutting them before doing so may help them to break down faster.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) adds that prunings, wood chippings, and straw also count as brown waste ― as do sawdust and pencil shavings.
It’s all about balance ― and turning your compost
“To compost well, heaps need a mix of woody, carbon-rich ‘brown’ waste (such as prunings, wood chippings, paper, cardboard or straw), and softer, nitrogen-rich ‘green’ materials,” the RHS says.
‘Green’ materials include leafy plant matter, veggie scraps, and grass clipping, they say.
You should also turn your compost once you’ve laid it down to encourage aeration. You can do this “even in the coldest weather,” Monty Don says.
“There are various ways to turn compost – the most thorough being to empty the bin then refill it, or to move the contents from one bin to another. But both of these take space and can be difficult,” the Royal Horticultural Society says.
If that doesn’t work, try stirring and turning the compost with a gardening fork, “introducing air and mixing the different ingredients to the best of your ability.”
Whatever you do, though, don’t let those paper and cardboard scraps go to waste!