DECOMPOSITION OF SHREDDED PAPER IN TWO COMMON COMPOSTING ENVIRONMENTS

While paper recycling helps significantly reduce air and water pollution, there is some debate about whether making paper products from recycled paper saves energy. Therefore we should explore other waste management options to supplement paper recycling programs. These options should span the management scale from a single household to statewide. Composting of paper is one promising option. The purpose of this study is to determine the decomposition rate for shredded paper using two common composting methods. Shredded paper was mixed in a compost-soil matrix both in the presence and absence of Eisenia fetida over a period of nine weeks. Paper degradation was calculated on a weekly basis by volume of paper lost. Results show that traditional composting takes about 1.5 times as long to biodegrade an equivalent amount of shredded printer paper as vermicomposting. Growth of worm populations in vermicomposting systems indicates the presence of shredded paper is not inhibitive to the vermicomposting process.