Yes, you can compost newspaper. These days, the inks are largely soy or water-based, so they aren’t toxic to your compost. It might be surprising to know that because of a high-lignin count, newspaper compost does take a while to break down.
How to Compost Newspaper
It’s a good idea to rip up or shred your newspaper. You can also soak it in water. These steps will help it break down a bit faster, and they help to prevent the newspaper from absorbing the moisture in your compost.
Mixing the newspaper with leaves, twigs, and other brown material in your compost will also help it break down a bit faster.
Benefits of Newspaper for Garden Compost
Like cardboard, newspaper has a lot of carbon which you need for your compost. The right mix of nitrogen and carbon is important for good, healthy compost. Newspaper provides a high volume of carbon, though you need to be careful not to throw off the mixture.
Can I add newspaper to my compost?
Yes, you can. It may take a while for newspaper in compost to break down, but you can safely add it.