Despite The Claims, Shredding Paper Doesn’t Speed Composting. Try This Thought Experiment.
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Let me explain.
I frequently read we should rip paper into small pieces before putting in a compost heap as it increases the surface area and that speeds composting.
It’s a great theory but doesn’t stand up top the logic test! Here’s Why.
The Paper Ripping Logic Test
Let’s do a simple experiment. You can do it practically or as a thought experiment .. Einstein used to do thought experiments and it worked out OK for him!
Take a piece of paper measuring say 10×10. It has a surfer ce area of 10×10 =100 units each side. So 200 in total.
Now rip it in half.
Measure it and see how much more surface area it has.
Whatever size the paper pieces are, and however many times you rip them the surface area remains the same.
OK, I accept it increases by the additional edge of the “paper thin” edges. But that will be less than 0.0001% for each rip.
Does that look like there is going to be enough extra surfacer area to make a measurable difference to composting rate?
And Shredding Paper Doesn’t Speed Composting
Shredding the paper instead of ripping it gives you more pieces .. but very little extra surface area.
Crumpled Paper
Rather than rip the paper you could just crumple it up into a small loose ball. That will add some air to the mix, at least until it goes soggy with the moisture in the compost.
Ripping Cardboard to Increase Surface Area
What if we substitute cardboard for paper? Does that make a significant difference?
Do the calculations. How much surface area is exposed each time you rip it? It’s going to be more than with thin paper … but not much.
