Is burying cardboard better than putting it in the recycling bin?
Answer:
PERMACULTURE ANSWER
it is both good ,card board composts easily
but you may get paid if you recycle and if it is enough
you can also use it for mulching if you want to get rid of hardy deep rooted grasses
and then just add soil and plant on top
this way you can instantly change a garden from grass to plants
with out any digging,
when you turn out the lights for the grass ,it dies and by the time the plants are grown the cardboard is rotten enough for the roots to go deeper and it has been there long enough to kill most of the grass.
General note on Compost
Organic waste is responsible for 70% of contamination in Land fills if it goes out with the trash ,so please do not do this,
the organics ferment mix with dangerous metals and leech contaminants down into subteranean water suplies ,or streams for many thousands of years
Burning is the worst you can do.
trash includes plastics ,and worst of all styrofoam ,
the smoke from this is pure poison for the air one of the greatest factors towards aipolution like burning tires
please dont burn trash
and leaves are the trees way of making top soil
one should never burn leaves but place them around trees to add to their food
or use them to make compost
bones,treetrunks,cardboard,egg... clothes(if they are organic),poop,leaves,kitchen waste,foodscraps,newspaper,
and kitty litter
All can be put on the compost heap
as long as you seal it with a covering of leaves .or put a piece of plastic on top ,
keep it moist and in the shade ,it will then get hot enough to kill all parasites
the worms will devellop,and take care of everything ,the moisture helps decomposition
the plastic keeps in the moisture and protects the worms from predators .like chickens ,birds armadillos,and even dogs .i have seen going in to eat my worm culture
you could add a bit of lime now and again
to make the process more potent
HOW
make the compost in a shallow hole ,so that it retains more humidity,
about 2 square meters is good ,and have it under a tree or put a little roof over i t,which does not have to be water proof ,so a palm thatch is enough,
and makesure the garden sprinkler gets there or spray some water on it ,at least once a week,dont have it water logged or the worms will drown or leave
RECYCLING
cardboard in principle saves trees
Good question, I'd like to know the answer to this question myself. It sounds like they would make a good mulch and weed barrior for the garden.
Composting works great for cardboard. Burying not so much, as it tends to not decompose, especially if the ground is too wet.
Recycling it will help to save trees, as they won't be cut down to make new cardboard. But composting will allow you to create nutrient rich soil for planting.
And there are no harmful chemicals in brown corrugated cardboard. The only source would be the ink, and almost all ink is safe today. As a matter of fact, there are fewer chemicals in brown corrugated cardboard than there are in white paper, since paper must be bleached to get it white.
It is possible that the cardboard will contain some nasty chemicals (see link). And if you use it just once and then bury it, that is no better than sending it to a landfill. You also need to shred it to give it any real value as compost, and it isn't good fertilizer so it isn't worth the effort to begin with.
If recycled, the material may get reused 2-3 or more times to make new cardboard or other products.
Recycle it.
Recycle by all means instead of burying them so the cardboard can be reused for something else..
Well, actually it depends on how they are recycled.. if for example they are recycled and bleached fresh like the morning snow for use as paper. I probably would think that you use it in your compost bin or worm farm.
If it is used to make more cardboard boxes.. I'd say recycle it.
It makes sense to me. I don't think it matters where it goes into the ground, and at least it saves shipping.
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