The Use of Paper and Paper Products in a Composting Environment

While there are general recommendations for composting paper, relatively little attention has been given in the scientific literature to the biodegradability and compostability of paper and what impacts it may have on the final compost product. This review is a summary of some of the research that has been done to investigate the suitability of using paper and paper products in a composting environment. When possible, results have been separated based on product type (e.g. bleached, unbleached, and coated). This review provides further insight to the impacts, if any, of using paper products for composting.