Composting is great for the environment and a wonderful way to incorporate sustainable practices into your daily life. While plastic and foam egg cartons are unfortunately not compostable, paper egg cartons are! Keep reading for tips on how to best compost your paper-pulp egg cartons.
Count it as part of your ‘Brown Ratio’
The Egg Carton Store‘s paper-pulp cartons are made from 100% recycled materials. Paper is a rich carbon source that is great for your compost bin, but be sure to balance it out with nitrogen rich materials such as lawn clippings or produce scraps.
Break it into small pieces
Just like with any other paper products you throw into the compost bin, paper cartons need to be shredded and torn up prior to entering the bin. Since paper shredders won’t work with the shape, using scissors to break them up works great (or you can tear them with your hands!).
Don’t worry about the ink
If you happen to have a printed carton, don’t worry about contaminating your compost bin with the ink. Egg cartons are made with food safe ink (usually soy or water based), meaning it’s completely safe to add to your compost bin.
If you have a blank carton, then throwing it into the compost bin (after shredding) is a no-brainer!
Remove stickers if possible
The Egg Carton Store uses 100% recyclable materials for our custom labels. This may not be the case for everyone, though! If you are on the fence about whether to keep or remove the stickers, it’s always a good idea to go ahead and remove as much as you can.
Check for signs of contamination
No matter how sturdy your egg carton is, accidents happen! If you notice that an egg has broken in your carton (or any other food waste has contaminated it), then it is unfortunately unsuitable for composting and recycling. Food waste can be a breeding ground for bad smells & parasites.
How long does decomposition take?
You can expect your paper egg cartons to decompose in about 2-4 weeks. It all depends on the carton, as well as the other items present in your compost bin.
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