Can I Compost Newspaper?

Short answer: yes. Modern newspaper is one of the better compost inputs, especially for backyard piles and worm bins. The ink question — the most common reason people hesitate — has a clear answer that depends on the type of newspaper and the type of ink.

This article covers the chemistry, the categories, and how to actually use newspaper in your compost.

What’s in modern newspaper

Standard newsprint:
– 95%+ wood pulp (typically recycled paper content from various sources)
– Trace amounts of clay or chalk (whitener, in some grades)
– Black ink (carbon black pigment, mineral oil binder, soy or vegetable oil binder)
– Color ink (vegetable-based pigments in most modern papers; mineral oil binders)

The wood pulp is the bulk of the material — exactly the same material as cardboard, paper bags, and other compostable fiber. The ink is the variable.

Black ink

Modern newspaper black ink has been mostly free of petroleum solvents since the 1990s. Standard composition:

• Pigment: carbon black (the same carbon used in tires and many other products; chemically inert)
• Binder: typically soy oil or other vegetable oil (in the US since the 1980s)
• Solvent: small amounts of mineral oil (decreasing over time as printers switch to all-vegetable bases)

Modern soy-ink newspapers are essentially compostable as-is. The carbon black pigment doesn’t leach harmful substances. The vegetable oil binder breaks down in compost.

Color ink

Color ink is more variable:

• Pigments: increasingly vegetable-based, but some metal oxides (red, yellow) and titanium oxide (white) are still common
• Binder: typically same as black ink — vegetable oil-based
• Trace metals: minor amounts; not enough to be a compost concern

Color ink is generally safe for compost in modern newspapers. The exception: glossy color inserts (which are usually printed by different processes with more solvent content).

What’s safe to compost

Yes — fully compostable:

• Daily newspapers (black-and-white text and grayscale photos): excellent compost input. Modern soy-ink newspapers compost cleanly.
• Sunday paper sections (most pages, mostly newsprint): compostable.
• Local community papers: usually printed on the same newsprint, similar ink chemistry.
• Trade journals and trade newspapers (e.g., industry trade publications): typically newsprint format, similar to standard newspapers.

Borderline — compost in moderation:

• Sunday color comics: more color ink than other sections. Generally fine in moderation. Skip if you’re sensitive.
• Color insert advertising sections: usually heavier ink loads. Some are printed on glossier paper that breaks down slower. Skip if uncertain.

No — skip:

• Glossy magazine inserts in newspapers: same materials as standalone magazines (clay-coated paper, more solvent-heavy inks). Skip.
• Pages with photo-quality printing on glossy paper: skip.
• Sticker inserts or laminated promotional materials: skip.

For most home composters, the simple rule is: newsprint (the standard paper newspapers come on) composts well; glossy paper of any kind doesn’t.

How newspaper composts

The decomposition pathway:

Days 1-3: surface microbes colonize the paper. Wet newspaper softens and starts breaking down.

Days 4-14: bacteria and fungi accelerate the breakdown. The paper fibers separate; ink pigments are released but don’t bind into the compost meaningfully.

Weeks 2-6: full decomposition in a hot pile (140°F+) for 4-6 weeks; 6-10 weeks in a cool pile.

End state: indistinguishable from surrounding compost. Carbon-rich humus.

The decomposition rate depends on:
– Particle size (shredded or torn paper composts faster than whole sheets)
– Moisture (damp paper breaks down faster)
– Pile temperature
– Microbial diversity

How to actually use newspaper in compost

A few practical approaches:

As a primary brown source

Tear newspaper into strips (1-2 inch wide) and add to compost alongside your other browns. A weekly Sunday paper provides roughly the brown equivalent of a small bucket of leaves — substantial for a typical pile.

Best practice: tear or shred before adding. Whole newspapers can clump together and form an impermeable mat in the pile.

As a worm bin bedding

Shredded newspaper is the classic worm bin bedding. The fiber holds moisture, provides hiding places for worms, and gradually feeds the worms as bedding decomposes.

For a 10-gallon worm bin, 4-6 large newspaper sheets (shredded) provide several months of bedding before needing refresh.

As a sheet mulch for the garden

Lay flat sheets of newspaper (3-4 layers thick) directly over garden beds in fall. Cover with mulch or wood chips. The newspaper smothers weeds and breaks down by spring, contributing organic matter to the soil.

Best for: clearing weedy areas, prepping new garden beds, suppressing aggressive groundcover.

As lining for compost bins

Some closed compost bins benefit from a newspaper lining to absorb excess moisture and reduce smells. Replaced periodically.

As bedding for chickens or rabbits

Compostable bedding for small backyard livestock. The newspaper + animal waste makes excellent compost input.

Volume math

For perspective on newspaper as a brown:

• Standard daily newspaper (32-48 pages of newsprint): ~1.5-2.5 oz of paper
• Sunday paper (with all sections): ~12-18 oz
• One full week of daily papers + Sunday: ~3-4 pounds of paper
• Annual newspaper consumption (regular subscriber): ~150-200 pounds

That’s a substantial brown contribution. A household with a daily paper subscription has enough newspaper to handle most browns needs for an active compost pile.

For households not subscribing to papers: any paper alternative works (cardboard, office paper, etc.).

What about staples and inserts?

A few specific items in newspaper:

Staples: small metal staples used to bind sections. Compost-friendly:
– Small enough to ignore (most pass through compost without issue)
– If you have many, you can sift them out of finished compost
– Don’t worry about it for normal volumes

Paper inserts (coupon inserts, sample packets, etc.): some are newsprint (compostable), some are glossy (skip), some have plastic film (skip). Sort if you care; default to compost for paper-only inserts.

Plastic bag (if your newspaper comes in a plastic bag): not compostable. Skip.

A note on shredded newspaper for paper crafts

Some craft projects produce shredded newspaper as a byproduct (paper mâché, eco-bricks, etc.):

• Shredded newspaper from these projects: compostable
• Newspaper with paste residue (paper mâché): compostable if uncoated paste
• Newspaper with paint: depends on paint type; latex paint is compostable in trace quantities; oil-based is not
• Heavily processed paper crafts (newspaper + tons of glue): may be slower to compost

For most craft applications, the shredded paper output can go in compost without issues.

Comparison: newspaper vs other browns

How does newspaper compare to other compost browns?

Newspaper compares favorably to most other browns. It’s:
– Easy to source (daily delivery)
– Easy to handle (tear or shred)
– Composts at moderate speed
– Free (or low-cost via subscription you’re already paying for)
– Year-round availability (unlike leaves)

For most home composters, newspaper is a top-3 brown source.

A practical note: pre-shredding

The biggest single thing you can do to improve newspaper as a compost input: shred it before adding.

• Whole sheets: compost slowly (8-12 weeks). Can mat together and reduce airflow.
• Torn into 4-inch pieces: compost in 6-8 weeks. Easy to do by hand.
• Shredded into 1-inch strips: compost in 4-6 weeks. Best for worm bins and faster decomposition.
• Pulverized in food processor: composts in 2-3 weeks. Overkill for most applications.

A standard office paper shredder makes quick work of newspaper. If you don’t have one, hand-tearing into 4-inch pieces is sufficient.

A note on the environmental story

Newspaper recycling has been declining in some regions as print readership drops. The total newsprint stream is smaller than it was 20 years ago, but still substantial.

When newspaper goes to landfill (vs compost):
– Slow decomposition in anaerobic landfill conditions
– Methane release as decomposition proceeds
– Carbon storage in landfill (negligible compared to soil)

When newspaper goes to compost:
– Aerobic decomposition produces CO2 (less warming than methane)
– Carbon returns to soil as humus (genuine carbon sequestration)
– Soil quality improves, water retention improves

For composters, every newspaper diverted from landfill is a small but real climate benefit. The math compounds at community scale.

A note on commercial composting

For commercial composters and B2B buyers using compostable packaging:

• Newspaper is a welcome input to commercial composting facilities
• High volumes of newspaper actually help balance very wet food waste streams
• Some commercial composters specifically request newspaper-based packing material for protection during shipping

If your business generates newspaper waste (offices that subscribe to print papers, etc.), redirecting it to commercial composting is straightforward.

The takeaway

Yes, you can compost newspaper. Specifically:

• Yes: daily newspapers (black-and-white text, grayscale photos)
• Yes in moderation: Sunday color comics
• No: glossy magazine inserts, glossy paper

Best practice: tear or shred into 4-inch or smaller pieces before adding. Use as a primary brown source for compost piles or as worm bin bedding.

For most home composters in 2024, newspaper is one of the most reliable browns. The “ink question” — the most common reason for hesitation — has a clear answer: modern soy-ink newspapers compost cleanly, with no toxic residue in the finished compost.

A small note: the question of “can I compost newspaper” is often a stand-in for “is composting newspaper safe for my garden?” The answer to both is yes, for standard newsprint. Concerns about toxic ink residue are largely a 1980s issue that’s been resolved as printers switched to vegetable-oil-based inks decades ago.

If you have a stack of newspapers sitting around — they’re compost gold. Tear, add to pile, balance with greens. Your garden will thank you.

A small history note

The “newspaper has bad ink for compost” concern is largely a holdover from the 1970s and 1980s, when many newspaper inks were petroleum-based and contained heavy metal pigments (lead in some, cadmium in others). Composting newspaper then was genuinely problematic.

Starting in the 1980s, environmental concerns and regulatory pressure pushed printers toward vegetable-oil-based inks. By the 1990s, most US newspapers were printing with soy-based black ink. The transition was driven by both environmental compliance and operational benefits (vegetable inks performed comparably and cost similarly).

The result: modern newspaper ink is fundamentally different from what was used 30-40 years ago. The compostability concern that lingers in older composting guides reflects the older chemistry, not current practice.

For anyone still hesitating about newspaper in compost — the chemistry has changed. Old advice based on petroleum-and-heavy-metal inks doesn’t apply to modern soy-ink newspapers. Compost with confidence.

A practical experiment

For composters who want to verify newspaper safety in their own pile:

1. Add a stack of shredded newspaper to your compost pile (about 1 pound of paper)
2. Mark the addition with a small flag
3. Wait 6-8 weeks
4. Sift finished compost from that area
5. Examine for any visible ink stains or unusual coloration

The result: cleanly broken-down compost with no visible ink residue. The pigments have either bound to the humus (where they’re stable) or dispersed throughout the pile (in concentrations too low to matter for plants).

This experiment confirms what laboratory studies have shown for decades — newspaper composts cleanly without leaving harmful residues.

A final note on related compost inputs

If newspaper is the brown stream you’re working with, other paper inputs work similarly:

• Office paper (uncoated): same chemistry, same compostability
• Brown kraft paper (shopping bags, packaging paper): compostable, slightly slower than newspaper
• Paper napkins and towels: compostable (see related article)
• Cardboard: compostable, slower than newspaper

For a household generating multiple paper streams, all of these can go in compost together. The result is a paper-rich brown contribution that balances kitchen scraps well.

For most home composters processing 1-2 pounds of kitchen scraps per week, a corresponding 1-2 pounds of paper (newspaper, cardboard, office paper combined) maintains the green-to-brown balance reliably.

For B2B sourcing, see our compostable supplies catalog or compostable bags catalog.

For procurement teams verifying compostable claims, the controlling references are BPI certification (North America), EN 13432 (EU), and the FTC Green Guides on environmental marketing claims — these are the only sources U.S. enforcement actions cite.