That makes sense.
I think the one I usually read about chickens eating is white, but many people seem to say "styrofoam" for any kind of foam that is vaguely similar.
Using Shredded Paper for Coop Litter - As Good As Wood Chips?
- Thread starter gtaus
- Start date
I think the one I usually read about chickens eating is white, but many people seem to say "styrofoam" for any kind of foam that is vaguely similar.
- Thread starter
- #132
Never seen one of those in our stores. Looks nice.
Do chickens eat blue styrofoam? "Real" styrofoam is blue? Don't think I've ever seen blue styrofoam ... Mine will eat white if I leave it available to them. Made that mistake once. Don't do that any more.
How about when she is opening the mail, reading the newspaper, or whatever generates the paper, you leap up and offer to take the paper to the recycling bin for her.The issue for me is that our local recycle setup now combines all plastic, metal, aluminum, glass, and paper in one bin. You do not have to separate products anymore. So, at home, you just dump all your recyclables into the same trash can. Which is why I likened taking out paper from our home recycle bin to dumpster diving. Our paper at home is mixed in with all the food cans, the glass jars, the aluminum pop cans, the plastic drink containers, etc....
A few years ago, when we had to separate everything before bringing it to the recycle bin, then it was no big deal for me to grab the paper all in one place. But my point now is that everything is combined. Dear Wife knows that I can shred many of the paper products she just dumps into the recycle bin at home. Because there are so many women here on the BYC forum, I was hoping someone would give me a suggestion as to how to persuade her to set those paper items aside for me so I don't have to dumpster dive in our home recycle garbage can!
It did not take me 33 years to figure out that I cannot make Dear Wife do something my way because I think it is a better way. But, sometimes, I have been able to suggest a very small change and find a solution that works out better for both of us. I'm just looking for that win-win in this issue.
Let me add that having a backyard flock has changed the way I think about a lot of things I used to do. We used to rake up all our leaves and either haul them out to the dump or make a big burn pile of leaves. Now, I use all those leaves in the chicken run compost system and make black gold compost for the gardens.
We used to load up our trailer full of wood debris and haul it to the landfill. Now, I chip up most of the small branches for use in the coop and run. The larger branches and tree trunks get used to build new hügelkultur raised beds.
I bag up all our grass clippings and give them to the chickens in the run. What does not get eaten gets mixed into the composting along with the wood chips and leaves.
Instead of throwing our kitchen scraps and leftovers into the household garbage bag, we now use a chicken bucket for most food items and feed that to the chickens. Anything organic that goes bad or moldy, will now be dumped into the pallet compost bin. Very little food every get tossed into our household garbage bag.
And now, this winter, I am excited to be trying free paper shreds in the coop as deep bedding instead of just hauling all of it out to the recycle center. In the spring, when I clean out the coop, all those paper shreds will be going into the chicken run compost system where I expect they will break down into compost much faster than the wood chips I have been using.
My chickens have changed my thinking about the possibilities of reusing and repurposing stuff at home that I just used to throw away and fill up the landfill. From the kitchen chicken bucket to the free paper shreds, my chickens turn all that stuff into compost for the gardens which feeds us more, and better, people food. I would never had thought that at 60+ years old that I would be enjoying a backyard flock for anything more than simply a few fresh eggs. But I have changed in a number of small ways, for the better, I think.
How could anyone refuse such a kind offer of help?
Lol. Only he does not want it in the recy bin. He wants it at the shredder. That is an option, though, for him to take it where he wants it. IF he's present when she processes it.
In the Netherlands we (people with gardens) have 4 large containers to separate our garbage:
1. compostables : veggies/ fruits / garden clippings
2. Plastic packages / metals ( mostly cans) / drinkcartons
3. Paper and cardboard
4. so called gray, not separable waste
People in apartments use large containers for the whole building.
+ near every grocery stores there are :
+ there is a a waste station for large waste and special waste in every town/ cummunity.
+ there are recycle shops for furniture and clothing
All countries in Europe have some kind of recycling system. But they differ a bit from country to country. Recycling is not difficult if you have the habit of doing so.
And its a lot better for the environment if we reuse our garbage. We need way less new materials.
1. compostables : veggies/ fruits / garden clippings
2. Plastic packages / metals ( mostly cans) / drinkcartons
3. Paper and cardboard
4. so called gray, not separable waste
People in apartments use large containers for the whole building.
+ near every grocery stores there are :
- containers for glass bottles and pots, to make new bottles
- old clothes and shoes, for reuse stores , isolation materials, etc.
+ there is a a waste station for large waste and special waste in every town/ cummunity.
+ there are recycle shops for furniture and clothing
All countries in Europe have some kind of recycling system. But they differ a bit from country to country. Recycling is not difficult if you have the habit of doing so.
And its a lot better for the environment if we reuse our garbage. We need way less new materials.
Yes. My thought was the offer to carry it doesn’t need to come with a commitment on where he takes it. Now he might end up needing to clear up after her non-paper items too. But everything has a price
Our garbage system in Italy is very similar. My organico bin doesn’t get much action these days since most of what used to go in there goes to the chickens now, to eat or for the run.
It's just different in different areas in America. My brother, who lives in a big city, separates his into several dumpsters. If I recall correctly one was for recyclable glass, one was for aluminum cans, one was for newspaper and one for just household garbage. But here, we don't have those options. We burn our burnable stuff but newspapers and aluminum cans we take to a recy center. Everything else a private trash company picks up.
You have inspired me, @gtaus. I took the shreads, that were sitting in the shredder, to the chicken coop and put them the nest boxes. I then lined the shredder bin with a large Wal-Mart bag. And because I was in the recycle mind set, I set up my coffee ground drying rack in the garage, so I can use it thru the winter.
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