Using Shredded Paper for Coop Litter - As Good As Wood Chips?

[BDutch]

At the other side of the ocean/pacific things are changing slowly too.
Small plastic waste like straws and cotton swabs are forbidden (only paper). And one amendment for dishes/knives/spoons and forks is on his way. Plastic bags at the store are (should) only available if you pay for them. But this doesn't include packiging

We have a refund system for many of the glass and plastic bottles.
One major grocery (home delivery) sells plastic bags for 30 cts and if you give one in return at the next order you get a refund.

The greengrocer's shop gives customers a choice. They have paper bags and plastic bags. The organic greengrocery has only paper bags. But there still way to much plastic in packaging.

I think the best way is yo use as little plastic as possible. The municipality/government should regulate as much as possible. They already make it convenient to gather the plastic in a container and make it possible to reuse the plastic. But reuse is difficult because of the dirtiness and variety of the used plastics. Not just for us consumers but also for for the recycling industry.

Imo:
This is why the stuff from the new plastic factories should get a high tax rate (like cigarettes) and the reuse and organic plastic should not. Best way to regulate bad vs good is with taxes.

 

[BDutch]

Fyi: These are three of the waste bins/containers.
Blue lid is for paper / cardboard.
Dark grey is for plastics and metals.
Green with dark grey lid is for inseparable waste.
There is a fourth container for food waste and garden greens.
The paper and metals are recycled for new quality products. The food/greens for compost. Plastic is often down cycled (less quality) or burned for energy.

 

[gtaus]

now we have a Costco and Safeway that bring in an incredible amount of plastics.
I think if they bring it in they need to be a part of the solution.

I would think it would be in their best interest to be part of the solution.

One major grocery (home delivery) sells plastic bags for 30 cts and if you give one in return at the next order you get a refund.

Sounds like a good idea to reduce the amount of plastic bags being used once and thrown away.

I think the best way is yo use as little plastic as possible.

Yes. I am more interested in finding ways to use other products, more organic, than plastic. When I lived in Europe, we would buy bread by the loaf, with no packaging. Here in the USA, all our bread is wrapped in some kind of plastic bag.

Imo:
This is why the stuff from the new plastic factories should get a high tax rate (like cigarettes) and the reuse and organic plastic should not. Best way to regulate bad vs good is with taxes.

I think that would be a tough sell in the USA.

Plastic is often down cycled (less quality) or burned for energy.

If you burn plastic, do you add to particulates in the air that will end up in the food chain? Seems to be a great idea to burn plastics for energy if there is no bad pollution going out the smoke stacks. Would be great to have a micro plastic burner at home to create nonpolluting energy that maybe could be stored in a battery storage unit for use later. Kind of like solar panels, except you are burning waste plastic instead of dumping it at the landfill.

 

[3KillerBs]

When I lived in Europe, we would buy bread by the loaf, with no packaging.

That sounds extremely unsanitary. Buying bread without packaging that random people could have handled and chucking the naked bread into a bag with other stuff that random people had handled?

 

[NatJ]

That sounds extremely unsanitary. Buying bread without packaging that random people could have handled and chucking the naked bread into a bag with other stuff that random people had handled?

And that would be why everything is wrapped in plastic.

I don't know how much of a health risk the unwrapped bread really is, but just having customers worry about it is enough reason for every company in the US to put their bread in a platsic bag.

 

[Sally PB]

Now, a simple 2X4 stud costs something like $4000.00 each.

I sure hope that's a typo!!

Buying bread without packaging that random people could have handled and chucking the naked bread into a bag with other stuff that random people had handled?

I make my own bread. I haven't bought bread in over a year. I store it in Ziploc bags that get used many times before going to be recycled at the store. (They have bins for plastic films of all kinds. Don't know what they do with it.)

I really, really wanted to use shredded paper in my chicken coop/run. I have one girl who ate a bunch of it. I saw her do it. I think she has pica eating disorder.

 

[3KillerBs]

And that would be why everything is wrapped in plastic.

I don't know how much of a health risk the unwrapped bread really is, but just having customers worry about it is enough reason for every company in the US to put their bread in a platsic bag.

I work in a grocery store. I know how nasty people are.

 

[Iluveggers]

When I lived in Europe, we would buy bread by the loaf, with no packaging. Here in the USA, all our bread is wrapped in some kind of plastic bag.

My grocery store offers fresh baked bread & baguettes in paper bags, but if I plan ahead I buy it from a local bread shop that also uses paper. I love baking my own, but have a bunch of other projects I’ve been concentrating my time on. Consumers drive packaging/products carried, so i buy what I can support. Much fresher, no bad ingredients.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

it's common to buy bread with no packaging from a bakery. you can just throw it in your bag or put it in a paper bag if you want. if you were worried you could just make sure you bring a clean cotton bag to bring it home in. I personally hate how much plastic there is on everything, and I've seen grocery in the USA, it's nuts you guys wrap nearly everything.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

USER=536250]@gtaus[/USER], your original question had to do with whether shredded paper is as good as wood chips, and I have another comment about that. When I've put wood chips from the chicken coop directly on the ground, nothing grows there for a long time even though the chickens scratch in it and scatter it. It seems to burn the ground. I don't know the chemistry that explains that. But when I put shredded paper from the coop on the ground, it breaks down quickly into a usable compost. So IMO, the paper is better. Of course, I live in an isolated setting and I don't mind the appearance. I did build a containment box out of pallets recently which helps. It's open at the top and the chickens still hop in and scratch for bugs, but it only consists of chicken poop and paper. It's breaking down very quickly and I'm very happy with it.

Sorry to interrupt the focus on food packaging.