Which papers for the holding bed?

I have thousands of sheets of paper that have been collected from magazines, newspapers and catalogues and would like to use them as a component of a new holding bed. I just don't know how to tell which are good to use for this purpose. Does any one have suggestions about how to best use them in the bed? Or even if I should use them this way. Any ideas would be welcome. Thank you.

Newspaper is great. But the shiny advertising, Magazine, and other high tech papers are not. I would use the section A-d but not the advertising, and magazine types.

I agree.

Thank you both for your answers. I really was hoping that wouldn't be the response since I have such a relatively small percentage of compostable papers. Maybe I can come up with a project that will help make up for all the glossy paper that will be going to the landfill since this county doesn't have recycling. Thanks again

That's a shame. You might contact your local animal shelter; they might be able to use it for bedding, but I'm not sure.

No i am a veterinarian and the coating on the papers is unable to absorb therefore useless to pet paper use. Good thought though. I think the Ideal way to remove such papers is the land fill only because it will eventually feed bacteria and other beneficial breakdown in the land fill to eventually in two thousand years to make it soil again. Or what ever.

If you want to install ornamental beds, you can use the coated papers as weedblock to kill the underlying grass and undesirables. You can then sheet compost lasagna-style on top of it.

I send all the glossy papers to the school & church recycle bins.

Fortunately we have newspaper recycle curb side pick-up, though it does not include magazines.

I have been running some glossy stuff through the paper shredder and composting it. The glossy coating does make it harder to decompose, but if its shredded, the coating is broken up and it eventually it will decompose.

So perhaps, you could make a layer of shredded paper, rather than sheets of paper, in your lasagna bed?

Glossy paper used to be made with china clay (kaolin). Increasingly it is made with limestone instead -- cheaper, and possible now with a new method that has really hurt the kaolin industry. I know that low-toxicity inks are more likely these days as well. I'd expect that any paper that has a good dose of mineral in it wouldn't rot easily, but a bit of clay or lime probably wouldn't cause any actual harm...

Mark.