I can't think of a better way to use junk mail other than to compost it. Ok I use it first under my birds cages.
Sandy

I compost mine.

Sometimes I'm extra lazy and don't bother removing the plastic windows. I just pick 'em out of the finished compost.

Shredded junk mail is the number one source of browns in my compost pile. Most of the window envelopes are cellophane and they compost just fine also.

Hi Mike

I'm not sure if your definition of value would be the same as others. Having said that, I am not sure if there are any nutrients in most papers that are worthwhile. Some might attribute value to it in the fact that they do not have to seek out an alternative "brown". Others might claim some value in not having to dispose of it by other means. I have thrown some newspapers through the leaf shredder just to see what would happen. Note to self: don't ever do this on a windy day again! I have composted cereal boxes, papers and paper products just to see if I could. In the big picture, it really made no visible difference to the compost but it was fun to try.

Lloyd

Wow thanks for the quick replies everyone. My question about value was originally referring to nutritional value to the compost, but the value of keeping it out of the landfill is also good, as long as it's not detrimental to my compost. Thanks again.

Mike

And the inks/glosses/glues are ok?

In my case the ratio of paper stuff to other browns is so small that it would be not be measurable. I have not yet made a batch that had more than a few pounds of paper/cardboard in it. I don't sweat it.

Lloyd

We keep a paper grocery sack right by the trash in our kitchen. All junk mail, paper towels, napkins, anything paper that will breakdown goes in along with grape stems, orange peels, old cereal, dried up bananas, etc.

When full it is either divided among 4 trashcan bins outside or the whole sack goes into our large bin with something on top to weigh it down so that the wind does not distribute it throughout the neighborhood.

This has made a big difference in the amount of garbage we put in the dumpster for the landfile. If everyone would do that perhaps that part of my water bill might go down!

Peggy

Surely it makes sense to compost all documents containing personal information, whether shredded or not, in order to prevent identity theft. No thief is going to pick through a compost pile, surely?

I use shredded paper as mulch sometimes and even for paths on occassions I am too lazy to shovel wood chips.

Andrew, FYI, I can tell you from many cases that I have dealt with in my professional life that identity theft is a very real thing and that guarding your info is always a good idea. Shredding documents before they leave the house is always reccommended. My county recently sponsored a document shredding day just so people could safely dispose of their sensitive documents(hope they composted the stuff). Sadly, much of the identity theft I have dealt with involved victims who were friends, family members or co-workers of the perpetrators (as well as many strangers).

I've also used shredded paper as mulch, as well as a layer in lasagna beds, and also in my compost pile. Between shredding the junk mail, ripping up cardboard boxes (cereal, pasta, etc.) and of course composting kitchen scraps, we've gotten down to one to one and a half kitchen-sized bags of garbage per week for a family of four.

:)
Dee

shredded office paper/junk mail is an easily decomposed carbon material, comparable C:N ratio to leaves ... best way to get rid of it

Bill

I use shredded paper as a source of browns in summer where the lawn is going mad. Very brown, virtually zero nitrogen, needs a good strong green. Big clumps of paper tend to turn to papier-mache in my pile, so I usually run them into the shredder with some prunings to get them thoroughly mixed.