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Vermicomposting

Shredding cardboard??

15 years ago

Can anyone suggest an easy way to shred cardboard for bedding in a worm bin? I visited a commercial worm operation a couple of months ago and they use a wood chipper. I don't have a wood chipper and I'm not nearly that large of an "operation" to warrant a wood chipper.

Last time I sat in front of the TV with old boxes and a pair of scissors. My hands ached for day afterwards. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks.

Featured Answer

queuetue

15 years ago

If you wet the cardboard first, it should rip up like tissue paper.

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Comments (7)

squeeze
15 years ago
lay it flat on a wood surface and use a utility knife to slice strips off, then rip them up .... cutting with the corrugations is easiest, but across the corrugations will make pieces easier to rip .... doesn't need to be pretty, if it's just small enough pieces to get in the bin then the wetness will do it in pretty quick, it's hard to keep wet cardboard in one piece

Bill
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I got a paper shredder that eats cardboard so long as it isn't too thick. My old paper shredder did eat cardboard for a little while but then I think we fed it too much and it broke. The fellows power shred seems to do pretty well with cardboard. I got one that doesn't take that many sheets of paper at once but it is rated to run alot and still seems to take most corrigated cardboard. This is all if you really need shredded cardboard. I like to use large sheets of cardboard as the bottom layer for new lasagna beds. I only shred cardboard for use as cover materials in compost buckets or for new bedding in the worm bin. The worms don't really need it shredded as they are quite happy with layers of big cardboard over top of their bedding. A bit of moisture and the cardboard tends to fall apart. I've also found that simply dipping cardboard into a bin or bucket of water will make pealing off tape quite easy and leaving the box in the water for more than a moment will allow it to fall apart really easily.
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I no longer dread another cardboard thread now I print and shred then add to the bed all has been read enough said.................
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I pretty much only use non-corregated cereal & food boxes (toilet paper & paper towel cores too!). The only thing I watch out for is the metalized / foiled boxes. I recycle the corregated cardboard, newspapers, and office paper at our local recycling facility. No one seems to want to recycle the paperboard, so in the bin it goes. I have a 12 cu ft flow through bin now, but I used it in the small rubbermaid bins too. The paperboard has more "structure" to it so it helps create little air spaces in the bin. I always had problems with newsprint matting together. Anyway, the worms are happy!
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I use Shredded Corrugated Cardboard exclusively as bedding. I have a 12-sheet, strip-cut shredder for cardboard. A machine lasts me about 3 years. I'm on my 3rd shredder. If cardboard is too thick to go through the feed slot, then just separate the layers until it fits. I always look for clean cardboard to shred, without colored printing. For shredding small stuff, the bin that comes with the shredder is enough,. But for our purposes, it's not. I store shredded cardboard in XXXXL size, heavy-duty, garden waste plastic bags. Find a large, heavy-duty cardboard box about the size of the bag you're going to store the stuff in. Fold the flaps closed on one end and place that end on the floor. Now you have a collapsible frame to hold your collection bag. Place the bag inside and fold some of the open end over the top. Now you need something to hold the shredder head. A simple rectangular-shaped holder can be made from scrap wood or angle iron, or aluminum. Two long pieces, long enough to fit across and rest upon the cardboard box and two shorter pieces, connecting them. The shredder head fits on top. The opening only has to be big enough for the exit slot of the shredder. The shredded cardboard/paper goes straight into the collection bag. When you're done, remove the head and holder, and then pick up the cardboard box that's holding the collection bag. The flaps on the bottom should open by themselves (since the flaps weren't sealed shut). This way, there's no need to have to pick up the bag (which will probably be heavy). Then just store the cardboard box flat, along with the shredder-head holder and that's it.
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ColesvilleEd
15 years ago
We have a paper shredder from OfficeMax that I run all our pizza boxes through. Just have to tear them into pieces narrow enough to feed into shredder. It's not a cross-cut model, so I get long strips.

My worm "bin" is a large terra cotta planter the landlord left behind. I've got it on a small balcony off the kitchen, it gets afternoon sun but is protected somewhat by the wall and the thick terra cotta. I feed them a blender slurry which I pour into a hole in the cardboard layer and cover back over with the cardboard.

By the time we have more pizza boxes to shred, the old ones are pretty much incorporated. Only problem is fungus gnats, I keep a piece of screen over the top to hold down the swarm. Eventually I plan to put a tree or shrub in there and start another one.
betho
15 years ago
Check into seeing if you have any local box manufacturers, also. I lucked out - my husband works at a box factory and regularly brings home huge bags of shreds about 2 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. They are perfect, perfect PERFECT for my worms and I know any box factory would have them available for the taking.

As far as shredding existing cardboard, I'd probably get a heavy duty paper shredder and use that. I've done the scissors method and I just ended up with a sore hand and way less cardboard than the work was worth!
hipgardener
15 years ago
When I was still worming with bins, I would use a paper shredder as has been mentioned. The paper shredder was weak and the strips were cut around 2 inches wide so that the shredder would not bind up. I didn't have too have much cardboard for the two bins I ran, so I wouldn't have to shred boxes but once a month or so.

I must say that the resulting shredded material was very nice, just the right size and it would stay moist well once started out. The worms dug it too.

Here is a link that might be useful: www.gardeninginconverse.com (my garden blog)
worldcomposting
15 years ago
I sat down over a few nights and just used a utility knife while watching TV. Granted my hand did get a little sore after the third night I found that I made quick work of most boxes.

A shredder large enough to take the cardboard should work fine as well.
varnos
15 years ago
I believe this is answered at length in another thread, but I bought an 11 sheet paper shredder from ebay for around $26 including shipping. It slows with corrugated, but I have shredded many, many boxes that way. I also filled my first bin by simpling tearing up old boxes, and it gets old real quickly. I am quite content with my diamond cut shredder. Our local Wal Mart has 10 sheet shredders for around $49.

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