composting packaging- green wotsits?
sthlndngrower
Posts: 154
in Talkback
Hi,
doing some Christmas shopping online and some items have arrives in a box cushioned in light green foamy things that look a bit like the corn snack wotsits.
I'm not sure what these are made, but just wondered if anyone knows the things I mean and whether or not they can go in the compost?
PS-I will try calling the company it came from on Monday to see if they know, but in the meantime thought it'd be worthwhile throwing the question to you knowledgeable folks here.
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Posts
Think I know what you mean,they can,t go in the compost, but I use them in the bottom of large pots before filling with multi purpose.
When you turn out the pots with the things in the bottom, you will curse them. The same goes for polystyrene. They are a blinking nuisance if they are in the compost heap.
Some of them are made of corn starch and can be composted but the polystyrene ones are no good. Pop one in a glass of water - if made of starch it will quickly melt.
Rats and mice love the starch ones...so I would be careful adding it to a compost pile. As Bob said they should melt in water so do that first before adding to compost.
They will not rot down in a compost heap (I know, because like others have said, if you use them as bottom potting crocks they get everywhere when it comes to unpotting - including the compost heap!)
I have yet to find a use for them.
Lancashire Lass
Put the polystyrene ones in bags and use them it the bottom of pots or even use them to insulate around pots in a netted bag made from garden netting (the fine green ones)
James
Oh, never thought of putting them in some sort of bag - great idea. They ARE useful as crocks if the pot is already heavy, adding more weight to them in the form of broken terracotta often makes them too heavy for me to move.
The insulation idea is good as well. I have to insulate some potted castor oil plants and I use large bubble wrap, but I can see that sticking in some bagged up polystyrene would be useful.
'CluelessGardener' - not so sure about that!
I never thought of them as insulation between pots. That would make some sense and worth a try. I was using them (I rarely have them) as drainage.
Many thanks fro all your suggestions- great idea to use to insulate around pots.
I've done a bit of investigating, they're biodegradable eco loose fill peanuts, either vegetable starch or paper based.
In that case I would compost them. The plants I bought from Woottens earlier in the year were packed with those and I added them to one of my compost bins, watered it and they disappeared very quickly - that compost has since been used and was lovely stuff.