Using newspapers for mulch/weed control ?

g'day al,

i use newspaper on the ground when i make a new raised bed but i use more than a couple of pages as i want to ensure that the grass underneath dies out, i use between 20 and 40 pages thick at least, i also wet it down as i lay it this is to hold it in the wind and to give it a kick start with moisture saturation. where i live it all rots away fairly quickly and the worms will eat through it any way, they seem show a particular preference for anything with colour in it.

len

snipped

I've read that colored inks can have trace amounts of heavy metals in them and should not be used in compost....

I'm just being a parrot here, I have no confirmation if the above is true...

You should only use the newsprint part of the paper anyway, not anything printed in color like advertisements, flyers, etc.

g'day scott,

i contacted an ink manufacturer over here and they told me that any inks made here use vegetable colours as they can get as bright a red or yellow etc.,. that they want that way. also i was told that even if you had a full page of solid colour the weight of the ink is less than

len

snipped