I came across an article in the October issue of Agricultural Research,
the magazine of the USDA Ag. Research Service which I thought might be of
interest. The title is "Trash to Treasure: Recycling Waste Paper", by
Don Comis, ARS.
Basically it discusses experiments with paper pellets mixed into soil to
reduce erosion or loosen compacted soil. They do discuss lead present in
the paper from the inks used in printing as being a problem, although one
researcher has observed that shredded newspapers seem to inhibit fungal
diseases, as well as some weeds.
Agricultural Research is available for $28.00 per year from:
New Orders, Superintendent of Documents
P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954
202-783-3238/ Fax: 202-512-2233
Lara Wiggert