Lots of garden books are telling me to use newspaper as mulch in the garden but I am concerned that the inks used in the Herald these days may not be environmentally friendly, especially the colour pages. Are they safe to use? Raewyn Robinson, Titirangi.
The magazine Organic NZ, published by the Soil and Health Association of New Zealand, states that newspapers are fine to use as mulch, as modern inks are soy-based, relatively harmless and break down in a matter of days. However, it might be prudent to separate out the glossy pages, as the ink used in them may still contain heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and chromium.
Xanthe White, gardening columnist at the Listener and well-known landscape designer, suggests you shred the newsprint (and raisin boxes, kitchen paper and the like) to help it break down. Nature's ability to clean up our waste is quite efficient if we approach it in the right way, she says.
I've twice this week encountered situations where other vehicles and I have politely given way to each other, all three of us evidently a little uncertain (and annoying following drivers).
The common feature of these two intersections is that turning from Normanby Rd to Clive Rd and from Tamaki Drive to Ngapipi Rd, there are white lines and traffic islands and left- and right-turning vehicles merge from a dedicated lane to a single lane.
