What Kind of Paper to Use for Vermicomposting

Answer by JZ: Great to hear about your composting efforts.  You ask an important environmental question. Other master composter colleagues may also send you their responses. Here are my personal comments. This is complicated discussion as there are unknowns to be considered. All paper products are made from wood pulp which is brown in color, so paper products which are bright white have been bleached. What chemicals which were used in the bleaching is often unknown to the consumer. So there may be residual dioxins (possible carcinogens) in some products - tissue, paper towels, menstrual products and more. At this moment I have no info. as to how red wigglers may process environmental carcinogens or other novel chemicals. More research necessary. My personal suggestion for bleached paper products would be to add them sparingly, but mostly add to recycle bin. Junk mail, may contain colored inks, dyes and bleached paper; put in recycle bin, not worm bin. Printer paper with unknown inks (more research); put in recycle bin. Newspaper, in USA is printed with vegetable dyes, small amounts of black on white print could be added to worm bin. Glossy, wax coated magazine paper, with inks, dyes; put in recycle bin. Brown paper products: bags, egg carton, filters, towels, wrapping paper etc., in my opinion are OK to add to worm setup. Cardboard (boxes) products, tho not labeled as such may have PFAS - (possible carcinogens, forever chemicals, which do not biodegrade in the environment) chemical coatings to make them water proof.  Sometimes they create a shiny coating on the cardboard product. My only suggestions is, if in doubt then leave them out or add sparingly to a compost setup, recycle the rest. Does this help ?