Paper is a good option when you need additional browns. Paper bags and newspaper are the best options. White paper and or junk mail is okay but can contain "stuff" to make them white and the ink isn't always made with soy or water based ink. I typicially just recycle my paper but in times of browns in need I have no problem shreding them and adding them to the mix. I personaly think it's better to be able to add a different mix of browns. So maybe this fall you can pick up some old straw bales and or corn stalks that people or buisnesses used for decorations and add those. I'm hoping this year I can get a good amount of straw bales and I'm acutally going to put them around my compost bin to help keep it warm during the winter and have them for when spring comes around and mix them in with all the greens that happen in the sping.

They are good but not the ideal carbons (browns), especially since it takes whole leaves so long to break down. Straw if you can get several old bales is the greatest stuff so as already mentioned, plant to stockpile several other carbon sources this fall.

And diversity is also very important. As much diversity as possible produces the best compost. Since there are so many different sources of carbon available (cardboard, wood chips, corn stalks, pine needles, sawdust, etc. ), strive for diversity rather than limiting your compost to just a couple of things.

Dave

The only difference between brown (or kraft) paper and white paper is that the white paper pulp has been bleached to make it white, nothing has been added unless you count the binders that are also in the kraft paper to hold the fibers together. Glossy surfaced papers have had a clay put on the surface so the papers fibers are covered.
Keep in mind that there are no nutrients in paper, they are a source of carbons but like peat moss the paper will not contribute any nutrients to the compost.

I like leaves over shredded paper, but there is a lot of variety in leaves.

Maple and sweet gum are the most common in my yard, and they don't require shredding in the same way that oak leaves do. But oak leaves are the most common leaf in the neighborhood, and a favorite of mine. What really makes me happy is some neighbors who puts out bags of shredded oak leaves! They store nicely for long period of time, while the moisture in maple and gum leaves causes clumping and other problems.

This year I ran short of leaves, so when I take my newspapers in to recycling dumpster four blocks away, I remove any shredded paper for my compost piles.

Since the motor in my chipper/shredder blew up, I'll have to use the push mower to reduce the leaves this year.

I stockpile leaves (mine and all the neighbors) in the fall. I still run out of leaves in summer and buy a bale of straw. I recently bought (for $7) my second bale of straw this summer. My leaves break down much faster than the straw. I like the straw, though, because it lightens the pile so much and holds air in there better.

Straw is the only thing I have ever bought for my compost. Seems worth the price considering the quality and quantity of compost it allows me to make.

Karen

I have been saving shredded paper and leaves. I use the leaves whole as I cannot shred them. Are these 2 items good enough for compost browns?

Yup, those are great compost browns. And those are the same two items that make up most of my browns.

I do keep a bale of straw or two next to the pile. But the bales are usually left overs from Halloween and Thanksgiving displays that I have very generously offered to remove for other people.

Those are both browns but can be a little slow sometimes and sometimes mat down a bit and block air flow so fluffing the pile would probably be very helpful. If you have extra, you can pile them up out of the way and use them later when they have pre-decomposed a little bit and they will still be useful. The ground unerneath such piles can also be nice and rich after several months or a year and is often full of worm castings. My composting is cold composting at best so seek advice from others if you want to compost faster.