I am thinking about making a compost heap and using kitchen waste/scraps ect. My question is, would the absorbent pads that come in meat trays and the like, be suitable to throw in to the compost to act as water retainers when dug into the veggie patch.
Hey Genia, those absorbent pads are generally made of a plastic base which would not biodegrade. I'd not put that stuff in if I were you.
Better to put cellulose based products like kitchen paper, egg boxes (broken up of course) even newspaper and cardboard. It all breaks down and is good for water retention.
You also want to avoid any meat based products in your compost as it attracts vermin.