The Consumate Know-It-All

Even in today’s digital age, paper is still widely used. Analysts predict the growing decrease of paper use but, everywhere you go, you still see evidence that it will be a long time before it completely goes away. However, many of these paper are thrown away immediately after its function has been fulfilled, creating a huge amount of waste.

With the worldwide movement to “go green” going on, many are now actively pushing for paper recycling, where waste paper are collected and turned into new paper products. While there’s no exact amount of trees known that makes a ream of paper, a popular statistic says “a ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees.” This number was popularized by a then paper distributor called Conservatree back in the 1970s. Most paper is made of different types of trees, and that also depends on what type of paper is to be made. Bottomline is, recycling used paper will help lower down the number of trees that will be cut down to make new paper.

So how can we recycle paper? Here’s a few suggestions you might want to consider before you throw away all those paper that you’ve accumulated.

Use them for cleaning
With the exception of glossy magazine pages, paper is mostly absorbent, making them ideal for mopping up spills. Instead of reaching for a paper towel, try using a newspaper. Not only does it cover more ground with its size, it takes in liquids just as fast as a paper towel.

You can also use papers to absorb the grease off your used plates. Sometimes, the dishwasher doesn’t get all the grime off, so before you put it in, use a newspaper to wipe off as much oil or grease as you can. Don’t be surprised if your dishes come out cleaner than usual.

Re-use
Office paper can be used several times before its pitched off to the recyclers. One thing our company does is to print on both sides of the paper. What I do is I cut them up and use as notepaper. An A4 sized paper folded crosswise twice, cut then held together with a clamp makes an excellent notepad.

Decorate with paper
A lot of arts and craft projects in school make use of paper. Instead of buying colored paper for collages, use the colorful pages from old magazines. The varying hues, plus the paper’s thickness and glossy finish, give additional “oopmh” to a project.

You can also further your artistic endeavors by doing paper mache. Soak scrap paper in water overnight, then using your hands, tear it into small pieces. You can now use the pulp to create shapes that can be used for jewelry or any kind of decor.

One thing you can also do with used paper is to make more paper! It starts of with a paper pulp much like with paper mache, but with a more smoother texture. You can easily make your own paper using materials commonly found at home. Here’s a quick guide on how to do that.

Materials:
For the frame:

Scrap paper (like newspaper or office paper), torn into small pieces
Blender or food processor
White glue
Electric iron
Big sink or tub filled with 2-4 inches of water
Optional:

1. Make the frame. Ideally, you’d need one frame for each paper, otherwise you’ll be making one paper at a time. Form the wire hanger into a rectangle or square shape. Stretch one leg of the pantyhose over the wire frame and make sure it’s tight and flat.
2. Blend a handful of the torn paper and some water in the food processor/blender. Keep adding water and paper until it becomes a gray pulp. More water means a more smoother mix, but make sure it isn’t runny. You can add some food dye for color.
3. Dissolve glue in the water (about 2 tablespoons) and add the paper pulp. Using your hands, mix it well.
4. Place the frame at the bottom of the mixture and slowly lift it out. Let the water drain for about two minutes. Afterwards, lay it out to dry (ideally under the sun) until the paper is no longer damp. It may take a few hours.
5. Once dry, carefully peel off the paper. Set the iron at its hottest and run it over your paper to let out any remaining water. Congratulations! You’ve just made your own paper.

You can also make designs on your paper by adding pressed flowers or leaves while drying and before ironing. Also, you can create paper strainers using wood and insect screen (yep, the same ones used for windows at house). With the wood as a frame, staple the screen on and there you go.

Alternatively, if you feel that these suggestions aren’t for you, try checking if your community has a curbside recycling program. Ask what you need to do with your paper, prepare them for pick-up and that’s it. They’ll do the recycling for you.

With all these available options, there’s really no excuse to say no to recycling paper. Let’s all do our part!

Sources:
Paper Recycling
Make stuff: How to make your own recycled paper
Conservatree