Have You Ever Recyled Paper?
Not many people has ever recycled any paper. After all, paper is the number 100 pounds of rubbish we throw, 35 pounds are papers. Papers consist of 14% of the landfill spaces, not including those used for packaging, of which consist an additional 15%.
Despite popular believes, most trees are not cut down to make papers. Forests in Indonesia and South America, for example, has nothing with paper making.
To be really frank, I'm not recycling paper to be environmental. I like what you can make out of recycled paper, which otherwise would cost a lot of money to buy. Like the papers you can see at the "Pictures of Recycled Paper" module.
When I say "recycled paper" it is not those brownish rough ones. I'm talking those colorful fancy ones! If you want to learn how to make those, then join me!
Before You Start Recycling Paper At Home
The Ingredients Needed
- Any paper you can find. And I mean ANY paper you can find. Tissue, printing paper, colored paper, egg carton, whatever.
- Two picture frames. If you want to buy a new one just for this project like me, then go on. If not, use an old picture frame. The size of the photo the frame display will be your paper size.
- An old window screen. Again if you want to buy a new one, go ahead.
- Plain gelatin
- Blender
- Heavy duct tape.
- Glitter, spices, food coloring, anything you think can be integrated into a paper.
- Paper towels
Make Mold and Deckle
Remove everything from your picture frame and stretch window screen over it. Secure the screen with the duct tape.
Prepare Stock
After mixing the paper for the appropriate amount of time, it's time to blend the mixture. Add a handful of soaked paper into it and add warm water.
Blend the mixture until it looks like porridge. This will create the pulp for you.
Repeat if you need more pulp to make more paper.
This is when you can add whatever you want to add, like coloring, spices, whatever.
Fill your kitchen sink with water and put in your pulp. There should be 90% water and 10% pulp. Dissolve the gelatin into the water and slowly stir it.
Blend the mixture until it looks like porridge. This will create the pulp for you.
Repeat if you need more pulp to make more paper.
This is when you can add whatever you want to add, like coloring, spices, whatever.
Fill your kitchen sink with water and put in your pulp. There should be 90% water and 10% pulp. Dissolve the gelatin into the water and slowly stir it.
Make Pulp
Tear your paper into stamp-size pieces. Soak those pieces in hot water for 30 mins. You can leave it over night for extra-fine results but make sure you put white and colored paper in separate buckets.
So how much paper and how much water? The answer is 5 parts water to 1 part paper. For matt finish, use 4 part water to 1 part paper.
So how much paper and how much water? The answer is 5 parts water to 1 part paper. For matt finish, use 4 part water to 1 part paper.
Form Paper
When your basin mixture, called slurry, is ready, take the frame with window screen and hold it above the slurry with the screen side up. Then take you other frame (the one without window screen) and place it on top of the frame with window screen.Lower them into the slurry at 45 degrees and slowly change to horizontally. Stir the slurry a little more and while it's turning, lift the frames out.
Make sure there are no holes, if there is, retry again. If your paper layer is too thin, add more pulp.
When the water has stopped draining, remove the fram without the window screen and turn over the other to your paper towel.
You can then add glitter or anything else to make it look good.
Place another paper towel on the other side of the paper and carefully roll to remove more water.
Leave your paper to dry and you got yourself a recycled paper!
You can improve it by ironing after it dried.
Color Your Paper
Ateco Food Coloring Kit, 6 colors
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 11/28/2009) 
List Price: $13.00
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Great References To Recycling Paper At Home
- Pioneer Thinking
- Making Handmade Paper in 10 easy steps.
- Teach Net
- Learn how you can create 3 different kinds of paper.
- Thrifty Fun
- How to make homemade recycled paper you can plant.
- Mother Earth News
- A comprehensive guide to recycling paper at home
Recycled Comments?
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- jppi_Stu jppi_Stu Oct 16, 2008 @ 12:21 am
- Very interesting, I will have to try this soon!
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- lisadh lisadh Sep 23, 2008 @ 4:49 pm
- Will have to try this. My son would love it. 5*
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- alteredkat alteredkat Sep 16, 2008 @ 6:24 am
- I think I'll be doing this with the kids! Looks like fun! :D
5 gold stars
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- a_willow a_willow Sep 16, 2008 @ 1:56 am
- Yea! This lens has been added and featured at Reuse it all!
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- a_willow a_willow Sep 16, 2008 @ 12:51 am
- Elee? Come and join Reuse it all! group! :)
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by Elee
Hi I'm Elee. I was born Hong Kong and now reside in Sydney Australia. I have an interest in art and craft. One of crafts I like is to make recycled pa... (more)
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