Paper is made from pulp. Pulp is made from ground up trees and paste. Did you know that in the United States we use nearly 3 million trees worth of paper daily. That's a forest worth each day!
Lucky for us, we don't have to cut down a forest every day because paper can be completely recycled! Used paper can be ground up and made into new paper. That's why it is so important to recycle paper. When you or your family buy new products, look for items that are made from recycled paper.
Now you can learn how to recycle paper and create your own beautiful recycled paper! It's fun and a great way to save a tree!
What you will need:
Trash Treasures:
- recycled paper (like newspaper or white paper)
- old screen (or new, see below)
- plant materials (petals, leaves) (optional)
- dryer lint (optional)
- tissue paper scraps (optional)
- old towel to dry paper on
- dish pan or similar sized water proof container
- screen (fine screen used for windows, from your local hardware store)
- spoon
- sponge
- electric blender or mixer
- an adult with heavy scissors to help you prepare your screen
- masking tape
- food coloring
- Tear recycled paper into small pieces and soak it over night in a bucket or large pot filled with water.
- The next day, ask your parent's or guardian's permission to use a blender. Put about 1/2 cup of soaked paper into the blender. Fill the rest of the blender with cool water. Blend on a low speed for about 5 seconds, then turn to high for another 10-15 seconds. The pulp should look creamy and there shouldn't be any large bits of paper in it. Pour the pulp into a bucket and repeat the step until all your soaked paper pieces are blended.
- Add leaves, grass, flowers, tissue paper bits, or dryer lint to your pulp. You can also mix in a couple drops of food coloring to give the pulp a little color. Hand stir or blend ingredients for just a mement and your paper pulp is done!
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Have an adult help you by cutting the screen so it fits inside the dish pan, with some extra room for your hands. After the adult cuts the screen, ask them to fold masking tape over the edges. Remind them to be careful! The edges of the screen are very sharp. Wrapping all four edges creates a soft frame and will make it easier to peel the paper off later.
- Fill your dish pan with 3" of water. Place the frame in the bottom of the dish pan.
- Place an old towel next to the dish pan. You will use this to rest the wet screen on later.
- Pour the pulp from the blender into the dish pan.
- Move the screen around in the bottom of the pan. Use back-and-forth movements you'd
imagine you would use if you were panning for gold.
- The pulp should be mixing evenly in the water. Lift the screen up very slowly. Try to keep it level. Place the screen down on the towel. The pulp should cover the screen evenly. If it does not put it back in the bottom of the pan and try again. You may also need to add more pulp.
- Let the paper sit over night to dry.
- Once the paper is completely dry, gently peel it off of the screen. You may need an adult to help you with this step. If your paper covers the edges, it may be easier to peel of the masking tape and the paper will follow. Gently tear the masking tape away after. Don't worry if the edges tear a little. It makes the paper even more interesting.
Tip #1: You can refrigerate the extra pulp and use it later.
Tip #2: To dispose of left over pulp, drain the water from the pulp mixture and recycle what's left.