Recycle Paper at Home

Building Useful Things with Old Paper

Did you know that paper can be recycled into new goods right in your own home? U
seful items such as boxes, trays, decorative dolls, wastebaskets, decorative bow
ls and even small tables (yes, functional small tables) can be made from old new
spaper, for example.
Paper can be reused in many ways. Rolls of paper are sometimes used to make stur
dy legs on small stools. And layered paper has been pressed into service (litera
lly) for centuries as table tops and many other furniture products.
In your home recycling projects, paper may be used as pulp or as layers (as in p
aper mache) to make items that are both functional and pleasing to the eye. Both
of these construction methods require water and the addition of a binding agent
(usually a simple starch, such as ordinary white flour). The pulp would be pres
sed into a mold or shaped by hand to create the desired form. The layered paper
would be built up, a layer at a time, creating a hollow shell on mold (such as a
plastic bowl or box).
Building useful things from old or previously used things is not really new. Fro
m ancient times new houses and even cities have been built, in part, from the ru
bbles of the old. (Maybe we learned this technique from watching the birds in sp
ring return to build nests?)
Beams from old barns can make a wonderful and functional addition to a home in n
eed of structural support. It adds to the decoration as well as the strength of
the house. Old wood from many kinds of sources, especially when weathered, is of
ten used for construction. Some of the most beautiful furniture is made of old w
ood. In addition, the refurbishing of old chairs and other furniture is popular
for a number of reasons.
And everyone knows that old glass is often used in the making of new glass and g
lass products, old metal cans and other used metal is melted down to make new me
tal goods. Many plastics can be reused again. And of course paper is often recyc
led.
I have experimented with several types of construction using old paper. Sometime
s I use other construction elements in addition to paper, such as sticks of bamb
oo or wood, to help reinforce the overall structure. I built a small table this
way, and also a freestanding sculpture. But items, such as a wastepaper basket m
ade from old newspapers, did not require additional support. You can see all thr
ee of these items online, at the link provided below.
Paper is also being used as an experimental construction agent in homebuilding.
When used properly, and when protected from rain, snow and ground moisture, â papercr
ete,â as it is often called, has proven to be an effective building material. Most o
f the strength, of course, comes from the addition of cement and other agents, s
uch as sand. But paper often makes up more than 50% of the papercrete blocks or
bricks, as well as the mortar. In fact, an acceptable ratio of paper to Portland
cement and sand (or pumice, if readily available) runs about 60% to 20% each of
the cement and sand.
Paper used in this fashion can be used as supporting walls, in much the same way
as regular cement or adobe blocks would be used. With a fire-safe ratio (such a
s the 60-20-20 mentioned) papercrete (or fibrous concrete) is considered to be m
uch more environmentally friendly, as well as an excellent insulating material f
or the home.