Recycling Paper With Sustainable Living

As you lug yet another pile of paper to your local recycling center, you may be wondering exactly how spending all of that gas money to get it there works with your green living goals. Here’s a hint: You may want to save yourself, and the economy, from the dangerous fuel omissions and try recycling paper at home with a few of these sustainable living ideas:

Turn that junk mail into beautiful handmade paper for crafts. Kids love tearing up all that mail into little pieces. Once they are done, put the pieces in the blender along with an equal amount of water and blend the mixture to a pulp. Then, pour the mixture onto an old window screen. When the excess water is done draining off, place a cloth or a cloth-like paper towel on top of it. Flip the screen carefully and ease the cloth and paper pulp onto a thick layer of newspaper. Place the screen aside and put another layer of cloth on top of the paper pulp. Weight it down and let it dry thoroughly. The result is a lovely piece of colorful handmade paper.

Newspaper makes a handy weed barrier and breaks down into the dirt, helping it become crumbly, rich garden soil. Spread a one inch thick layer of paper and wet it to help it stay in place. A thin layer of traditional mulch on top of the newspaper gives it a more attractive appearance and helps to lock in moisture.