How can I reuse or recycle … shredded paper?
We’ve had an email from Jasmin:
I shred bank statements, receipts etc but our local authority doesn’t accept shredded paper in the recycling bin. I don’t have a garden so composting isn’t easy either, does anyone have any other suggestions?
I’ve seen shredded paper used as packaging to protect breakable items in the post so that’s one idea - but as Jasmin says, any other suggestions?
(Photo by winjohn)
I think we shuld recycle as we are going to die soon so please everybody recycle so we can all live hapiily ever after
I have a paper log “machine” and use my shredded paper to make paper brick to burn. Ultimate security !
Does your shredded paper log machine work with all shredded paper? I shred anything with our name & address but we don’t take newspapers. We use a single cut shredder. How long do logs take to dry out? How long do they burn? Fantastic solution if workable. Can you advise please? Thank you
if u pulp the paper in a blender and the strain on sum wire mesh u can make your own paper!
you can use it for kitty litter.
Hi, you could always bag it up and put it onto a Free vskip. someone might want it for their rabbits and hamsters, it makes good bedding for the. Friends of mine use it for bedding then for compost when the rabbit has finished with it.
Vskips is is part of a fantastic site that recylces what you don’t want. Plus is helping to educate the UK on ways to recycle.
Hope it helps.
Mel
Mix the shreds with soil in the lower part of a pot to grow your outdoor plants. Better yet, as you turn soil of a planting bed toss the paper in and mix with soil. That will get rid of a whole lot of paper.
I guess, as a long shot, you could always name it something creative and try to sell it on eBay? Who knows…
Compost or vermicompost it. Should decompose nicely since it’s already shredded.
BTW, Jasmin doesn’t need a garden to compost. You can it in a large trash bin if you do it right. Plenty of good literature on this on the web. Vericomposting also doesn’t require a garden. I know a guy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic that lives in a rooftop apartment with no garden whatsoever but successfully vermicomposts, loves it and says it’s easy.
make paper chains….spray gold….silver….glue glitter etc
dont use aerosol spray though…..waterbase
No way to reproduce or recycle shredding paper. The suggest is not to waste any more of paper beforehand. Start thinking to use the nonpaper materials instead.
Amen Darla
I always save shredded paper because I use it in my art projects, which tend to be paper mache. The extra I give to my father’s coworker who happens to be building a paper cement house.
I’d imagine you could do alot with it if you figured out how to make paper cement.
you can also add it to a compost pile if you have one, used to pack or store fragile items, or even as bedding for certain animals you might have.
I’ve heard about using shredded paper in pillows, but I’m uncertain as to how comfortable those might be. They could just be decorative pillows, i suppose.
Just be careful using it with animals that might nibble on the paper. The lubrication used for the blades and rotors is toxic, if I understand correctly.
Please be careful — lots of bills (particularly those from small companies) are printed using “cabonated paper” which is coated with horible chemicals. Not suitable for use with animals, won’t make new paper and is probably not good for composting. Make logs — before you shred — and either burn on your own log burner or, if that’s not practical, then sell them for a small sum.
You can give it to someone with a home business to use for shipping. My friend also uses it to protect Christmas ornaments.
Go to a store that sells shredders and ask about a recycling program in your area; that’s how I found out I can put it in a clear bag in the recyclimg bin.
it very good as dog beds i use it all the time
One year i planted a garden, dug my trenches for potatoes deeper than usual, and lined the bottom with shredded paper. I put an inch or so of dirt on top of the paper and then planted the potatoes seeds and covered with dirt. It was much easier that year digging the potatoes with the layer of shredded paper beneath the potatoes.
Alot of animal shelters use shredded paper in the animal cages for litter/bedding purposes. There are local businesses that sometimes donate their shredded paper on a weekly basis to the animal shelters, so you could call some near you and inquire.
I use around 6 bin bags of it under my horse every week, only requirment I have is that it is free from staples. It’s brilliant stuff as it’s cheap, not very dusty, keeps my grey horse cleaner than straw or shavings, it decys quickly on the muck heap and it can be recycled further as we spread the muck on the fields, full circle so to speak!
Lot’s of competition yards use it too, maybe find a local yard and offer it to them?
Hello Susan,
Until recently we took our shredded paper to a company who used it as packaging,but we have been told that the company is closing down and no longer needs it.
So we are now at a loss as to what to do with it.
We live in Frome and if you live not too far away from here we would be glad to bring it to you for your horse.
Also,I am very particular about removing staples,as I have been on the
receiving end of them in my fingers when I was working and it is very painful.
Regards
Patricia
Using less paper is a great idea…..someone should tell credit cards, big business and the post office that…all my shreddings are crap i get in the mail.
suggestion….if you don’t have a brick machine, stuff it into empty toilet paper/ paper towel rolls and make your own fire logs.
Try quilling!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quilling
I would use one piece to roll up very small to be the log book in a nano geocache that I am responsible for.