How to Recycle Crayons

Crayon Recycling; Make Crayons From Broken Kids Crayons

If you've got a box or drawer full of broken crayons then keep reading. Crayon recycling is so easy that a major crayon manufacturer has created a small appliance that child can operate to make crayons from broken crayon bits and pieces. You don't need a special appliance, though. All you need are broken kids crayons and a mini muffin pan or cookie sheet. Learn about crayon recycling at home and how to make homemade crayons today.

Things You'll Need

• kids crayons
• cookie sheet or
• mini muffin pan
• Cooling Rack

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. It is necessary to use a low temperature because you don't want the wax in the crayons to reach a "flash point" where it ignites and burns away, like a candle. Also, you want to avoid high temperatures because they can change to colors of the wax, especially in low quality crayons.

2. Remove all of the wrappers from your crayons. The paper from the wrappers can be discarded or recycled. You will not need the wrappers when you're finished because your crayons will not be the same shape or size and probably not the same color. Many children like to remove the wrappers anyway, and involving them in the process of crayon recycling can make this a fun family activity.

3. Fill each mini muffin section with broken bits and pieces of kids crayons. You can chose to use one color in each tin or shades of a color. Keep in mind that when you make crayons, the colors will meld together in the oven and that you might end up with a marbleized composition when you mix more than one color in a tin.

4. Try filling the bottom of a cookie sheet with kids crayons if you don't have a muffin pan. Crayon recycling in a cookie sheet is a similar process. Lay all of the crayons on the cookie sheet and put it into the oven to melt.

5. Allow the crayons to melt together in the oven. Begin checking them at ten minutes, they might need up to half an hour depending on what brand they are. Some crayon manufacturers use a higher percentage of beeswax, which melts quickly while others use a higher percentage of petroleum-based waxes, which take a lot longer to melt.

6. Remove the crayon recycling pan from the oven carefully and allow to cool on an oven rack. If you have used a cookie sheet, you might want to create crayon blocks by separating the wax using the side of a spatula or pastry cutter. Otherwise, you can simply break the sheet of cooled crayons into pieces, like peanut brittle for irregularly shaped kids crayons.

7. Place the muffin tin or cookie sheet in the freezer if you're having a hard time removing the wax. Frozen wax shrinks up and pops out of the tin very easily.

Tips & Warnings

• You can make crayons that have more solid colors by shredding the crayons in a food processor before melting.

• Never allow children to handle the hot wax. Crayon recycling appliances that are made for children have safety features that your oven and muffin tin do not have.