Easy Steps to Making Recycled Paper

When you think about the amount of paper products alone you throw away each day, it can make you sick that there isn't a way to reuse it somehow. It is recommended to recycle all the items you can, but if you would like to try making recycled paper yourself for craft use or just as an activity for kids, follow these easy steps.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cards
• Toilet paper
• Kleenex
• Paper towels
• Scrap computer paper
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Items needed to make recycled paper:
• Mesh window screen
• Scrap wood or lathes and finishing nails/staples to construct a frame around the screen
• Sponge
• Blender
• Small bathtub or Rubbermaid container
• Square piece of fabric the size of the wood frame

1. Choose the paper to be recycled. When picking the old paper you want to use to make the new recycled paper, think of how that piece of paper feels and looks because this is how the new recycled paper feel and color will be once finished. For example, if you use old cards and boxes, you will have a thick, darker gray recycled paper when finished. If you use just old computer paper and a magazine, you will create a thinner, more red in color recycled paper. Once you pick the old paper to be recycled, shred it into small pieces and fill your blender up halfway and fill the rest with luke warm water. Run the blender for a little less than a minute or until it has a smooth pulp consistency.

2. Make the paper mold. You will need to decide what size you want the recycled pieces of paper to be, and then cut the window screen to a little bit bigger than that size and then use wood scraps or an old frame to fashion a frame. You can either nail or staple the mesh screen tightly over the frame until it is secure.

3. Fill the small tub or container, which should be just a bit bigger that the screen fame, half full of water. Then add two to four blenders full of pulp to the water. The more pulp you add to the container of water will result in thicker paper; the less pulp you add to the container of water, the thinner the paper. You can adjust with more pulp or more water as you go according to your recycled paper thickness preference.

4. Start making recycled paper. Submerge the mesh screen frame (frame side down) into the mixed container of pulp and water. Slowly raise the frame toward the top of the mix letting the pulp/water mix slowly drain through the screen. Once it has stopped draining for the most part, set the frame outside of the container and place a square piece of fabric (cotton, flannel, or felt will do) over the pulp on the screen frame. Slowly sponge any more excess water out and make sure to ring the sponge out frequently and try to get as much liquid out of the pulp through dabbing the fabric square as well as you can.

5. Once you have sponged all the water, you can take off the piece of fabric covering the pulp on the screen frame, place your hand on the fabric and slowly turn the screen over and gently peel off the fabric and pulp together in one piece. Place the pieces of fabric and pulp mixture on a towel or newspaper and allow them to dry until they have no moisture to the touch (which can take half of a day). Once the recycled paper is dry, peel the fabric off and use the beautiful recycled paper for everyday use or for a craft.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure the pulp and water mix is to your preferred consistency. Remember that you can adjust it at any time while making the recycled paper by adding more water or more pulp. Make sure to get all the water drained out and sponged off before peeling the recycled paper and fabric off the screen. The pulp can tear very easily in this state if not sponged dry as well as possible.