You probably collect your wastepaper at home and put it in a dedicated garbage can or take it to the wastepaper bank. But then what happens to it? How does paper recycling work?
How do you recycle paper?
You will need
- Waste paper or thin cardboard (e.g., an old cereal box)
- 2 plastic bowls
- Measuring jug
- Blender with high bowl
- Rolling pin
- "Sieve": Fly screen, paper scoop frame, or splatter screen (used to cover pans when cooking)
- Tea towels
Let’s get started!
1. Cut the paper up
Find a few sheets of paper or an appropriately sized piece of thin cardboard (e.g., from an old cereal box) and tear it into very small pieces. The smaller the pieces, the better the result. Put the pieces of paper or cardboard in a plastic bowl.
2. Soak and blend
Add 300 ml of water to the paper shreds and soak them for 5 minutes.
Then pour everything into a tall container and blend the mixture until you get a smooth pulp. Now pour everything back into the plastic bowl. Add 1 l of water and mix everything well.
3. Pour through a sieve
Now place your sieve over the second bowl and carefully pour the pulp onto the sieve. If you don’t have a sieve, you can make your own – for example, place a piece of fly screen fabric over a plastic bowl and fasten with clothespins.
4. Transfer pulp to cloth
When the water is completely drained, place the sieve with the pulp on a tea towel. Cover it with a second towel.
Flip the towels and the sieve over to transfer the paper pulp to the dry towel. Roll the rolling pin over the towel.
Then you can remove the top towel and the sieve.
5. Let pulp dry
Place the towel with the pulp on a flat surface and let both dry overnight. When everything has dried, you can carefully remove the paper layer from the cloth.
