Recycling paper: do you know all the ways you can do this at home?
Of all the rubbish we produce at home, the one that ends up in the paper bin is perhaps the type that we could almost entirely avoid creating. In fact, paper, among the various materials we put in the garbage, is the type that can be reused most easily at home. Newspapers, some types of flyers (ads) and almost every box that arrives at our homes could be recycled - not only for creative jobs of various kinds (or even to make furniture!), but to take care of various chores in the house and even in the garden.
It is worth considering some responsible methods to avoid creating more trash; below are some that might be useful to you:
When it comes to cladding or covering something as a DIY decoration, we can use all types of paper - including glossy magazines and colored print materials in general. In other cases, however, it is almost always preferable to use "rough" paper with no glossy flims - so, newspapers, some magazines and certain flyers are particularly desirable for these purposes.
- Cleaning glass and mirrors: We all know the well-known DIY tip for making glass surfaces sparkle using alcohol and newspaper. In this case, newspapers are the most suitable material, because they will not leave streaks. With other types of paper printed in color, you may not get satisfactory results.
- Avoiding bad odors: a little paper (the uncoated one) on the bottom of the wet bins, as well as inside smelly shoes, absorbs many offensive scents.
- Compost: paper can even end up in the compost pile. However, we must avoid colored and glossy paper, because it contains toxic chemicals that will eventually contaminate the compost. There is no problem with newspaper paper or even the brown / gray paper used for wrappers.
- Mulch: this another ideal use for newspaper and all paper that does not release toxic substances. Instead of bark, crushed stone or even using plastic sheeting in the vegetable patch, you can create a layer using newspapers (just a couple of sheets) around the plants, and cover it with some soil or foliage. With the moisture, it will eventually dissolve, but without damaging the soil.
- Wrapping: there are a thousand ideas online for making gift wrapping using recycled paper. You can use some ribbons, wool or cotton yarns, dried or even artificial flowers, branches and even spices or other decorations - and here there will be even more beautiful packages than those made with special papers, which are often the most difficult type to recycle (and are harmful to the environment).
- Packaging: for objects that are not too delicate but still need to be protected in boxes, crumpling up a lot of paper to use as shock absorbers, is a better alternative than polystyrene chips or bubble wrap.
- For cardboard, there a thousand ideas to make containers to use as organizers or dividers to be used inside drawers or furniture.
You can really reduce the amount of paper you throw out in the garbage to almost zero? Give it a shot!
