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Making Recycled Paper

Yesterday's Newspaper is New Again!

Could you imagine living in a world without paper? We depend on paper as a major form of communication whether it is typed on, written on, or drawn on. Since the dawn of mankind, humans have looked for ways of communication. The Egyptians invented papyrus in 4,000 B.C. that was formed from reeds woven tightly together and pressed into a thin sheet. Papyrus was the first step towards the modern paper we have today.

Although paper is such an essential to our modern day world, the process of making paper is costly on our precious environment. Modern day paper is formed from cellulose (plant fibers). Cellulose is processed by mixing wood pulp with an acid. The major problem is that the wood pulp is obtained by grinding up trees. In addition to the destruction of trees, making paper also uses up a great amount of water (in the formation of paper) and electricity (when cutting down and grinding trees).

But there is good news! Paper can be recycled, which means that it can be used again. You can use old, scribbled-on paper to make brand new sheets of paper! This saves trees and uses less water and electricity. Look for recycling organizations in your area, and you will find that many of them will recycle paper in addition to glass, aluminum, and plastic. It's a great place to take your old newspapers to! But in the meantime, here is a method you can use to make your very own recycled paper!

Materials:

An iron
2 Tablespoons of white glue
2 Newspapers torn into 2-inch squares
Sink filled with 4 inches of water
2-3 Cups of water
Wire coat hanger
Pantyhose
Tape

Unwind the coat hanger and form it into an even square. Tape the sharp ends.
Slowly, stretch one of the legs of the pantyhose over it. You want the pantyhose to be flat and tight. Tie two knots on each side. This creation will be your "frame" and can be used to make 1 sheet of paper. You will need another frame to make another sheet.
Put a handful of the newspaper squares into the sink wit 4 inches of water. Use your hands to mix the paper pieces and the water. This might take a little bit of work. Try to make a newspaper and water mush! The water will turn gray because of the ink that is used to print the newspaper.
Now add 2 tablespoons of glue in your sink mixture! Stir it up with your hands.
Put your frame in the bottom of the sink and VERY slowly lift it up. Allow the water to drain from it for a minute.
Now place your frame in the sun or somewhere safe where it can dry. It must become COMPLETELY dry. When it has reached that point, you can slowly peel off your paper.
Have an adult steam out your paper with the iron (set on its hottest setting). Voila! You have recycled paper. You can continue to make more paper as long as there is still substance left in your sink.

Hints and Tricks:

Remember that pulling the frame up and peeling the paper off the frame must be done slowly. This is important, or you could risk tearing the paper.
Be sure to have an adult use an iron. Irons can become very hot, and a burn can be painful!
You can try using food coloring or leaves in your paper mush to create some very interesting paper! Try it out!