Beyond Recycling starts off with a big unit all about waste. From a 6th grade perspective, this means we talk often about the “three Rs”, and about their ORDER: reduce, reuse, then recycle. Order matters. If you can start by reducing the amount of stuff you have, then you won’t have as much to manage nor will you have as much stuff to think of ways to reuse. Only after you have reduced and reused all you can, should you move onto recycling as a waste solution.
In a school setting, scrap paper is one of the most plentiful items needing to find a waste solution. It adds up quickly and truthfully, there isn’t a lot of ways to reuse tiny pieces or paper that’s already been used on both sides. In comes papermaking!
In-House Paper Recycling isn’t as hard as you might think. First, we rip scrap paper into small pieces and put in the blender with water. Once it reaches a smoothie-like consistency, the mixture is filtered and roughly shaped into whatever it’s end purpose will be – greeting cards, bookmarks, or tree ornaments are popular choices. After shaping into circles, rectangles or squares, the paper smoothie is rolled out to flatten and squeeze out more water before being left to airdry for a few days. Once dry, students can finish off their creative recycled products.
