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Okay, so we know how important it is to recycle all that cardboard, junkmail and newspapers that come into the house. But did you know that it could actually be fun as well? Let’s do an experiment and recycle our own paper!

Most of the materials in this project are lying around your house or classroom - and you’d be doing the world a favor be helping to re-cycle these materials. Indeed, it will be taking such simple procedures and automating them on a grand scale that might offer the key to cost-efficient re-cycling in the future.

• Newspaper
• A blender
• A coat hanger
• An old nylon stocking
• Mixing bowl
• Paper Towels
• Cutting Board
• An Iron
• Help from an adult

1. First, collect several sheets of old newspaper. Now, take the newspaper and tear it into small pieces. Now, put the pieces of paper in a blender.
2. Add hot water and let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes.
3. Then turn on the blender and blend the paper mixture up very well.
4. Take the coat hanger, and bend it to form a somewhat round loop. Now, cover the hanger loop with an old nylon stocking. This will serve as a screen, or filter.
5. Next, put the ’screen’ over the mixing bowl and pour the liquid mixture onto the screen. Allow the mixture to drain slowly through the filter until the liquid transfers entirely into the bowl.
6. Now place the ’screen’ between two sheets of paper towels. Take this paper towel sandwich and place it on the cutting board.
7. Here is where you’ll need the help from an adult. You are going to iron the paper towels with the screen inside.
8. Now, remove the paper towels and peel the paper off of the screen.
9. Check it out– you have just recycled paper!
10. You can experiment with different types of paper using the same technique as above.

What Happened:

Paper comes from trees, which are ground up and reduced to a pulpy liquid (sort of like what you found in the blender after you blended.) The way the paper comes out depends on the process of straining and drying. You will notice that some paper has been bleached white, while other paper is dyed a certain color, or left brown like the tree from which it came.

When we recycle paper, we are allowing paper to be made without having to cut down more trees. Re-using paper for scrap instead of buying fresh paper also reduces the destruction of our forests.