Recycling Ideas for Newspaper

Pets

• If you have small pets, newspapers are a godsend. They make an absorbent lining for bird, hamster, gerbil and other small rodent cages. Torn into strips, they form soft bedding, although the ink may stain your pet’s fur. Newspapers also make one of the most practical linings for the litter trays of house rabbits. Rabbits can’t kick entire newspapers everywhere, they effectively absorb urine and they are not dangerous. Newspapers soiled by birds, rodents or herbivores, such as rabbits, are safe for home composting. Do not compost carnivore waste, including that from ferrets, unless you have specialized facilities.

Packing Material

• Packing materials are usually wasteful. They are manufactured, used once and thrown away. Some materials, such as polystyrene pellets, consume finite natural resources and do not biodegrade. Newspapers torn into strips form an effective cushioning material for your parcels. The recipient can reuse the strips, compost them or place into normal paper recycling. If you run a small mail-order business that sends out a lot of parcels, using a free packing material could reduce costs considerably. It also adds to the “green” credentials of your business.

For Cleaning

• Newspapers come in handy for cleaning windows, leaving a streak-free finish. Spray the windows and wipe down with a cleaning cloth, scrubbing if necessary to remove grime. Dry and polish the windows with sheets of scrunched up newspaper. This technique also works on other glass or glass-fronted items, including mirrors and coffee tables. You can compost the sheets later if the spray was a gentle organic one. Bear in mind that most liquids used in organic sprays, such as lemon juice and vinegar, are acidic. Don’t compost too many of the papers at once.

In the Garden

• Newspapers, either torn up or in entire sheets, form a basic mulch to keep weeds under control. They also make biodegradable seed starter pots. Roll pieces of newspaper around a tube of the desired size to form a cylinder. Fold the ends in at the bottom to create a pot. Once the seedlings are ready to go into the ground, plant them together with the pot. The newspaper will gradually disintegrate, letting the plant establish itself without disturbance.