Kids Zone - PNEB - Newspaper and Magazine Recycling

Make Your Own Recycled Paper

Here is a quick and easy recipe for making new paper out of old newspaper. Try this at home or with your class at school.

Tear up a sheet of newspaper into small pieces and soak in about 1/2 a litre of water.
Add 50 millilitres of starch 'solution' - ask an adult to help you make this solution by mixing 20ml (1Tbs) of starch powder with 40ml (2Tbs) of water in a kitchen blender.
Add a few drops of scented oil and 3 drops of food colouring, to give the paper a nice colour and scent.
Pour the mixture evenly over a fine wire screen (about A4 size), resting on sheets of newspaper to absorb excess moisture. Use a rolling pin to remove excess water.
Peel the wet paper from the screen and allow it to dry overnight.
Once dry, cut the paper to the size you require. It is easier to make large pieces of paper and cut them to size than trying to make lots of small pieces of paper.

Here are some ideas for using your ‘new’ paper:

Make birthday cards or Christmas cards
Use as wrapping paper or writing paper
Try making decorative imprints in your paper. After the paper is rolled out, place leaves or petals on the paper and use a rolling pin to gently push them into the pulp a little. When the paper is dry, peel them off to reveal interesting patterns.
Try matching scented oils and colours with the type of plants you imprint.
Do a science experiment by making more batches of paper and varying the recipe and rolling method in each one. See if you can test the different batches of paper for qualities of durability, smoothness, attractiveness and strength.