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Saving
Paper is Saving trees!! It takes 17 full grown trees to make one
tonne of paper.
If each
child saves 1 sheet of paper a day, then
40,000 trees are saved per year by Delhi students alone. So how
about saving paper, reusing used paper, recycling and in turn
saving trees, energy, water, chemicals utilised in paper making
and also reducing garbage.
PAPER
RECYCLING
The best
way to learn how recycled paper is made, is to make it yourself.
So why not give it a try. |
Students recycling paper on
TARA paper recycling plant
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What will
you need for paper recycling ?
- Waste paper or old
newspapers
- A blender / mixer
- Five cups of water
- A big square pan (or a
large dissection tray ) that’s atleast 3 inches deep.
- A piece of window screen
(mesh / sieve / jali ) that fits inside the pan.
- A flat piece of wood the
size of a newspaper’s front page.
- A measuring cup
- Fenugreek ( methi ) seeds
soaked for a few hours.
How to
make recycled paper ?
- Tear the newspaper /
waste paper into small pieces. Soak them for 10 - 12 hours
in water.
- Put the soaked paper
into the blender / mixer. Also put the soaked methi seeds in
it.
- Close the blender with
its lid.
- Switch on the blender
/ mixer for a few seconds till the paper is turned into
pulp.
- In the pan pour about
one inch of plain water.
- Pour the blended paper
pulp into a measuring cup.
- Put the screen into
the pan.
- Pour one cup of
blended paper pulp over the screen.
- Spread the pulp evenly
in the water with your fingers.
- Lift the screen and
let the water drain.
- Open a newspaper
section to the middle.
- Place the screen with
the pulp on one side of the newspaper.
- Close the newspaper.
- Carefully flip over
the newspaper section so that the screen is on top of the
pulp. This step is very important.
- Place the wooden board
on top of the newspaper and press to squeeze out excess
water.
- Open the newspaper and
take out the screen.
- Leave the newspaper
open on a flat surface for atleast 24 hours.
- The next day check to
see if the paper is dry.
- If the paper is dry,
carefully peel it off the newspaper.
- With scissors or paper
cutter , trim the edges.
How to
make the paper colourful?
To obtain
coloured paper, you can add natural colouring agents, like
turmeric powder (haldi) , flowers of Semul, Flame of the Forest,
Harshingar, etc. in step 3.
Dried
leaves and petals of flowers (like marigold petals) can also be
stuck on the wet surface of the paper in step 17.
Thus
garbage problem can be reduced by recycling one’s paper
.......... and buying recycled paper !
PAPER MACHIE
What will you need
for paper machie ?
Waste Paper (1kg), Glue, Methi seeds (fenugreek),2
tablespoons oil, sieve, paints, dried flowers, moulds of
articles,
How to
make Paper Machie ?
- Tear the waste paper
into small pieces. Soak it in a bowl of water so that it is
completely soaked.
- Put the soaked paper
into the blender / mixer and blend into a homogeneous pulp.
Also put the soaked methi seeds in it. This can also be
mashed with hands or a grinding stone.
- Remove the excess
water from the pulp an add a few drops of gum to the pulp
and mix.
- This is ready to take
any desired sahpe. Spread the pulp evenly on any oil smeared
bowl or other shape and let it dry for 24 hours.
- Remove the dried
material with a knife or spatula. You will get another bowl,
made of paper.
- You can paint the
article with suitable colours. While it is still wet , dried
flowers can be stuck on to the wet surface.
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