Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Recycle in the yard and garage
• Method 2 of 4: Recycle in your office
• Method 3 of 4: Recycle in and around the house
• Method 4 of 4: Recycle through the municipality
• Tips

Recycling saves the environment, but it is more than just disposing of the items to be recycled. There are a lot of things you can do around the house with waste paper. Follow the steps below to recycle even better.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Recycle in the yard and garage

1. Make bedding (mulch) from old newspaper and office paper. Tear the paper into strips and layer it around your plants. This prevents weeds from growing and keeps the soil moist. The paper will eventually decay and add nutrients to the soil.
   • Corrugated cardboard can also be effective.
   • Do not use glossy paper or paper that has been printed with colored inks.
2. Place newspapers on the compost pile. Newspapers add carbon to a well-balanced compost pile and are considered "brown" waste.
3. Protect your belongings from spills. Use old newspapers as spill protection when working on your car or painting or staining furniture. Use it in all your craft projects to cover your workspace.

Method 2 of 4: Recycle in your office

1. Print on the back of the paper. Many printers print only on one side of the paper. If you're printing something that doesn't necessarily need to look professional, print it on the back of a paper you've printed on before.
2. Make a notebook. Gather a stack of used sheets of paper. Place the sheets bottom up and secure at the top edge with staples or cotter pins.

Method 3 of 4: Recycle in and around the house

1. Make cat litter. You can make good working cat litter from shredded old newspapers. You just need some baking soda.
   • Shred the paper, preferably in a paper shredder.
   • Soak the paper in warm water. Add a small amount of biodegradable dish soap.
   • Drain the water and then let the paper soak again, but without detergent.
   • Sprinkle baking soda on the paper and knead the mixture. Squeeze out as much moisture as possible from the paper.
   • Crumble the paper on a grid or screen and let it dry for a few days.
2. Pack gifts. Use old newspapers to wrap gifts. The pages with strips are particularly suitable for this because of the many colors.
3. Pack a package. Use waste paper to wrap a package that you want to send. Wrap fragile items in several layers of paper and fill the empty spaces in the box with crumpled paper so that everything stays in place.
4. Make a book cover. You can use paper bags to cover your old and new hardcover books, then decorate the paper however you like.

Method 4 of 4: Recycle through the municipality

1. Contact your municipality. Ask them in what ways the paper waste is collected and where you can find collection points and paper containers. In addition, ask what is and what is not allowed with the waste paper. You can also check the website of your municipality or consult the municipal waste indicator or calendar.
2. Know what can and cannot be recycled. On the website of your municipality you can find exactly what is and what is not allowed with the waste paper. National rules apply to this. Below you will find a list of things that generally can and cannot be disposed of with waste paper.
   • What you can recycle: newspapers, magazines, maps, packaging, envelopes and cardboard.
   • What you cannot recycle: waxed paper, laminated paper, bags of animal feed and paper that contains food waste.
3. Sort and bundle your paper waste and place it at the curb. If the waste paper is collected in your municipality, for example by a school or sports club, put your paper waste sorted and well packed on the right day and at the right time at the road.
4. Put your paper waste in a paper container or take it to a collection point. If the paper waste is not collected in your municipality or you have a very large amount of paper that you want to throw away, you can put it in a paper container or take it to a collection point. Check the website of your municipality to see where the collection points and containers are located.

Tips

• Don't buy notepads. Use blank sheets of paper that you have left over from printing or use the notepad on the computer.
• Don't print unnecessarily.
• Put a box in the kitchen or near the computer where you can put waste paper. This way, you will sooner think about recycling the paper.
• Set your printer to print on both sides of the paper. If that is not possible with your printer, try to print one page at a time so that you can turn the paper over by hand.