Paper UsageThere is loads of paper used in schools and a large amount of it can be reused or recycled. Do you have a scrap paper box in your classroom? If you don’t ask your teacher why not? Use the scrap paper for making notes and make sure you write on both sides. You can shred the scrap paper to make animal bedding for the school pets. Another fun thing to do would be to start a project in your art class to make your own recycled paper. Ask your teacher to help you find out how to do this.
Of course if you can’t reuse the paper anymore there are many councils that will provide a free paper recycling and collection service. Many schools are finding that this service helps them to greatly reduce the waste they put out for disposal. Why not contact your council and ask them what services they have available. If the council does not offer a collection service you could still start your own paper recycling scheme. At school get everyone to put their paper rubbish in separate bins and see how much you can collect and ask teachers or parents to take it to the recycling bank for you. You could even work in classes and the team that collects the most gets a reward.
A large amount of rubbish in the dustbin tends to consist of paper and card. Producing recycled paper uses between 28-70% less energy than making new paper and it uses less water so it makes much more sense to use what we already have. There are lots of things that you can do with waste paper to avoid just throwing it in the bin if you use your imagination. See if you can come up with any more ideas or projects that you can do at school. If you let us know what you came up with you might be featured on our site, so get your thinking caps on!
