22 Ways to Reuse Paper

Do you feel guilty tossing stacks of flyers, scrap paper, and junk mail into the recycling bin? All that perfectly good paper, hardly even used. What a waste! Recycling is good, but it still takes energy and creates waste and emissions. The good thing is, there are plenty of things you can do to reuse paper before recycling it.  

1. Printing 

Yes, it’s obvious, but it surprises me how many people do not bother with printing on the back of scrap computer paper. Use scrap paper to print coupons, directions, meeting minutes, shopping lists, and other necessities. To make it easier, keep a tray of scrap paper next to the printer for easy access.  

2. Pet Cage Liner 
Newspaper and junk mail is perfect for lining a bird cage or shredding for hamster bedding. Just be sure that the paper you use is printed with non-toxic ink (brown paper bags and white newspaper is usually fine). 

3. Woven Basket 
Reuse your brown packing paper to weave a beautiful, recycled paper basket. Use the paper basket to corral your junk mail or to hold scrap paper for further reuse! 

4. Doodle Pad 
Tear used computer paper (printed on one side) into quarters and stack them (or clip them) neatly by the telephone for doodling while you are on hold, or for jotting down messages.  

5. Origami 
Used wrapping paper, greeting cards, the comic section of the newspaper, and even colorful junk mail can be used to fold all sorts of cute origami, from jewelry boxes to paper cranes to adorable origami cat bookmarks. Chocolate bar tablets used to be wrapped in gold or silver paper that was perfect for origami, though this is not as common anymore. 

6. Beads for Jewelry 
Old magazines and wrapping paper can be rolled into pretty paper beads to make unique jewelry. There is an easy paper-bead tutorial at HowStuffWorks. This would be a fun project for kids as well. 

7. Light a Fire 
We usually save brown paper bags, packing paper, and newspaper for the fireplace, but again, make sure that the paper is printed with non-toxic inks. 

8. Wall Art 
Frame patterned wrapping paper (or greeting cards, or wallpaper) in simple frames for a boost of color in your home. Alternatively, use wrapping paper as matting for photos, create a garland or bunting to hang on the wall, or frame interesting magazine covers. 

9. Papier-Mache Pinata 
You can create a paper-Mache pinata for birthday parties usually simple papier-Mache balls filled with candy, but you could fancy yours up and make them all sorts of fantastic shapes. Kids love whacking the pinata with a bat and gathering the goodies at parties.  

10. Gift Wrap 
Reuse comics, sheet music, or even plain brown packing paper to wrap gifts. You can pretty them up with gift tags made from scrap paper and leftover ribbons. For small gifts, a fun idea is to use business envelopes turned inside-out to wrap a gift, showing the pretty blue or gray security pattern inside.  

11. Window Cleaning 
Nothing beats good ol’ newspaper and vinegar for sparkling, streak-free windows.  

12. Garden Mulch 
Non-toxic newsprint can be an excellent mulch for your garden plants. Tear the newspaper into strips and put a layer around your plants to keep the soil moist and deter weeds. The newspaper will eventually break down and enrich the soil. If you think this looks unsightly, use it only in the backyard vegetable garden, or add a layer of bark chips over the top to make it look prettier.  

13. Compost 
Newspaper can be an integral part of a well-balanced compost pile and counts as a carbon-rich (or “brown” component). Tear the newspaper into strips or small pieces to help it break down faster. Again, use only newspaper or paper with non-toxic inks (no glossy magazines). 

14. Drop Cloth 
Save newspaper and junk mail to use as a drop cloth for your painting and crafting projects. 

15. Paper Dolls 
Stiff cardstock (such as the back of greeting cards) can be cut into simple paper dolls, and then colorful wrapping paper or leftover computer paper can be fashioned into an entire wardrobe. Draw the dolls yourself or find an easy template online.  

16. Paper Wreath 
Martha Stewart has this idea for using the pages of an old book to create leaves for this beautiful paper wreath, perfect for gracing your front door. 

17. Gift Basket Filling 
Shred colorful wrapping and tissue paper and use it as filler in DIY gift baskets or Easter baskets that you make with your kids. 

18. Seedling Pots 
Use leftover paper egg cartons or toilet paper rolls that have been folded on the bottom to start your own seeds for the garden. They are perfect since they supply good drainage and aeration. Since the “seedling pots” are biodegradable, you can just break them up and bury them when you plant the seedlings in your garden. 

 
19. Cable and Junk Organizers 
Toilet and paper towel rolls are perfect for organizing computer cables and corralling other random stuff. Cut a slit in one side of the roll, and then slip rolled-up cables into the toilet paper “sleeve”. You can also use this to organize craft supplies such as ribbons and string and keep your wrapping paper rolls from unrolling. Flattened rolls can be used to store knives. 

20. Ripen Fruit 
Place unripe fruit in a paper bag or wrap in newspaper to help it ripen quicker. 

21. Homemade Cards 
A sweet way to reuse greeting cards is to cut out the pictures (pretty flowers, birds, and other images) and use them to create a new card. You might reuse last year’s Christmas card from your grandma to make a new card to send her this year, for example. 

22. Packing Material 
If you cannot find another creative use for your junk mail, just scrunch it up and use it to pack a box. Some thrift stores may also accept paper donations for wrapping up fragile objects when they are sold. 

Do not forget to reduce the amount of paper that comes through your household by opting out of junk mail and going paperless for bills if your area offers it. If you subscribe to magazines, offer them to a friend who would be interested in reading them before you toss them in the recycling bin. Donate or sell used books. 

Please, never throw perfectly good paper into the trash. We have enough paper already lining our landfills, and we already cut down enough trees to make “virgin” paper products.