Waste Not Wednesday
Newspapers! What do you do with them? They pile up oh so fast; yet, it seems like such a waste to throw them away. Don't worry, here are a few ideas to get you going.
- Deodorizing- Newspapers (without colored ink) can be crumpled up and placed in any location that might contain bad odors, ex. the bottom of the trash can or in the freezer. Let the newspapers remain in that location for a few days. If it is a very strong odor you may want to replace the newspapers fairly often until the odor is gone.
- Window cleaning- Newspapers (without colored ink) can be used in place of rags when washing mirrors and windows. Spray the glass with cleaner of choice, and scrub with newspapers. When newspaper becomes too wet replace with a new piece. Scrub in a circular motion until all moisture is gone. You now should have a streak free shine.
- Protection- Use newspapers as extra packing for your breakables when moving or storing. Shred them and use as packing for items that you ship in the mail as well. This will eliminate the need for those annoying packing peanuts.
- Fire starters- For those of you with fireplaces/wood stoves newspapers work awesome as part of your kindling supply.
- Compost- Shredded newspapers can be mixed in with your compost pile as extra filler.
- Creating a flower bed or garden- In late fall, spread out flat sheets of newspaper over the area in which you would like to have your garden next spring. You will want it to be a few layers thick. Once you have them laid out, gently wet newspapers until completely soaked. Cover the wet papers with grass, leaves, or dirt. The grass underneath the newspapers will die off, and the newspapers will deteriorate to provide compost. Weeds will also be prevented from growing up through the layer of newspapers, providing a cleared gardening spot come spring.
There are many more ideas out there for the uses of newspaper, you just have to get creative. Remember that wasting not is more than throwing something in the recycle bin! - Not of This World