by Francis Harris

Created on: November 25, 2011   Last Updated: November 28, 2011

Knowing what to do with junk mail so that it is not thrown away to augment the landfill problems of society is sometimes a challenge. When we find something more useful to do with junk mail than just throwing it away we are "recycling" it. We are finding a use for it other than its intended purpose and are often saving ourselves from having to buy something else.

What are some things that we can do to recycle junk mail?

1. Children's craft projects. Children can have great fun and do lots of learning when they are given junk mail for craft projects. They can cut up the junk mail into little pieces to make mosaics; they can make pappier mache models; they can make pictures from different objects cut out of junk mail; they can shred and use junk mail to stick on pictures and otherwise get creative with the supply of unwanted paper.

2. Pet bedding. Junk mail can provide a great supply of pet bedding for mice and other small creatures. Shredding the paper and putting it in the cage will give the pet a great material to work with in making a nest and comfortable bed. You can change it as often as you like without having to worry about expense as you do with other bedding materials.

3. Fire starters. Some junk mail makes a great fire starter when you are trying to get a fire lit at winter camp. However, highly glossy paper and even newspapers with colored print are not recommended for burning since they can give off fumes.

4. Kitchen wipes. A pad of junk mail by the dustbin makes a great wipe for greasy pans. Pouring oil down the sink is not good for drains but with some scrunched up junk mail you can wipe excess oil off and save yourself buying kitchen wipes.

5. Protective sheets. Junk mail can make a good protective sheet to hold things for drying that are wet or dirty to dry. You can use junk mail several layers thick if necessary, overlapping smaller pieces to make a larger sheet, and stand objects to dry such as children's paintings, your own craft, muddy shoes and so on. Glossy junk mail is especially useful since it is thicker than thin paper.

All these ways recycle or reuse junk mail so that it is something useful and not thrown straight into landfill. Sometimes you can still recycle the junk mail in the official recycling processes once you have used it for something else - especially if you have just been drying paintings or the like - since the paper will respond to ink-removal and re-processing into useful paper.

However, some projects will mean that the paper is destroyed beyond what makes it possible to officially recycle and it will be destined for landfill eventually. If you are very concerned about recycling to totally avoid landfill then you will want to consider carefully the home recycling projects that you undertake.

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