Any uses for shredded paper?

telly-addict

Will your council take it as paper recycling? That's what we do with ours.....

coffeeandfags

Hmmmm. dont know anyone with hamsters etc.
Dont have a compost heap (although i could start one!)
Paper mache......ermmmmm (trying to think of a nice way to say "no way"!!)

Perhaps the council will take it with the paper recycling, i might phone them tomorrow and ask

Any more ideas welcome of course.....it just seems a right waste
Coffeeandfags

Queenie

If you do not have a compost bin, don't let that deter you ... simply dig it into your flower beds/veggie plots and water well in! It will rot down soon enough. Still not convinced? Get a big bucket, put your shreddings in there fill it with plain water, let the paper soak up the water and then dig in the paper mush.
NB: Do not use shredded "glossy" paper, it won't decompose the same.

Make draft excluders using old tights or the legs of old jeans and stuff with the shredded paper (paper is insulating!)

Stuff some into an old sock and then use these to tuck into your wet shoes to stop them going out of shape (it will absorb the moisture)

Ditto above but add a handful of pot pourri and stuff your dry shoes to keep them smelling fresh when stored in your wardrobe/cupboard.

Spread a fine layer under the litter in your cat litter tray - your litter will last fractionally longer (I know *you* do not have a cat - but others reading might have )

Use it when making home made gift baskets. A good layer of shredded paper 1/3 - 1/2 way up the basket, then cover with coloured tissue paper, then lay your gifts attractively on top. Cover with clear cellophane add a bow - voila!

Ok, maybe not your Ebay parcels, but you can still use it for packaging: Christmas ornaments, any glasses or crockery that you only use periodically. (I save up odds n sods of boxes, then when it comes to gift giving time, I have a handy "box" (decoupaged) to present the gift in, your shreddings would be okay for that - if you're worried anyone might see your bank details after shredding - ditch the shredder!!!!

TBH - most of mine gets put in the composter, as does the hoover dust and dryer fluff - it balances the wetter veggie stuffs so I don't end up with an over wet compost.

coffeeandfags

Thanks Queenie i might give the compost a try.
Saving all the tumble dryer fluff for the birds just now. They are nesting at the moment and we put it out in the garden for them. They are really entertaining to watch coming down for all the bits.

Coffeeandfags

Lucie_2

I leave shredded paper out for the bin men. They take it along with the regular paper recycling (note to self: tomorrow is bin day). I did try putting it in my rabbit's hutch but she just threw it out again. Fussy creature.

squeaky

Queenie wrote:

... put in the composter, as does the hoover dust and dryer fluff - it balances the wetter veggie stuffs so I don't end up with an over wet compost.

Great suggestions up top there Queenie, and I just have a small question about the bit I've quoted...

Is that really OK?

I ask because I'd thought about composting the hoover dust and dryer fluff, but my carpets and most of my clothes are man made fibres rather than wool or linen etc, so I thought that maybe they weren't really suitable.

Am I being too er, cautious?

Queenie

If you found my post helpful Squeaks, don't be shy, I won't be embarassed if you use the Thanks facility :rotfl:

I've had no problem whatsoever with my compost re: hoover dust/dryer fluff and I've been doing that ever since I got me 'poster; I also gather and add well rinsed seaweed
Conversely ....
Re: Dryer fluff and birds, I used to, but read somewhere (can't remember where) that the dyes in clothing can be dangerous to the young chicks - unless it's natural dye's, then it's ok.

coffeeandfags

Queenie wrote:

Re: Dryer fluff and birds, I used to, but read somewhere (can't remember where) that the dyes in clothing can be dangerous to the young chicks - unless it's natural dye's, then it's ok.

Oh please dont say that...... i thought these wee guys were living in the lap of luxury nesting in my Northern Nights fluff!!!!
Coffeeandfags

SnowyOwl_2

coffeeandfags wrote:

i now have tons of shredded paper but cant think what to do with it?

If you're having a bonfire at Hallowe'en you could keep it to make a really big Guy which should burn really well.

ChocClare

If you whizz it up in the blender/magimix with some water so you get paper pulp, you can use it as the basis of handmade recycled paper. Drop in some food colouring, spread it out on a deckle (can be home-made - old net curtain tacked or stapled to a frame) and mix in flowers or leaves or bits of silk to make it look pretty.

Or....

If you have an open fire, buy yourself a log-maker. ("BUY"????!!!!) Yes, I know, but they're quite cheap - I think ours was about a tenner. They look like a rectangular garlic press - about a foot long and four inches wide/deep. Put the wet paper in it, press out the resultant "log", leave it somewhere warm to dry and you have almost free fuel for your fire.

Ooh ooh (calm down, calm down)...My husband has just checked - couldn't find one like ours, but there's a different one at [URL=http://]logmaker.co.uk [/URL] if you want to see what I'm talking about where they're £15 or you can look at item no 4368583299 on ebay - buy it now price £12.99 - and that particular one doesn't need to wet the paper. Even better!