New Ways to Recycle Old Newspapers

recycled newspaper boat

The photo on the left is of a model sampan made by an inmate in an Indonesian jail.  It is completely constructed from carefully rolled up pieces of newspaper.  While there may be less and less newsprint to recycle as the worlds of  journalism and literature go more and more electronic, paper still accounts for one third of recyclable waste worldwide, so recycling old newspaper is still going to be important for decades.   That’s not entirely a bad thing, because there is some pretty cool stuff out there like the aforementioned sampan.

Yes we all know about the attractive baskets and place mats that people are making out of old newspapers. There is some pretty ho hum upcycling and recycling of newsprint going on. But, there is some very unique stuff  posted online made from old newspapers. Some of it is elegant and creative. Some of it is really useful.  Here’s a small selection.  In each case,  I’ve linked back to the source and to more information on the individual item. m Have a look.

It is amazing what sculptor,Nick Georgiou, can do with a bunch of old newspaper.  His sculptures( which might better be called installations” are energy filled slices of life– like the example above and the one below.  What a great use for old newspapers

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Here’s another one by Georgiou.  This one is called ” How They Met”. I love the energy of this piece. Don’t you?

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There is a lot of newspaper jewelry around and not all of it is interesting. But some of it, like this piece, is just smashing. This is a bracelet made from recycled Newspaper Comic Strips with Swarovski Crystal and Faceted Glass Trim. It is from a delightful website called Newspaper Jewelry whose motto is ” yesterday’s newspaper is today’s jewelry”  Need I say more?

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And what about a bench that can hold up to five people( small people I think) and which is constructed from three steel bars and 334 old newspapers.  Pretty cool I say, and the price is certainly right.

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Would you believe shoes made from recycled newspaper?  Yup, these are made in China from recycled Chinese language newspaper and then coated with plastic to make them sturdy.  Not sure how they hold up in the rain, but they are definitely fashion forward and more original than wrapping for fish and chips.

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And now for a touch of retro elegance…..Yesterday’s news  is today’s fashion buzz.  Check out more photos of newspaper couture here I’m thinking this dress is great for a photo shoot, but probably not something to wear to a party, particularly if you smoke.  But never mind– it is  one of the most inventive fashion statements I’ve seen using old newspaper, and there are quite a few around.

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Last but not least, I had to include one “do it yourself” woven basket made from strips of old newspaper. Use it to hold your old newspapers for recycling or as a pet bed or even a litter box.  This one, made from an old Sunday New York Times looks quite posh and you can find complete( and I do mean complete) instructions on how to make it here I think there is something quite cool about the idea of saving your recycling in a basket made of recycled newspapers.  Very peachygreen. Don’t you agree?

That’s it for the moment.  I’ll be looking for more interesting newspaper arts and craft.  If you see any, please pass them along in the comments section.  I’m going to be doing another post on this soon and meanwhile, happy recycling.