subject: What Does Shredded Paper Get Turned Into And How? [print this page] These days paper shredding is becoming very popular. Some people do it to protect the sensitive information the paper may contain. Others do it as part of their recycling effort. What that means is each year tons of shredded paper is collected all over the country. Few people stop to consider what happens to all of that shredded paper. Most assume it is recycled somehow and transformed into other products. Still the question remains can shredded paper be made into other products and if so how?
Most paper can be recycled as long as it has not been contaminated with carbon paper, chemicals, food, greases, metal or plastic. It should be kept clean and dry and placed in a brown paper bag. The bag should be stapled closed so as to keep the shredded paper confined and uncontaminated. The shredded paper is gathered, formed into bales and transported to paper mills. Once at the paper mill, the shredded paper is soaked in hot water. It is then made into a pulp. The pulp is then cleaned and all the ink and contaminants are removed. It is then bleached and turned into a variety of paper products.
Once the shredded paper has been properly processed it can be used to make a wide variety of products. Recycled shredded paper is often used to make products people use every day. Items like greeting cards, toilet paper, cereal boxes, writing paper and wrapping paper can all be made out of recycled shredded paper. Shredded paper can also be used for composting, pet bedding, in a cat's litter box, as packing material, paper mache and as a fire starter. People also use it to create a variety of arts and crafts. There are limit less things one can do with their imagination and some shredded paper.
Paper shredding is important. In the United States the average family receives almost 700 pieces of mail each year. These can take the form of sales promotions, flyers, donation requests and all manner of unsolicited mail. In large metropolitan areas, people can discard as much as 42,000 pounds paper into the rubbish each hour. This can place a great strain on any area's rubbish disposal system. Shredding paper can relieve some of that strain. Shredding paper also makes it easier to recycle whether it is in the home or in large industrial mills which turn them into products for resale.
Paper shredding has definitely caught on. It is a simple way for people to play a role in helping to save trees. With a little creativity shredded paper can be recycled into a wide array of products for use in home, schools, pet shops and private industry.
