ENVIS Centre: Kerala
Status of Environment and Related Issues

Objective: Recycling of waste paper
Materials:

1. Waste paper from old notebooks/old newspaper/old magazines.
2. A little starch.
3. A bucket or an old basin.
4. A mortar and pestle or any other device to pound the paper.
5. A wire mesh sieve or a perforated plate.

Steps:

1. Tear the paper you are using into small pieces.
2. Soak in warm water in a bucket for a little while with a little starch.
3. After a few hours take it out of the water and pound it with the mortal and pestle till it becomes soft and pulpy. Add more starch to it to thicken it.
4. Put this pulp in the sieve to allow the water to drip out. Press it if required to get the excess water out.
5. Now turn the sieve slowly upside down over a smooth surface and put some weight on it.
6. Once it dries up your hand made paper is ready for use. You will not be able to write on it but you can draw on it or use it for some other purpose.