Does your company shred a good chunk of documents on a daily basis? Do your employees regularly destroy client information, outdated credit card bills, and personally identifiable information? If you answered yes, then you’re probably accumulating a big pile of paper bits. So what do you do with these leftovers?
Although you can always place your trust in the good old option of recycling, there are ways to creatively use shredded paper. Below is a list of fun uses for your stock of paper trash. You can also read our guide to going paperless in your home office.
1. Use it for litter
If there are pets like cats in your office, then you likely have a fair idea of how costly litter maintenance can be. Additionally, it’s crucial to get your hands on a type that clumps to make deodorizing and cleaning easy. The good news is that shredded paper can be used to extend the money draining litter. While it won’t totally prevent you from buying litter, it’ll help you spend less on it.
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2. Help your garden
That shredded paper can be useful for your garden in a variety of ways. For example, it can be inserted into a composite pile (shredded documents are a ‘brown material’ that can be added inside those greens). It can be broken down in the same way as other types of garden wastes (the worms will thank you for it!). That said, don’t take this route if you’ve shredded cellophane or glossy paper; the toxic materials in these can damage your soil.
3. Wake up that sleeping artist
Shredded paper is also a gem for artists. You can sculpt, decorate, shape, and do a lot of other things with it. There are no limits here. Also, you can draw and paint on the paper that is a by-product of your shredding processes. And if you insert flour inside the mixture of pulp, it will turn into a papier mache. All of this is sturdier than any seed molding and can be turned into different works of art. Moreover, if the shredded paper is of color, the user can create a mosaic or a collage. It can also be used for parties as confetti.
4. Mix with an essential oil
If you don’t like art and want to use shredded paper in another way, go for making a sachet. Put some scent on shredded documents using a good smelling essential oil like jasmine, lemon, and lavender. Then place it inside a pouch and there’s your giveaway sachet, which can be hung up by a bed to spread sweet smell inside a room. It can also be placed inside a drawer to eliminate any musty smells. Certain essential oils also work as insect repellents. Examples include rosemary, clove, and peppermint. In fact, shredded paper with oils can also be kept in the garden to keep those pesky mosquitoes at bay.
5. Make a new bed out of it
If there’s a pet hamster in your room, you can create a bedding for him/her using that shredded paper. Another benefit of a bedding like this is that after it’s soiled, it can be included in composite bins. That’s a couple of uses for your shredded paper right there. If there’s no hamster or another similar pet in your residence, the shredded paper can be donated to animal shelters or veterinary facilities. They’ll appreciate the fact that they have something to leverage as paper beddings. In addition to using bedding for live animals, it can be lined with Easter eggs’ baskets – the young ones will love it.
6. Make a seed mold
When it comes to shredded paper uses, this tip is certain to delight individuals with green thumbs. It doesn’t need to be an expensive endeavor to own starting seeds; make your own seed molds to save money. You’ll only need three things for it 1) water bottle 2) blender 3) shredded paper. Any seed starter you make can be planted within your soil. Any present mold will decompose naturally and be the savory meal of all those seedlings (is that a yummm I hear?).
7. Stuff things with it
How about using shredded paper as a route to stuffing different thing? Well, if you haven’t done anything like that before, it’s high time that you should. So the next time you’re in need of a pillow that you keep in the patio or at the bench in your garden, or a scarecrow in your field of rice, save some money by creating one using a shredded paper. Once the creation is fully stuffed, you’ll want to strengthen its build by binding it with tape and then covering it with pine needles or straw to give it a real life look.
8. Paper bouquet isn’t a bad idea as well
Here’s another creative way to utilize scrap paper items, whether they’re shredded or otherwise. If you’ve purchased flowers, you should have a fair idea of how expensive they can be. And perhaps you aren’t that skilled at growing your own beds of roses. What do you do? Well, instead of dropping the idea of enjoying flowers altogether, you can create a paper bouquet, which is just as unique, thoughtful and gorgeous. It can also be made for a lesser price than many of the flower arrangements out there. Flower baskets too are a great idea, and are always fun to make with the young ones. Fill them with toys and candy and you’ll have your own custom basket to give away and sell. It is a great way to save on holiday gifts if you are planning to keep things frugal.
As you’re able to see from this list, there’s more than one creative use of shredded paper. But if dealing with leftovers still seem daunting to you, get a high-quality paper shredder to attain a peace of mind. You’ll just need to drop the paper in that machine, and the rest will be taken care of.