Make Recycled Paper 
From Eco-Detective - Adventures in Science

Paper that has been used and treated for use again is recycled paper.  Paper from homes, offices, and schools can be collected, sent to special recycling centers, and remade into usable paper. This process can take place over and over.  Every year we cut down more trees to meet the world's demand for paper.  Recycling will help save trees from being cut down.

Activity: Make your own paper from old newspaper.

You will need:  
a blender
a whole section of newspaper 
2 and a 1/2 single newspaper pages
5 cups (1.2 liters) of water
a pan 3 inches (7.6cm) deep
a piece of screen to fit inside the pan
a measuring cup
a flat piece of wood the size of a newspaper's front page
waxed paper

Follow These Steps:
1.  Tear the two-and-a-half pages of newspaper into tiny strips.

2. Place the strips in a blender with 5 cups of water.  ASK PERMISSION TO USE THE BLENDER.  HAVE AN ADULT SUPERVISE THIS STEP. Cover the blender and blend the newspaper and water.

3. Pour about 1 inch (2.5cm) of water into the pan. Pour the blended paper pulp into the measuring cup.

4. Put the screen into the pan. Pour one cup (240 ml) of pulp over the screen.

5. Spread the pulp evenly in the water with your fingers.

6. Lift the screen and let the water drain off.

7. Open the newspaper section  to the middle.  Put the newspaper on a waterproof surface. Place waxed paper in the center of the newspaper. Place the screen  with the pulp on the waxed paper.  Close the newspaper.

8. Carefully flip over the newspaper section so the screen is on top of the pulp.  THIS STEP IS VERY IMPORTANT. 

9. Place the board on top of the  newspaper and press out extra water.  Open the newspaper and take out the screen.  Leave the newspaper open and let the pulp dry for at least 24 hours.  When your paper pulp is dry, peel it off the waxed paper and write on it !

Eco-Facts
Now you know how to make recycled paper.  Wood pulp, the raw material used in  most paper production, comes from trees.  More than 1 billion trees are cut down each year to make disposable diapers!  Recycling efforts are increasing worldwide because of our concern over the deforestation of the earth.  Discarded items, such as  computer paper, grocery bags, milk cartons, boxes, and newspapers, are now collected, cleaned and recycled.

Explore Some More
Try to buy only recycled paper products.  Find a recycling center in the business pages of the phone book.  Recycle newspapers, magazines, or other paper products.  Write to your governor and ask that state offices and businesses use only recycled paper.