Uploaded May 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Pile of old newspapers? Don’t rush to throw them out – you can use them to make paper dishes!
Equipment: waste paper (old documents and newspapers), blender, hot water, glass bowl, gauze, funnel, cling film, bowl, cutting board.
Combine finely-cut waste paper (old documents or a newspaper) and hot water to the maximum mark on the glass in a blender bowl. Let sit for half an hour, then blend. Transfer the resulting mass into a larger glass container, add ½ L (½ pint) of hot water and let sit for half an hour once again, and then blend again with a handheld blender. Transfer the resulting pulp to a funnel with gauze and rinse with warm water until the runoff water is completely clear. Then apply the washed mass to a bowl wrapped with cling film and leave to dry. Your eco-friendly dish is ready! You can also distribute it in a thin layer to make paper towels.
*Attention! Use this dish only for food in packaging!
Paper consists of cellulose fibers. When we soak the shredded paper in hot water and leave it for a while, the cellulose fibers absorb water and swell. As a result, they loosen to form a thick paper pulp. This pulp can be applied to any plates, bowls, cutting boards, etc. After some time, the water evaporates from the pulp, it hardens, and permanently adopts the desired form!
According to the European Commission, more than 80% of marine litter is plastic and about half of these items are disposable. The cellulose of which the paper consists is environmentally friendly and sufficiently strong, but less resistant to moisture and more expensive than plastic. Recycling paper saves energy, and reduces air and water pollution. Also, recycling is important to preserve forest ecosystems, since many products are still made from so-called primary cellulose, i.e. wood.
Safety precautions: Warning! Only under adult supervision.
Pile of old newspapers? Don’t rush to throw them out – you can use them to make paper dishes!
Equipment: waste paper (old documents and newspapers), blender, hot water, glass bowl, gauze, funnel, cling film, bowl, cutting board.
Combine finely-cut waste paper (old documents or a newspaper) and hot water to the maximum mark on the glass in a blender bowl. Let sit for half an hour, then blend. Transfer the resulting mass into a larger glass container, add ½ L (½ pint) of hot water and let sit for half an hour once again, and then blend again with a handheld blender. Transfer the resulting pulp to a funnel with gauze and rinse with warm water until the runoff water is completely clear. Then apply the washed mass to a bowl wrapped with cling film and leave to dry. Your eco-friendly dish is ready! You can also distribute it in a thin layer to make paper towels.
*Attention! Use this dish only for food in packaging!
Paper consists of cellulose fibers. When we soak the shredded paper in hot water and leave it for a while, the cellulose fibers absorb water and swell. As a result, they loosen to form a thick paper pulp. This pulp can be applied to any plates, bowls, cutting boards, etc. After some time, the water evaporates from the pulp, it hardens, and permanently adopts the desired form!
According to the European Commission, more than 80% of marine litter is plastic and about half of these items are disposable. The cellulose of which the paper consists is environmentally friendly and sufficiently strong, but less resistant to moisture and more expensive than plastic. Recycling paper saves energy, and reduces air and water pollution. Also, recycling is important to preserve forest ecosystems, since many products are still made from so-called primary cellulose, i.e. wood.
Safety precautions: Warning! Only under adult supervision.
