Do you have piles of newspapers that you’re not sure what to do with? If you plan on simply throwing them away, stop before you waste valuable and useful materials! Newspapers are biodegradable, but for every ton of newspapers that are made about seventeen trees have to be cut down. The good thing is though, there are plenty of things you can do to reuse newspapers to make sure they don’t go to waste. Rather than just throwing them away, consider the following five amazing ways to reuse those old papers at home.

1. Window and Glass Cleaner

You can use sheets of newspapers to wash windows and other glass surfaces such as glass tables, mirrors or chandeliers. Just spray on your regular spay cleaner then wipe the sprayed area with a sheet of newspaper. Plus, you may also add some vinegar for a cleaner and more sparkling result. You’ll be surprised to find out that newspapers clean better than your traditional rags or cloths.

2. Gift Wrap

Before wrapping a gift with beautiful wrapping, you can first wrap the item in old newspapers. This is especially useful for fragile or delicate items such as vases, glassware, or other such fragile things. Also, if you don’t have wrapping paper for gifts, you can reuse comics, sheet music or even old magazine pages to wrap gifts. This will give them a unique and chic look and you can also use some ribbon or bows to finish off the wrapping.

3. Fire Starter

Rather than using gasoline to light a fire, roll a bunch of newspapers tight and use it as a fire starter to light your fireplace. However, just make sure the paper is printed with non-toxic inks to avoid poisonous fumes. This can definitely save some money during this coming winter season.

4. Origami and Paper Handy Crafts

Origami is a Japanese word which means paper folding. It is an art form that has been handed down from generation to generation. Your old newspapers at home can be great material for origami and can be used to fold all sorts of cute shapes, from jewelry boxes, geometric shapes and puppet paper toys to amazing paper cranes. In addition, you can also use old newspapers to make paper handy crafts like woven baskets and place mats. You can surf the web and find easy tutorials on how to weave recycled paper into a beautiful handy craft.

5. Pet Cage Liner and Bedding

Old newspapers come in very handy when you have pets. Old newspapers can be used to line a bird cage or can be shredded for hamster bedding.

In general, there are so many valuable ways you can use stacks of old newspapers you have at home. Rather than just throwing them away and contributing to the pollution, why not save money and help out Mother Earth by using some of these simple ways.

Are you fond of recycling old newspapers? If so, then what are your ways of doing it? Please share with us by leaving your comments below!