Make the most of those old newspapers lying around with these fun newspaper recycling ideas! Creative, low-effort and plain genius!

Despite most things going digital these days, reading the physical newspaper is still a ritual most of us continue with. There’s something nostalgic about sitting with a cup of tea and the morning paper, at least for those of us born before the 2000s!

While that’s a pleasant part of our morning routines, it does mean that we end up with loads of used newspapers. Now it can be tempting to just toss them away, but how about stopping to think if there’s something better we can do with them?

With World Environment Day around the corner, we’ve rounded up some creative newspaper recycling ideas that will turn those old newspapers into beautiful and useful items. Read on to find out how, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

10 Genius Newspaper Recycling Ideas to Try

1. Gift Bags

Did you know that the equivalent of 108 million rolls of wrapping paper is discarded in the UK each year? Why waste so much when a newspaper does the job much more effectively and efficiently? Home Talk shows us how easy it is to make a cute gift bag out of newspaper. Add a tag with some twine, or stick on a fabric ribbon to brighten it up, or use it as it is to store things temporarily in your home.

2. Braided Newspaper Bracelets

Can you believe this bracelet was made out of newspaper? Well, that shows you how even trash can be turned into something absolutely gorgeous! The Craft Train gives us the full tutorial in making this statement piece which might just kickstart a new trend!

3. Hyacinth Flowers in a Vase

Newspaper lying around looks like trash, but with a little magic, you can turn it into some gorgeous flowers! Artsy Craftsy Mom shows us how to create hyacinths out of plain old newspaper.

4. Rolled Paper Lantern

Here’s an interesting newspaper recycling idea from Wonderful DIY that involves rolling up long strips of paper that can then be glued on a lamp to create a wonderful effect when lit.

5. Papier Mache Bowls

Newspaper is used to wrap pretty much everything, but DIY Inspired gives us a newspaper recycling project where you can turn plain newspaper into beautiful bowls, and then use them to hold your stuff!

6. Mixed Paper Envelopes

This idea from Paperiaarre is perfect if you’ve got some extra paper scraps lying around, along with old newspaper. We love how pretty the envelopes turned out – great for giving out gift money!

7. DIY Goodie Bags

Planning a zero-waste party where you want to give out some party favors? Skip the store-bought goodie bags and make your own, with this newspaper recycling tutorial from Craft and Creativity.

8. Newspaper Rosettes

How pretty are these rosettes from the Doodle Craft Blog? They have a lovely, vintage charm that you can uplift with some gold paint, pearls or other embellishments.

9. Newspaper Recycling Basket

If you want a newspaper recycling idea that can act as a storage solution for larger items, check out this basket tutorial from The Crafting Nook – you can also decorate it and make it pretty!

10. Rolled Flower Newspaper Frame

Red Ted Art has a newspaper recycling idea that’s a fun project for kids or teens to try out. We think this would make a great gift for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day!

These newspaper recycling ideas go on to show that there is so much you can do with things you normally toss into the trash. By reusing things already lying around the house, we buy less, which means less waste sent to landfills. So this World Environment Day, take a look around your home and think about how you can use the ‘useless’ items – I’m sure you can think of multiple ideas!

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 Prerna is the founder, editor and owner of ‘Maa of All Blogs’, one of India’s Top Parenting Blogs. Besides being a certified Ashtanga Yoga instructor, she is also a fashion designer and an economics graduate.

When she’s not busy running her home and business, she ensures she stays active – whether it’s running the half marathon, completing the Oxfam walk or climbing to the Everest base camp. Prerna enjoys wearing all her hats, and she does so in style!

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