I’ve got three large bags of shredded paper sitting here, waiting to be dropped off at the nearest Abitibi Paper Retriever dumpster. Since that dumpster is located on the far side of the campus that holds our high school, middle school and upper elementary school–and I try to pick up my middle school-aged daughters up on foot–I usually only get the chance to make the shredded paper dumpster run occasionally in the car. (I don’t mind making the walk to the dumpsters but having to lug the bags of shredded paper can be a drag–literally.) I’m all for bringing my recyclable paper to the dumpster, since it helps the school with its fundraising, but since I don’t anticipate driving over towards the school any time soon, I got to thinking about ways that I could reuse the shredded paper.

For starters I know that I can use it in my compost to cover up any dumped organic matter. As you probably well know, the key to composting is doing a green-brown layer–that is, organic matter (green) that is covered by leaves, grass clippings or, in this case, shredded paper (brown). Covering up the “green” with “brown” helps it to decompose faster.

Some gardeners swear by sprinkling shredded paper into already dug holes in which they are going to do some planting. I guess if the paper breaks down with organic matter in the compost, then logically it would offer the same benefit in your garden. Even better–take your rich, newly created soil from your compost, and use that, along with shredded paper, to fill in the holes when you garden. This way you never have to spend money on a bag of dirt!

When I was doing a lot of selling on eBay, I would take the cross-cut paper out of my shredder and use it as cushioning in the shipping boxes. I’ve done the same when putting away Christmas ornaments or other breakables I would normally wrap in bubble wrap. In fact, come Christmas time, I’ll shred wrapping paper that isn’t reusable along with the remnants of holiday cards, and use all of that in place of bubble wrap. I mean, why pay for bubble wrap when I’ve got free packing materials right here in my shredder?

Your kitty would approve (I hope) of this next suggestion: I’ve heard that you can use shredded paper as replacement litter if you find yourself in a litter-pan pinch. I guess it makes sense–the paper is absorbent, and it moves in a way that litter does, so your cat can cover up her business once she’s done. Only drawback? I doubt that paper is odor absorbent.

Speaking of animals you can also use shredded paper in a hamster or guinea pig’s cage, or your can donate it to your local animal shelter. I hadn’t thought of this, but I’m definitely going to call my local SPCA and see if they can use it–and then find out how they use it.

Another idea is to use shredded paper in place of that icky plastic grass in Easter baskets. Of course, it would be prettier if you happened to be shredding a bunch of colorful paper at the time, but I’m guessing that as long as there’s candy sitting on top of them thar shredded paper, the kids really aren’t going to care what color it is.

I’m no sewing queen, but I’ll bet that you could use shredded paper as stuffing in pillows and other decorating ideas. Some people use the shredded paper as stuffing in dog and cat beds. Hey, maybe I’ll take out the old sewing machine and give that a try.

Can you think of other ways to reuse shredded paper beyond just recycling it? If so, post a comment to share your idea.