The thing about being in the newspaper publishing business is that there are always leftover papers lying around our house, which isn’t a bad thing because newspaper can come in really handy if you know how to reuse it. Rather than tossing your leftover newsprint in the recycle bin, try repurposing it around your home and in the garden.

1. Burn it! Newspaper makes a great fire starter.

2. Use newspapers as a drop cloth for painting or art projects. Lay it on the floor to catch drips, or dampen sheets of newspaper and stick on windows when painting window trim to prevent splatters on the glass.

3. Make origami or paper airplanes.

4. Get artsy! Make collage art with articles or pictures you clip from the paper.

5. Create papier mâché items with newspaper. The possibilities are endless, from piñatas and piggy banks to bangle bracelets.

6. Wrap some gifts inside the pages. Cut the pages into strips to loop handmade bows.

7. Make a lightweight ball for playing with your kids or your cat.
Simply scrunch it up and toss. Cats really dig it.

8. Use newspaper to clean windows or glass without streaking—perfect for car windows.

9. Absorb odor. Put crumpled newspaper in plastic storage containers to get rid of odor. This works for stinky sneakers as well.

10. Line refrigerator drawers with newspapers to prevent condensation and to absorb odor.

11. Line your puppy crate, cat litter box or bird cage to absorb odor and for easier cleanup.

12. Newspaper is a great weed barrier for gardens/flower beds. Layer newspaper about ¼-inch thick under dirt or mulch to prevent weeds from invading. (Moisten the newspaper with the hose pipe so it stays in place while you’re covering it with mulch).

13. Compost it! Newspaper makes greet bedding for a worm bin.

14. Make small “seed cups” to start seeds for your garden. Fold pages into a cylinder, then fold up the bottom to hold the soil in. Place the cup with the seedling directly into the ground.

15. Keep a small stack in the back of your car. They come in handy for muddy feet or for transporting potted plants in spring and fall.

16. Wrap fruit in newspaper to ripen it more quickly.

17. Pack it up. Wrap valuables in newspaper for shipping or moving.

18. Gently scrub your stainless steel kitchen sink with wadded up wet newspaper to restore shine.

Photos, and bacon, by Bracken Mayo

19. Place burgers, bacon, fried chicken, sausage, etc. on a newspaper to drain grease.

20. Sit on them! They can be laid down anywhere to cover a dirty surface if you’re intending to sit or nap somewhere out of the ordinary, during a road trip, when camping, or at an outdoor music festival. (Another good reason to keep some in your car).

21. Roll up pages to use as a fly or spider swatter.