insulation or what?

[engineer one]

after two recent bereavements, i am still trawling through the papers, and sending stuff to the shredder. after moving another two black bags full today i was wondering whether anyone had tried to use shredded paper as an insulating medium. was thinking about stud walls and even attics.
surely it is not a bad way to re-cycle, but is is efficient?

seems a waste since so many of us are now destroying paper records through the shredder to send them to the dump if they can be used for anything else useful.

so being the cheap skate i want to ensure nobody nicks my identity if i can avoid it, and then i want to use the paper if i can, and i do not want to take up papier mache making :lol: :lol: :lol:

paul :wink:

 

[SketchUp Guru]

I'd be wary of using shredded paper for insulation. It wouldn't take much to set light to it and it would go up like dry paper. :shock: If it gets wet or even damp from humidity there'll be no insulating value and it would collapse leaving you with a big empty area.

I think I'd run it through the shredder a second time or use it to light the barbeque when you want to cook a couple of steaks.

 

[DaveL]

Paul,

I agree with Dave, its a liability. :shock:

 

[SVB]

I am sure I saw in one of the sunday supplements a while ago a machine (mold and lever press arrangement) for taking shredded paper and making relatively high density bricks from them for use on the fire.

Just a thought although it is pretty close to papier-mache I know!

Simon

 

[DaveL]

I am sure I saw in one of the sunday supplements a while ago a machine (mold and lever press arrangement) for taking shredded paper and making relatively high density bricks from them for use on the fire.

I had something like that back in the 70's, the idea is good but you need to dry the paper bricks out, takes forever. I found that making them in the summer and loose stacking them under cover, like a cold frame did work but it was lots of effort and they did not burn on an open fire that well. Might be better in a wood burner. :?

 

[ike]

i was wondering whether anyone had tried to use shredded paper as an insulating medium. was thinking about stud walls and even attics.
surely it is not a bad way to re-cycle, but is is efficient?

Yes, yes and yes. It's called Warmcel, see here. Indirectly, I'm sure we still contribute assuming some of the content comes from the domestic recycling wastestream.

Ike

 

[engineer one]

once again useful comments, i checked out the green site, and it all seems to be newsprint. wonder what is better about that?

actually my comment was designed to get this kind of discussion, since with the fraud thing getting so big, apparently 1.7 billion quid last year, we must all be careful about information disposal, and so you wonder whether it has any uses. does any one know whether the local green community schemes take shredded paper?

other wise more bloody land fill. seems a waste even allowing for the fact that almost all the shredded paper ends up being junk mail anyway.

paul :wink:

 

[ike]

Paul,

Do you get doorstep recycling where you are? Here, we can put out paper, (but not shredded or Yellow pages). Any sensitive stuff I either burn, or shred. The 'clean' shredded paper i.e. not too much ink, I chuck in the compost bin.

All in all I usually manage on the 1 council-supplied binbag a week, and a trip to the recycling centre once a year - not bad I reckon for 4 of us.

Reducing our waste as a society, I strongly believe the solution is only partly through greater recycling. After all, recycling processes still involve a great deal of additional energy consumption. The other part of the equation is to reduce consumption by boycotting products with lots of unnecessary packaging, or non-recyclable/degradable packaging materials. Difficult to do these days, but the manufacturers and the packaging industry just won't change unless the consumer hits them where it hurts - on their balance sheet. I read this with interest.

Ike

 

[brocher]

Hi,

I am fortunate living in Birmingham that I have a fortnightly paper collection which takes everything from office paper to cardboard and paper shreddings . I put mine out in the bottom of cardboard boxes and put newspapers/office type paper, envelopes,etc on top of theme to stop blowing away.

I am also lucky that if i have any waste metal (and we all have some from spent blades, dud screws, etc) i have recycling centre where i can put it in a metal bin. Every little helps!!

 

[tim]

I am fortunate living in Birmingham

there's a phrase you don't see too often..... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Cheers

Tim

 

[OPJ]

There was an episode of Grand Designs a couple of years ago in which a form of shredded newspaper was used to insulate that extraordinary chestnut building in the woods, if I remember rightly.

It was very fine stuff though. They left an access hole in the wall, filled it with using a sort of 'reversed vacum' and then plugged it up afterwards.

But he also used great stacks of hay at the same time; perhaps it wasn't that efficient after all?

 

[Adam]

There was an episode of Grand Designs a couple of years ago in which a form of shredded newspaper was used to insulate that extraordinary chestnut building in the woods, if I remember rightly.

It was very fine stuff though. They left an access hole in the wall, filled it with using a sort of 'reversed vacum' and then plugged it up afterwards.

But he also used great stacks of hay at the same time; perhaps it wasn't that efficient after all?

The bales of straw formed the walls - and the shredded (yellow pages?) went under the floor I thought. As you say, my memory of it is a little hazy so could be wrong although Grand Designs seems to be permanently on one of the satellite channels now, so perhaps I'll look out for it again.

Adam

 

[ike]

a form of shredded newspaper was used to insulate

It's called "Warmcel".

 

[j]

I think they also added some flame proofing chemicals to it.

Where I live, there is a recycling collection every week along with the standard refuse collection. They take glass in a box, and in the recycling bag; you can put paper, plastic, and metal. I put all my shredded paper in here.
We also have a green bin for garden waste and kitchen scraps. This goes to a composting site.

 

[Jarviser]

Paul, you could use it for packaging for eBay when you have too many tools. :wink:

 

[Evergreen]

Hi there

In Hampshire, we have an advanced domestic recycling scheme which uses automation. Unfortunately, this means that you cannot send shredded paper with the rest of your recycling because the sorting equipment can't handle it. Might be the same with your council?

Regards.