Have you ever wondered how much wood it takes to make a pencil? To put it another way, how many pencils do you think a tree can make? What is recycled pencil？
In one blog, it was written that one tree can make 170,000 pencils and that 82,000 trees are used to make 14 billion pencils per year. This figure is for reference only, however, because the person who wrote the blog did not provide a source for his information. We can also see from this that the loss of trees for pencil making is very high.
Also, the factories that produce pencils increase the harm to the environment. This also affects our forests and ecosystems. As people become more environmentally conscious, consumers are no longer unfamiliar with the use of renewable materials and are also becoming more willing to accept them. Recycled pencil have emerged.
1. What is a recycled pencil
Most pencils are made using wood. If you want to know how are pencils made, you can click here.Recycled pencil is usually made from recycled old newspapers. Workers use old newspapers to wrap graphite lead cores and then use high-quality glue to make the cores strong. Machines use a rolling method to roll up the newspaper, hold it in place and shape it, then bake it to dry. The pencils thus made have a hard shell and a comfortable grip, and will not break even when dropped from a height. One sheet of an old newspaper can make three pencils.
2. Benefits of using recycled pencil
When you use recycled pencil, you save about 16-17 trees for every ton of old newspapers that are recycled.When you use recycled pencil,this saves trees from being cut down and turned into wood pulp for making pulp. When you use recycled pencil,this protects about 60,000 liters of water from being used.
When you use recycled pencil,this saves approximately 225 kWh of electricity. When you use recycled pencil,this preserves approximately 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space. When you use recycled pencil,this prevents the production of large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions during manufacturing.When you use recycled pencil,this prevents some of the air and water pollution that affects people’s health and degrades the environment.
Today, recycling newspapers is proving to be a wise decision that benefits the sustainability of the planet’s resources. It’s a win-win situation for both humans and ecosystems.
3. The process of making your recycled pencil
First, you need to prepare the following materials: a stack of old newspapers, graphite lead core, white glue, ruler, scissors
In the first step, you need to cut the old newspaper according to the length of the lead core. Fold a piece of newspaper in half to the length of the lead core, which is usually about 18cm, and you can mark the newspaper with a pencil. Then use a ruler to measure out a length of 10cm of the newspaper. This length can be decided by yourself. Then use scissors to cut the newspaper, usually rectangular.
The second step is to apply glue to the 18cm long edge of the newspaper, place the lead core, and then you can start rolling it. Apply a layer of glue to the newspaper at regular intervals, and fix it while rolling.
The third step is to finish the wrap and set it aside to let him dry. After drying is complete if you feel the pencil is too thin, then cut another section of a newspaper, apply glue and continue rolling to increase the thickness until you feel the pencil is already at a comfortable thickness level.
You should be careful to make sure that the previous coating is dry before you cover it with new newspaper each time. Finally, you have a complete recycled pencil. Now you are ready to sharpen it and write with it.
4. Other materials used in environmentally friendly pencils
Eco-friendly pencils are not only recycled pencils, but they are environmentally friendly as long as they are produced in a way that reduces damage to the environment. So there are many different kinds of eco pencils. They are mainly made by secondary processing of recycled plastic or cardboard waste after use, reducing the production of new plastic.
4.1 Recycled paper pencil
The casing of these pencils is made of handmade recycled paper. It is lightweight, smooth and long-lasting to use, and very environmentally friendly. It has a hard exterior, good grip, and will be a pleasure to write with. These pens are now readily available in stationery stores. To protect the environment, the government is also promoting this pencil.
4.2 Biodegradable corn pens
These pens are made from a material derived from corn starch, and when you hold them you can’t tell if he’s made of plastic or not. They are not much different from typical disposable pens because they are discarded once the ink runs out. However, the biodegradable corn starch can decompose in about a year, which makes them more environmentally friendly than traditional plastic pens and takes the pressure off landfills.
4.3 Recycled water bottle pens
Americans consume more than 48 billion bottles of water each year, and about 80 percent of those plastic water bottles end up in landfills. Each bottle takes 500 to 1,000 years to biodegrade, which is also a serious test for the planet’s environment.
This has led to the emergence of a pen made from recycled plastic bottles. These pens write smoothly, have bright ink, and have refillable inserts. But since these pens are still plastic, they still need to be landfilled at the end of their lives.
5. Can wooden pencils be recycled?
Unused wooden pencils are recyclable because most pencils are made of recyclable materials. The main components of a wooden pencil are a wooden casing, a graphite lead core, a metal ferrule, and possibly rubber.
Although wooden pencils can theoretically be completely decomposed and recycled, in practice decomposing a pencil is not an easy task. So in general, the wooden casing of a pencil is not recycled. The main part of the pencil that is recycled is the top metal ring, the metal part that holds the eraser in place. This part can be easily recycled.
It is estimated that about 15 billion pencils are used worldwide each year. When we use recycled pencils, we help to reduce the use of wood and contribute to the preservation of the global environment. Honeyong suggests that children use recycled pencils to help cultivate the next generation to understand the importance of sustainable development and jointly protect our precious environment.
