Recycling Junk Mail

Turns out it works fairly well if you wash it, sort of like how you would if you were going to make your own paper.  Soak it, mix it around some, drain and dry.  It comes out softer and more packing-material-like, and you could use things that would have otherwise been too sensitive, as they're pretty well unreconstructable by this point.

Only trouble was the water didn't seem... wholesome... when I was done, and I wasn't sure what the best disposal method was since I wasn't sure what the components of all the inks and bleaches might be that went into it.

So, might be a good idea, but I lack the chemistry and print experience to know whether I'm helping or hurting environmentally, so I'll hold off on that experiment.   If it turns out to be safe, then you could pretty much use any scrap paper product to create recycled packing peanut material by loose drying the mixture.

Unfortunately the bulk of junk mail is only suitable for 2 uses:

1) low grade fuel (high clay content, plus halogenated materials)

2) low grade pulp (same reasons) 

3) It makes great landfill... That is *if* we had a need for more landfill [sigh]

I always try to give the sender a call or an e-mail to opt out... Sometimes it works (win-win) sometimes they have no idea what to do (draw-lose) sometimes they say "we don't do that" (lose-lose) because I'll turn the post-paid envelopes around and send them back to those fools.

BTW we have municipal recylcing that takes just about everything.