Recycling Abstract Yes, there may be a free party after all. With just a little initial initial investment you can use your free junk mail as a source of heat if you have a wood-burning fire place or stove. You shred the junk mail, soak it in water for a bit, then use a paper briquette maker to press the mushy paper into briquettes and let them dry. Not only do you get free heat but there's definitely no way someone will reassemble the shredded pieces!

No, it's not perfect. Paper is not what it used to be and some is more plastic than paper and some pretty much does not burn. You can either shred it all or do some pre-sorting. Unless you pre-sort well, these briquettes will not burn too well on their own but will do well in an already burning fire as a supplement.

And as you can see, it can also be fun. I enjoyed looking along the sides of a freshly made briquette to see what colors, patterns, and shapes catch my eye. Here's one of such spots.

If you're interested, the press is not all that expensive. As of this writing, around $50 on Amazon. You will also need a shredder, and a bucket.

• Nikon D200 (my D600 is with Nikon for cleaning again!)
• Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 (or the newer AF-S version)
• Kenko extension tube set
• 1 x SB-600 (now replaced with Nikon SB-700)
• A freshly made wet paper briquette
• Shredder, bucket, water

Using my links to buy your equipment keeps me going and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. Thank you very much, I really appreciate it!

My previous Indoor Projects:

• Indoor Photo Project - Water Gone Wild, Vividly and Colorfully Wild
• Indoor Projects - Shells
• Indoor Projects - Aquarium Photography
• Indoor Projects - Take Notes