Can Pencils be Recycled? Learn to Reuse Old Pencils!

Pencils, along with crayons, are one of the very first tools that we saw when we first came to our senses. You learned your ABCs with pencils.

Every year, approximately 14 billion pencils are manufactured around the world due to their widespread use. Pencils are made of graphite and wood or synthetic materials. However, only lead sticks, which are simply graphite glazed in clay, are used to practice the ABCs or to sketch your first basket.

The remainders are shaved into dustbins, tossed out, or something along those lines. If you are thinking that pencils can be recycled you are right.

Can Pencils Be Recycled?

Since almost every pencil contains recyclable materials like wood and metal (Wooden pencils), they can be recycled. Mechanical pencils, on the other hand, come with a reusable metal or plastic covering and graphite “lead” sticks. Mechanical pencils are not recyclable, whereas wooden pencils, which make up the bulk, are.

Graphite, metal ferrules, and natural or synthetic rubber are used to make wooden pencils, which are typically constructed from cedar and its plants, as well as graphite, metal ferrules, and natural or synthetic rubber.

However, this does not imply that recycling wooden pencils is a simple method. These pencils are almost never accepted in recycling bins. This is due to the fact that the method used to handle pencil wood (especially low-grade types) makes them non-recyclable.

And if only to compensate for the number of trees used in their manufacture, it is still important to keep pencil waste out of landfills. One way to do this is to use every centimeter of the pencil. This way, usable pencils will not be thrown out.

The ferrule, the metal piece that keeps the rubber/eraser in place, is the most recyclable part of a pencil. Brass or aluminum may be used for this. In vast amounts, all metals can be easily recycled.

You may want to consider buying environmentally sustainable pencils made from recycled materials. Crop pencils, such as Sprout, also come with seeds. Simply plant the stub of your pencil after you’ve finished using it, and within a month, you’ll have a new vegetable or tree in your yard.

Can Pencil Shavings Be Recycled?

Since pencil shavings are normally made of cedarwood. They are biodegradable, even though they decompose slowly. Nonetheless, if you throw them out in the trash, they would almost certainly end up in landfills. That isn’t necessarily environmentally friendly. As a result, if you like to compost pencil shavings, you can do so on your own. To continue, you’ll need to set aside a bin or another container to collect your pencil shavings.

Some Ways To Reuse Old Pencils!

First and foremost, please do not discard your old pencils. Aside from writing or drawing with them, they can be used for a variety of things, such as:

1. Donate To Those Who Need It The Most

Giving your old pencils to charities like Pencils for Kids, which would mean that children in need have them, is a great way to express your kindness and make the world a happier place.

2. Making Jewelry

Colored pencils could be cut into small parts and glued together to create a variety of jewelry and accessories, such as earrings.

3. Creating Art 

You should decorate your picture frame, make picture cards, decorate your pen holders, and do other DIY crafts with your old pencils!

4. Stick For Seedlings

You are most certainly not alone if you like gardening. You may use old pencils as starting sticks to give them something to hold on to as they develop. You should then cut the pencils and save them for another group of seedlings until they’ve outgrown them.

5. Making Birdhouses For Your Pet Birds

You could attach old pencils together to make lovely birdhouses for your dogs! And if you don’t keep birds, the birdhouses can be used as toys for small children. You might also color them and decorate them.

Are Pencils Biodegradable

The majority of pencils are made of biodegradable materials, but others are not (such as those with plastic casings).

However, not all pieces of pencils are made mostly of biodegradable materials decay.

The wood used for the pencil stick in many wooden pencils is pest-resistant and long-lasting. Even though heavy grinding is often used to make the wood rot very slowly, these sticks are biodegradable.

The lead used to write or sketch, on the other hand, is composed of graphite, a natural crystalline carbon that is identical to diamond. This mineral is most often present in igneous and metamorphic rocks. As a result, it is rarely biodegradable or photodegradable.

It may, however, be used in composting because plants can consume the biomass. (It is, after all, a mineral.)

The ferrule, which is the metal component of a pencil that holds the erasers, is also non-biodegradable. The metal cylinder is known as a pencil ferrule, and it is usually made of brass or aluminum. The majority of pencil ferrules, on the other hand, are made of brass, which has a higher strength than aluminum.

The erasers themselves are usually made of natural or synthetic rubber. Synthetic rubbers, on the other hand, are not biodegradable.

However, there are environmentally sustainable pencils made exclusively of biodegradable materials.

Final Verdict

Pencils have been around for a long time and have served a valuable function. As a result, they must be attended to promptly. We’ve also discussed how to dispose of discarded pencils. The ball has now been passed to you.