Sometimes I am endlessly amazed at the ingenuity of people who can organize the production of something from nothing with virtually no investment, and then earn good money from this business…
My wife comes from a small town, where I met her neighbor about 10 years ago. At that time, he lived very modestly: a 15-acre yard that he inherited, an old house, and a car. We hadn't seen each other for three years… And how surprised I was when I saw him. He lives right there, in the village. He has already put the house in order, tidied up the area, and drives a Gazelle truck.
So, a friend set up a business in his garage: he buys newspapers and makes fuel for the stove from them.
People from all the nearby villages and towns sell him waste paper for pennies: mostly newspapers, but there are also cardboard boxes, magazines, and other paper products. He also made an agreement with some shops that he would take all the waste paper for nothing…
He has set up a work area in his garage and makes “paper firewood,” or paper fuel briquettes, from newspapers.
He works alone, has put his “paper” business on stream, and half of the yard is covered with these products. Preparations for the heating season are now in full swing.
He exchanges newspapers for his “fuel” at a discount from those who bring him them, and sells them to others.
According to him, briquettes made from pressed waste paper retain heat no worse than firewood. Although from the point of view of combustion physics, this is more like a beautiful legend: paper briquettes are lighter, so they burn faster, only creating the impression of powerful heat.
There is nothing complicated about the production. Thin paper, such as newspapers or book pages, is shredded into strips with a cutter or axe and soaked in buckets of water for about an hour, while cardboard and other thick papers are soaked for 3 hours.
Next, he puts the wet shredded paper under a press, squeezing the water out through molds with holes. After that, the briquette is extruded and sent to dry in the sun or in a heated room. Drying lasts 3-5 days. That's it!
Paper does not require any binding agents and when softened, it becomes an excellent adhesive, so no glue or other ingredients are needed – just newspapers, water, a shredder and a press!
According to him, he started by making ordinary balls, pressed by hand, which he sold for pennies, and only then began to use a press, and the molds were pieces of 50, 110, and 160 mm PVC sewer pipes.
People come to him from all over for briquettes, and so far sales are growing year after year. They buy them to heat garden sheds, garages, and greenhouses.
The only investments are a used press and a homemade manual paper shredder. He plans to buy an industrial shredder, since shredding takes the most time.
He didn't say how much he earns, but he hinted that it's very good for the village.
