TreeSmart Offers Recycled School Supplies [Review]

I try to recycle everything, after determining if it can be reused or composted first. I always wonder what the recycled paper and plastic becomes. Does the paper become recycled paper? Does the plastic become a recycled plastic toy for a child? Knowing what your hard recycling efforts become is a great motivator to continue recycling. TreeSmart specializes in recycled school and office supplies, including recycled rolled-up newspaper pencils, colored pencils, and rulers.

Tree Smart recycled products       
Rating: total green check marks out of 5.

The Good	The Not So Good
Made from recycled newspaper
Biodegradable

I received a recycled rule, regular pencils, and colored pencils. All three are made from recycled newspaper. How neat is that! I love that TreeSmart takes recycled items and makes them into recycled school and office supplies. This is a great way to teach our kids about the importance of recycling and that the stuff we recycle does get put to good use. TreeSmart offers a school fundraising and service project called Newspapers for Pencils to educate children about the importance of recycling. Children learn first-hand about the benefits of recycling by collecting newspapers in exchange for pencils printed with the school's name.

I was a little skeptical when I first read that the pencils are made from recycled newspaper. My fears were gone once I took the regular and colored pencils out of the packaging. They were sturdy and hard just like you would expect wooden pencils to be. TreeSmart recycled pencils are made from recycled rolled-up newspapers and high-quality #2 HB graphite. The pencils were easy to sharper with my standard mechanical sharpener. I can even compost the shavings. The ruler was very sturdy. I plan on adding this ruler to my canning kit so I can measure head space (I needed a 6" ruler).

Between the fact that TreeSmart reuses recycled newspaper to make school supplies and the Newspapers for Pencils fundraising project, I would highly recommend this company. The durability of the products shows the high quality process that takes recycled newspaper, adds graphite, and makes pencils. When my son gets older, I hope to introduce his school to the fundraiser and classroom activities. If you are looking for a greener and more eco-friendly source of your school and office supplies, consider TreeSmart.

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free to facilitate my review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.