I frequently dream about tiny houses, downsizing, and generally, just living a simpler life. And my dad talks to me all the time about prepping. So when he mentioned that he was taking his shredding, adding water, and smashing it into a large can, I thought, “Ok, maybe he’s lost his mind, but let’s go with it and see what happens.” Turns out, this turning junk mail into fuel is actually a thing.
As you’d imagine, with a blog title like mine, I like putting things by. I love the idea of the root cellar. I love the idea that you can have things set aside for emergencies and know that you’ll be okay. I like safety!
I also hate junk mail, and I spend a fair amount of time shredding the stuff that would (according to all accounts) make it super easy for someone to steal my identity. But what if I didn’t have to do that? What if I didn’t have to recycle it all? Well, apparently, I’d get to do this:
Pretty cool, right? I mean, it must be said that you have to be careful burning this stuff – remember that junk mail is filled with dyes and inks, so I actually do have my reservations about burning it. And due to the toxicity in those dyes and inks, never use this particular fuel source in a fire to cook food.
But if you really were in a jam and needed fuel, this might be an ideal solution. As in, “Hey, the zombie apocalypse is actually here and I didn’t stock enough wood. Well, there’s always all this junk mail….”
So there you have it. One more potential solution for your future energy needs.
