Ultimate Recycling: Paper from Tasmanian Wombat Poo

[steven johnson]

I know you should make lemonade if life gives you lemons. But paper from wombat dung?

Nowadays the wombat is found in the wild only in the far south of Australia
Wombat droppings are helping an industrial city in Australia fight the effects of the global financial crisis.
Burnie, in the north-west of the state of Tasmania, has been hit by repeated rounds of job cuts.

But despite the gloom, one local industry is thriving by producing handmade paper out of a material no-one else wants - wombat poo.
The novelty paper is a hit with tourists keen to buy a distinctly Australian souvenir from the area.
The wombat, a furry marsupial, lives in the wild only in Australia.

In recent years, a company in the port city has been experimenting with paper made from kangaroo droppings - but its popularity has been eclipsed by wombat-inspired products.
Creative Paper manager Darren Simpson says the manufacturing process can be rather unpleasant.


"When we are boiling it, it does smell horrific as you can imagine, but once it has been sterilised and rinsed properly there's no scent left to it. If anything it just gives you a nice organic smell," he said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8006042.stm

[luvspeas]

1. wombats are my current favorite animal...

They mostly eat a really tough grass so their poop is probably already like paper.

[Nihil]

3. Sounds like wombats are pretty advanced really ...

> They mostly eat a really tough grass so their poop is probably
> already like paper.

Self-wiping poop! :evilgrin:

[kestrel91316]

4. Marsupial version of a woodchuck?

[Buzz Clik]

2. "Guano bowls. Collect the whole set."