Designers working on making paper from ag waste favor Rye fibers, reports Shea Gunther for Mother Nature Network.

Professor Eric Benson (graphic design) and partners at the University of Illinois are running project Fresh Press to explore how they can turn locally available agricultural waste into paper, creating a “zero waste” alternative paper-making.

They’ve built a paper-making lab and use ag residue from the University of Illinois Sustainalbe Student farm–how handy is that?

Paper samples made from agricultural waste (Photo: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Despite a relatively quick take-off for the project, Benson and his colleagues think that realistically it may take 5 years or more before their product goes more mainstream.

They’re re-inventing paper. What are you re-inventing?