Melting Milk Cartons The other day I happened upon an experimental setup. Many milk cartons sat submerged in a pot. A staff member promoting wood education was peeling them off. At first I wondered what they were peeling. They were removing only the plastic film from the outside of the milk cartons so they could use the inner fibers. They silently peeled the warmed, water-soaked cartons and tore them into small pieces. The torn paper fibers went into a blender with water to be broken down even further. It looked a bit like porridge... Then, they took a handful of the pulpy fibers soaked in plenty of water and scooped them up with a poi net like those used for goldfish scooping. After scooping, they removed the excess water and gave the poi a sharp shake, causing the pulp to come away cleanly from the net. Once dried, the result is a perfectly round piece. You can also press in yarn, leaves, or other materials to create an original work.