ANCHOR: Over in Japan, a recent Eco-messe exhibition presented some innovative eco-friendly products that you can use around the home. And they might save you some money, too. NTD’s Yukichi Negishi has more. STORY: One of the highlights from the exhibition is the Newspaper Brick Maker. This all-metal case uses old newspapers to make solid papier-mâché-like bricks that can be used as firewood. The device uses only water and recycled newspaper, and can make a cheap substitute to firewood. But some bloggers say they tend to smolder rather than burn if they aren’t made properly. Teruhisa Hagiwara describes how it works. [Teruhisa Hagiwara, T&T Co Ltd.]: “Our Newspaper Brick Maker turns newspaper into a brick that can be used as fuel. You first soak newspaper in water to make pulp. Then put the pulp in the newspaper brick maker, compress it tightly, then take out the brick. It’ll be complete when the compressed brick is dried which takes about 7-10 days. Everybody can make it easily.” Another highlight is the water saving toilet flapper. Older toilet flappers only close after all the water is flushed. But this flapper releases air bubbles and allows water to flow into the bowl faster. Then, when the air is released, the flapper closes immediately. The eco-flapper saves about five liters (1.3 gallons) of water a flush. We asked K&S Creative’s Kiyoshi Tsujimoto if he uses the eco-flapper at home. [Kiyoshi Tsujimoto, K&S Creative]: “Of course, I use it at home. When I use it, I …
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