Dung paper is a type of paper using natural fibers from cellulose-rich herbivorous feces. Many dung paper producers mix waste paper to make the paper more appealing while remaining eco-friendly.
History
Elephant dung paper
Dung paper was invented by
Kenya conservationist Mike Bugara by late 1996, using
African elephant dung. He found success with the Kenya Wildlife Service, which in 1997 commissioned his paper for special events.
In the early 2000s, the KWS began to encourage other Kenyan farmers to collect elephant dung and produce elephant dung paper. As of 2025, 17 elephant dung paper companies operate in Kenya, with more in neighboring countries.
Elephant dung paper quickly spread outside of East Africa to Asia. In 1997, shortly after the introduction of African elephant dung paper, Thusitha Ranasinghe of Sri Lanka founded Eco Maximus to produce Indian elephant dung paper. Ranasinghe was inspired by reading about the Kenyan elephant dung paper in the news.
Novel dung papers
Bugara's concept inspired other novel dung papers using other types of dung.
- Moose
- Sweden, 2000, Ann-Mari Remahn & Sune Häggmark, )
- Bison
- Idaho, USA, invented c. 2002, available 2005, Victor Bruha & Daniel Hidalgo, Dung and Dunger; inspired by Thai elephant dung paper.
- Kangaroo and wallaby
- Tasmania, Australia, 2005, Creative Paper Tasmania; inspired by African elephant dung paper and Scandinavian elk dung paper.
- Domestic sheep
- Wales, 2008, Lez Paylor & Lawrence Toms, Creative Paper Wales; inspired by kangaroo & wallaby dung paper.
- Rhinoceros
- Assam, India, 2013, Mahesh Bora, ElRhino; inspired by Rajasthan elephant dung paper.
- Cattle
- Rajasthan, India, 2018, Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute, Khadi and Village Industries Commission
Production and use
All dung paper production follows the same general steps:
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The collected dung is ground as needed into a paste;
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The paste is washed as needed to separate the cellulose fibers from other fecal matter;
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Additional fiber and liquids are added as desired, to adjust final paper properties;
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The resulting slurry is screened into a sheet;
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After final adjustments, the wet sheet is dried.
[Yang, Xiangjun & Li, Lu & Zhao, Wuyun & Tian, Yuhang & Zheng, Ruizhe & Deng, Shuhang & Mu, Yongsong. (2023). The Influence of Potassium Hydroxide Concentration and Temperature on Pulp Characteristics and Cow Dung-Based Paper Performance. Journal of Natural Fibers. 20. 10.1080/15440478.2022.2164546. accessed ]
Dung paper is marketed in various ways across many companies, including as a novelty item, an eco-friendly good, a souvenir, and as folk art.[
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See also
