Ukrainian student launches initiative to turn fallen tree leaves into paper

Valentyn Frechka, CEO of the "Re-leaf Paper" project, shows raw fallen tree leaves at the Zhytomyr Cardboard Factory in Zhytomyr, Ukraine November 19, 2020. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

ZHYTOMYR, Ukraine (Reuters) - Valentyn Frechka was a high school student living in rural Ukraine when he began a science project to turn fallen leaves from trees and plants into paper.

Three years on, and the 19-year-old is heading an initiative called "Re-leaf Paper", producing paper bags and packaging from fibre extracted from dead leaves.