"A state agency in Minnesota is claiming the world record for largest ball of paper. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says the ball measures 9 feet 7 inches tall and 32.2 feet in circumference. The 426-pound ball was displayed at the Minnesota State Fair to show how much recyclable paper state residents throw away every 30 seconds," the WPDE says.

"But anyone who missed seeing the ball at the fair is out of luck: The agency recycled it, turning it into cardboard for cereal boxes.

"The ball was built around a cardboard frame and held together with paper netting. In keeping with Guinness guidelines, no adhesives or tape was used."

"There was no previous record for the category, but the paper ball, created to show how much paper Minnesotans throw out in an average 30-second period, was held together with a paper mesh rather than glue or tape to comply with the record-keeping organization's guidelines," the UPI says.

"The paper ball, which the MPCA displayed at the Minnesota State Fair in August, has since been recycled, the organization said. The recycled paper was processed at Rock Tenn in St. Paul to make liner board for packaging such as cereal boxes."

"The official size of the ball — which used no glue, tape or adhesive — was 9-feet, 7-inches tall and 32.2 feet in circumference. The ball weighed 426 pounds," the MPR News says.

"The enormous wad of paper was on display at the Eco Experience building during the 2014 State Fair. Its creators hoped to highlight the value of recycling by building a visual representation of how much paper Minnesotans throw away in 30 seconds."

"The MPCA came up with the idea to create the world’s largest wad of paper to encourage more Minnesotans to recycle, noting a recent Waste Characterization report shows 1 billion pounds of paper ends up in Minnesota’s landfills every year instead of being recycled or composted," the Bring Me The News says.

"Much of that paper could be used by other Minnesota companies if recycled properly, the agency said, such as making boxes for General Mills cereals.

"The pollution control agency said the ball was a visual representation of how much potentially recyclable paper Minnesotans throw in the garbage every 30 seconds."

"A state agency in Minnesota is claiming the world record for largest ball of paper. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says the ball measures 9 feet 7 inches tall and 32.2 feet in circumference," the Daily Mail says.

"The 426-pound ball was displayed at the Minnesota State Fair to show how much recyclable paper state residents throw away every 30 seconds.

"There wasn't a previous record. But in keeping with Guinness guidelines, no adhesives or tape was used. The ball was built around a cardboard frame and held together with paper netting."