Re-thinking Waste

Nearly 80% of the garbage we throw away is recyclable and/or reusable. When you consider that humans generate over 13 Trillion pounds of trash every year, the implications of  the  impact we could make by recycling is staggering! Rethinking how we use and dispose of things can make a big difference, not only for the environment, but for our wallets as well. Here are a few commonly disposed of items that can be re-purposed for other things. 

Toothpaste Tubes: Remove the top portion and you can use the base to start seeds. Save enough of them, and you can thread them together and make a hammock, lacing for a patio chair or child's swing. Sew a snap on one corner, and you have a great toothbrush cover!

Pantyhose: Fill with human hair and hang in the garden to repel small animals and deer. Fill a balloon with water and a glow stick and insert into the leg and hang from a tree or your ceiling for a cool Halloween party decoration. Use the legs as ties to secure plants such as tomatoes and to support produce on vines such as pumpkins and gourds. You can even use them over a camera lens to create special effects!

Glass Jars: Glass jars like spaghetti sauce jars, salsa jars, etc. are great for storing things like screws and nails, craft supplies, even dried herbs from the garden. One tip to maximize your storage space is to screw the lid of the jar to the underside of a shelf. Fill the jar with the contents, then screw the jar to the lid. You've just created a whole new storage area! Jars can also be turned into tiny terrariums, to start seeds, grow bean sprouts, and re-purposed to create things like bird baths, cake stands, even decorative candle holders.

Milk Jugs: Milk jugs make excellent pots for plants as well as storage containers for all kinds of items such as tools, small auto parts, electronics, toys, beauty products, medical supplies, office supplies, even DVD's. Simply remove the top and label the base. The top can also be recycled into plant pots for smaller plants, funnels for use around the home/garage, toys for the sand box/tub, scoop for the cat box and combined with other materials to use as a watering system in the garden. Milk jugs can also be decorated and used as luminaries, holiday decorations, bird feeders, watering cans and pet bowls.

Soda Bottles: From plant pots to bird feeders, terrariums and water filtration systems, soda bottles are more valuable than the soda that comes in them! Add a little bleach and water and you have a light bulb. Add Baking Soda, Hydrogen Peroxide and Mountain Dew and you have a cool glow light. Save enough of them and you can build a green house, a boat,  a kid's play house, even furniture such as a a footstool, base for a table, lamp base and child's bed. Re-use them as storage containers, purses, wind socks, even rattles for kids. Remove the base and add a fabric closure, and you have a great yarn ball protector. The base can be used as a tray for your plant pots too! Soda bottles are also great for keeping frost off of your tender shoots. 

Toilet Paper Tubes: What's not to love about these? From art projects to storing wires and electronic cords, to seed starters, toilet paper tubes have a multitude of uses. Fill them with old dryer lint and you have an amazing fire starter for those camping trips. Combine a few of them upright inside an old shoe box and you have a great organizer for craft/office supplies and even tools! Staple one end closed and insert into a briefcase pocket to put pens in to protect your case should one explode. 

When it comes to recycling, uses for old things are only as limited as your imagination. Before throwing something away, ask yourself what it can be reused for. You will be surprised at how much money you spend each year buying things you could have easily made from something else you already had in your home. 

Until next time.. Be Well!