How to Recycle Cardboard Tubes

How many cardboard tubes do you toss out in the course of a month? A year? Cardboard tubes are the end result of rolls of paper towels, gift wrap, wax paper, aluminum foil, plastic wrap and toilet tissue. More than likely, dozens of cardboard tubes pass through your house on a regular basis, and there are plenty of ways to reuse them and keep them out of a landfill.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Use the tubes to protect your knives. Flatten a paper towel tube, tape one end shut and make a sheath for a picnic knife. Use a toilet paper tube and do the same with small cutlery.

2. Store fabric in the tubes. Roll up leftover fabric scraps and insert them into a cardboard tube from the kitchen or bathroom. Tape a small sample of the fabric to the outside of the tube for easy identification.

3. Protect important documents. Tightly roll diplomas, certifications, birth certificates and other documents and insert them in a paper towel tube. They'll stay crease-free.

4. Extend the reach of your vacuum sweeper. If you can't reach a cobweb in the corner, use a wrapping paper tube to increase the length of the wand. Use a bit of duct tape to seal the connection.

5. Keep holiday lights tidy by wrapping them around cardboard tubes. Secure each end with masking tape or notch each end of the tube. Put small strands of garland or lights inside tubes and seal both ends of the tube with masking tape.

6. Make a handy pest strip when you're camping or on vacation. Use a paper towel tube and wrap it with tape, sticky side out. Hang it wherever flies or mosquitoes are a problem.

7. Wrap a length of carpet tube with plastic wrap, then roll tablecloths or napkins around it to avoid creases from folding. The plastic wrap helps prevent stains from the cardboard.

Tips & Warnings

• Carpet tubes are much thicker and sturdier than the tubes from paper towels or gift wrap. Most carpet stores are happy to give them away, but the tubes measure up to 12 feet long, so you might ask that they cut it to size before you haul it away.

Resources

• Recycling and craft ideas

[harrietcat]

on 12/24/2008 Great ideas! If you have pet gerbils or hamsters, they like them, too.