How to Turn Your Trash Into Treasure

Products can be made from unexpected materials such as inner tubes, egg cartons, automotive products, soda labels, candy wrappers and other pieces of junk most people throw away. Learning to recycle certain products in this ever-increasing green market will turn your trash into treasure.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Recycled materials such as: unstained candy wrappers, soda or can labels, snack bags, soda bottles, copper, patio furniture, rubber tires, old belts and a sewing machine to sew parts together
• Sewing craft items such as heavy duty scissors, colorful beads, linings and colorful threads

1. Find an economically based company online that teaches people how to create products from misprinted or discontinued lines of snack bags, soda labels or candy wrappers. Some good sources for these products are online at www.evo.com and www.greenandmore.com. Take a long look at these recycled products and determine what kind of products you can make.

2. Become an ecoist to save the environment and learn to recycle your own trash as well. Rummage through your trash, attic or garage and find recycled items that are not damaged, messy or torn up, then clean or cut these materials up to prepare them for your project. Go to your local craft store and find some cutout designs for bags accessories and clothing.

3. After researching these products, develop your own style for prototypes. You can transform inner tubes into handbags or wallets. Design a lamp from a recycled soda bottle or sew a wallet from candy wrappers.

4. Research how all these products sell in the market. Learn the demographic market for these green friendly products. Routinely go through your trash and put aside eco-friendly products to use later.

Tips & Warnings

• Research is an important step for these products. Go online and look at the products that people have already developed.
• Find out which products are most popular in sales and search.
• Use the google keyword tool to find out which items are searched for the most.
• Be careful when dealing with glass and plastics.
• Make sure you learn to use the right equipment for cutting glass and heating plastics.
• Use safety at all times while creating your products.

Resources

• http://www.greenandmore.com
• http://www.evo.com

[LilacGirl]

on 4/30/2008 Good ideas.

[PJSandAMovie]

on 2/8/2008 Very interesting topic. I didn't know you could make handbags from inner tubes! That's awesome. I hope more people try to go green. Heck I've begun recycling paper towels I use to dry my hands. I save them and clean my bathroom with them. :o)