How to Organize your Home with Recyclables

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

a motivation to help Mother Nature
motivation to clean your home (sorry I've no tips on how to achieve this!!!)

Step 1

Cardboard Cores:

Save the cardboard cores from paper towels, toilet paper rolls, and any other rolled products (such as aluminum foil, plastic overwrap, etc.)
Cores may be reused in a variety of ways:

1. Store wrapped taper candles in the longer cores to help prevent the candles from breaking between uses.

2. Use cores (any size) to help organize items with cords, such as extension cords. Simply cut along the long-side of a paper core so that the core can wrap long-ways around the wrapped up extension cord.

3. Use cores to wrap holiday cord lights around, prior to storing.

4. Use toilet paper cores as formed seed-starter "pots" when sowing new seeds. Snip four to five 1/2-inch slits into only one end of the core, so that you create several wide flaps. Fold each flap toward the center, so you create a base for the cylinder/core. After folding all flaps into the core, you should have a pot-like creation, which you may fill with potting soil. After filling with soil, sow seeds. As your seeds germinate and their root lengths grow, you can easily transfer the cardboard pot to a large ceramic pot or directly into the ground. The cardboard pot will eventually disintegrate.

5. When preparing for the holidays, pre-assemble your cookie doughs. Once your dough is made, roll it into a log atop waxed paper. Roll the log up in waxed paper, and then cover it in a core "shield" (I still recommend storing it in a freezer bag). The shield will allow you to mark the contents and date clearly with a marker, while also helping the dough retain its rolled form.
NOTE: This tip is particularly effective with cookie recipes that are to be baked after being sliced from chilled dough.

6. Larger cores (from wrapping paper, for example) make great packaging "boxes" and/or shipping tubes for posters or stick-like items (such as a flags or batons). These tubes are fun as packaging boxes, as after they're wrapped, they truly help your pile of wrapped packages under a Christmas tree look unique and diverse...and alluring!
Step 2

Containers:

Glass, plastic, and paper containers have a variety of afterlife uses, including storage of almost any kind, thanks to their often-accompanying lids.

1. Plastic containers are particularly helpful when cleaned after using all of the sour cream, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and/or dips that were originally sold in it. Such plastic containers are great for food storage. Even if you don't like or never have leftovers, use these containers to store extra chicken stocks or excess grease drippings (which are harmful when poured down your kitchen sink). ...anything that is liquid-based is typically stored safely in a lidded plastic container.

Additionally, plastic containers may be used as pots for potted plants when starting seeds or in need of a pot that will be inserted into a larger, decorative pot. Simply drill small water drainage holes in the bottom of the plastic container prior to potting plants.

2. Paper or cardboard containers, such as those from oats or other dry goods, may be reused to store small toys (including those for pets!), sewing notions (the large oats containers are perfect for long knitting needles, for example), crafting items, and or gardening storage (keep all your garden gloves in one place). Dry goods containers are also beneficial in the den or home office, or craft room, when attempting to sort and store like items.

3. Pill Containers may be reused for storing sewing and craft notions (they're perfect for jewelry making supplies, sewing needles, buttons and beads, for example). Additionally, pill containers work well for storing jewelry when traveling.

4. Glass bottles may be reused as vases. Prior to using as a vase, use warm soapy water to remove labels and clean bottles at the same time. Decorate bottles with raffia, ribbons or a combination of raffia/ribbon with silk flowers to dress bottles up. Brown beer bottles look especially lovely when dressed up with a silk, pink ribbon, and filled with white freesia.
Step 3

Shopping bags:

1. Plastic bags - Plastic bags should never be thrown away, even if they're not going to be reused. Be deliberate about recycling them, as almost all grocery and discount (i.e. Walmart) stores now accept them for recycling.
Otherwise, recycle these bags by reusing them! Reuse them to hold waste in small trash cans (such as those in baby's room or in the bathroom), dog walk waste pick-up bags, and protective coatings for stored decorations (for example, protect small wreaths by storing them in plastic shopping bags).

2. Paper bags - Paper bags are handy particularly when you have run out of storage room in your recycling container, as the paper bag itself is recyclable. Simply set out your brown paper bag filled to the top with other recyclables, on trash day; and, the trash collector should pick it up. (Of course, your own city or community's recycling stipulations should be followed above these instructions.)

Outside of being a recyclables container, brown paper bags may be cut to use again as basic wrapping paper (the package may then be decorated with colorful ribbons, bows, and additional decorations to add more color and personalization).

When you need to ship a parcel, don't buy a roll of brown paper with which you will wrap the parcel. Instead, cut your saved brown paper bags to wrap the parcel prior to shipping.
Step 4

Egg Cartons:

1. Egg cartons work well as seed starting sheets.
2. Styrofoam cartons are fabulous craft painting palettes. Each egg holder presents a would-be artist great paint separation for acrylics, temperas, etc.
3. Use egg cartons as junk drawer organizers. They hold paper clips, pins, tacks and other obscurities very well.
4. If you assist an elderly person who is on large doses of medication, a thoroughly cleaned egg carton comes in handy as a pill or dose separator.
Step 5

Plastic Bottles:

Large plastic bottles with lids (such as bleach or milk containers) are great for a couple specific uses:

1. Funnel - If you turn the bottle upside down and cut the bottom off, you have an immediate funnel. This is extremely beneficial when adding oil to your car, pouring bird seed into a feeder, etc.

2. Scoop - Turn lidded bottles into scoops by cutting their bottom's off. Keeping the lid on, and hold the bottle's handle while scooping dry material. Use your new scoop to scoop gardening dirt while planting, scooping bird seed, dog food, etc.
Step 6

Styrofoam Shipping Peanuts:

Either reuse when shipping your own packages, or use in place of rocks at the bottom of plant pots as room for drainage.