Things You Can Make Out of Recycled Goods
Whether you call it repurposing or recycling, finding alternative uses for goods that would otherwise end up in landfill sites makes sense for both the budget and the environment. Some items you'd normally throw away can be put to good use without any further work on them, while others may need a little modification.
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Plastic Containers
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Use plastic soda or water bottles as weights in workout exercises. Fill them with sand or water and use them like dumbbells: a one-liter bottle weighs about 3.5 pounds when filled with sand . In the garden, recycle plastic bottles into bird feeders or scarers by standing them on a stick in the vegetable garden. An eco-friendly way to recycle empty bottles is to fill one or two with water then place them in the toilet cistern. The water displacement will save water on every flush. To make a trinket box or purse out of plastic bottles, cut the dimpled bottoms off two bottles then glue or sew a zipper inside with one half of the zipper in each bottle.
Newspapers
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Use old newspapers to make paper twists or logs to economically start a fire. Recycled newspapers also make excellent clean-up cloths for any spills, or scrunch up and use to clean windows with a sprinkling of vinegar, for a smear-free finish. Germinate seeds between sheets of dampened newspaper or use in the compost bin to balance the carbon/nitrogen mixture. For craft uses, make paper mache using strips of torn newspaper, or use the cartoon pages as gift wrapping.
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Recycle Jeans
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Jeans are just one of the clothing items that can be recycled. Make a purse out of the back pocket on a pair of jeans by cutting around the pocket. It needs no further work. Use the legs of jeans to make drawstring bags. Simply cut off the leg to the depth you'd like the bag, measuring up from the bottom hem, then sew the cut edge closed. Snip holes at intervals just below the hem that used to be bottom of the jean's leg, then thread cord or ribbon through the holes and knot the ends together.
Food and Soda Cans
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Upcycle used tin cans into penholders or plantpots. Cans can be painted or decorated with string or garden twine wrapped around the outside, or more elaborately with shapes cut out of opened and flattened soda cans. Strong paper punches can sometimes be used to punch shapes out of thin aluminum cans, or you can use a heavy-duty machine such as the big-shot. Take advantage of the bright colors on soda cans to make eye-catching jewelry such as bracelets or pendant necklaces.
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References
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