Recycled Items in YOUR Home

Recycling means more than just stacking up your newspapers, rinsing out your food cans and toting that Big Blue Bin to the curb. That of course is if you are lucky enough to have one. The complex I live in doesn't have any so, once a month I head to the recycling center.

Recycling involves processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials. This is done by a special process depending on whether it is paper, glass, aluminum, etc. But of course this is not the only way. What about reusing what you already have for a different purpose.

That is what I want to know today. What items (if any) in your home do you reuse?
Do you throw something out only to go buy a new container for storage? Or, do you have items stashed in any and everything you can find?

Below I want to share some (but not all) of my recycled items. I grew up with my grandparents (born in the early 1900's) so they saved everything. I acquired that trait as a kid and now have come to realize how good it really is.

One of the funniest recycled items I can remember as a kid were my bookends. They were bricks from and old farm building we tore down, covered in a pink/purple flannel from an old pair of PJ's to match my purple room.

OK, so enough about the old days, we can we do or reuse now.

1) Once in awhile I get bottled water (in plastic) or bottled tea (in glass). These are brought home, washed and reused. Now I don't reuse the plastic ones very long and I don't make frozen water in them, but they do get recycled.





2)Old candy contain is now a Stevia canister.








3) Old food boxes are cut down for magazines, papers, pamphlets, etc.












4) Old Christmas tins are now used for storage of cat food.

The dogs get one too, it's filled with toys. Once the lid is take off they have no problems getting what they want, even my dog Koda and his head is as big as mine. lol




5) Old shoe boxes get used for everything., and I mean everything.
As you can see they get a post it note stuck on them and then placed
on the shelf. These three are loaded with batteries and their charger, camera and electronic equipment, and computer and Zune equipment.








I have old coffee containers filled with plants. Old pill bottles and mint cans filled with pins, paper clips, buttons and Christmas lights. There are glass bottles full of pens/pencils and reused for flower vases.

My list could go on and on but the point is that recycling means more than just taking something to the recycling center and making someone else do the work to make it something else. Be creative. Save the Planet and Save some Money.

So, my quest for you this week is to look around you house. Look at what you use and what you throw out. Can something be reused and for what? Let me know.

Recycled items can also be used for crafts. Check out this link to learn more.
Reduce Footprints: Repurposeful Crafting