Recycling Tips — How To Reuse Everyday Objects

Content brought to you by Full Circle Recycling

Many "disposable" items in your home have a useful life long after they have been used for their original purpose. By reusing objects for other purposes we extend their usefulness and reduce the amount of landfill waste we produce each day. With a little ingenuity, you can discover hundreds of other uses for common objects. Following are just a few:

Uses For Everyday Objects

• Best reuses for a fabric softener sheet: Keep drawers and luggage fresh. Wipe the lint screen of your dryer. Clean lint and pet hair off furniture. Eliminate static cling in skirts by rubbing on pantyhose.
• Use old Christmas cards as Christmas tags by simply cutting out the design on the card.
• Recycle old cards by using the front panel as a post card.
• Plastic soda bottle uses: Make a disposable funnel from the top half Cut a scoop from the bottom half, Or use the bottom half as a plant "greenhouse."
• Best use for an empty pump top handsoap dispenser: Fill with liquid soap detergent.
• Store onions in old pantyhose or nylons.
• If your fan belt snaps, use a pair of pantyhose as a substitute. Cut to fit.
  
  

Uses For Old Newspaper

• Protect carseats from muddy or wet clothing
• Put into loose shoes to tighten
• Stuff in leather shoes to preserve shape
• Stuff in wet shoes overnight to dry and deordorize.
• Crumple and place in suitcase for couple of weeks to remove stale odors.
• Use as mat when polishing shoes
• Stuff hats to keep their shape
• Stuff leather handbags in storage
• Wrap around candle bottoms so they'll fit holders tighter
• Cover store windows when remodeling
• Dampen and spread over window-panes before painting
• Use to dry and polish window after washing
• Stuff under doors and in cracks to stop cold wind from
  coming in.
• Use as a bounce reflector when taking flash photographs or use to reflect sunlight into shadow areas.
• Start fires
• Sharpen pencils by rubbing the point on newspaper
• Spread out between garden rows to discourage weeds
• Use to wrap green tomatoes to ripen
• Cover plants during a frost
• Use as a mat for wet darkroom photographs
• Put under car wheels when stuck in snow, mud or sand
• Shred and use for packing breakables
• Wrap and store Christmas tree ornaments
• Crumple (no colors) and place in plastic containers to eliminate odors
  
  

Reusing old greeting cards and Christmas cards
If you neatly cut the message side off of the card, you'll be left with a pretty postcard! Just write an address and a message, attach a postcard stamp (you even save on postage!), and you're ready! Another option is to attach the front (picture) side of the card to cardstock to make a new card. Christmas cards can also be reused as postcards, or the picture part can be cut out and used as holiday gift tags.

Do you have Christmas, birthday, graduation or wedding cards with sentimental value but having difficulty finding a place to keep them? Solution: slot them in between your books as bookmarks or create a card album (like a photo album) which you can flip through from time to time.
Another refreshing tip : if your photo albums are organised in a chronological manner, why not insert these cards into the same album according to the time you received it? Then you will be able to view photos & cards all at the same time!

Makeup
Before you discard your old mascara, save the wand! Wash it clean & dry it properly then use it to brush your eyebrows or alternate use between the new mascara. Turn an empty lipstick into a mini-jewelery case for a thin gold chain or small earrings. Clean the inner part of the lipstick before placing your jewelery into this perfect secret hideout!

Turning old milk cartons into bird feeders
A great eco-friendly craft project for kids! These everyday objects can be recycled to benefit the birds in your neighborhood. The birds don't care if the birdfeeder is a fancy store-bought one or not, and your kids will have fun cutting and hanging the milk carton and filling it with seeds every day. The whole family will enjoy getting to know the birds that come for breakfast. This is also a great craft for your child to bring to school.

Organizing with tin cans
Tin cans can be washed out and decorated with wrapping paper or contact paper on the outside, making a great container for crayons, pencils, pens, paintbrushes, and other art supplies. These are perfect organizers for home or the classroom - there is no need to buy fancy plastic organizers whlen you already have objects sitting around ready to be reused.

Old CDs keep birds away!
If you've ever been frustrated with birds eating all the fruit off of your fruit trees, here's a great idea! Reuse old CDs which are scratched, which you no longer listen to, or which AOL sent you one too many of, and hang them from branches using fishing line. The light reflecting off the CDs bothers the birds enough to keep them away from the fruit!

Bicycle inner tubes are very versatile
These handy objects can be recycled and reused in several creative ways. Use an inner tube to tie plants to garden stakes, or in place of bungee cords to secure loads on trucks or roof racks. Cover chains with a used inner tube if you need to prevent the chain from rubbing against a surface that could be gouged. You can even make watertight wallets or pouches by using sheet metal, glue, and bicycle inner tubes.

Forget the wrapping paper!
Instead of buying new wrapping paper, reuse old maps that are outdated or that you no longer need. These maps make attractive colorful wrapping, as do the Sunday comics in the newspaper! Newsprint roll-ends can often be obtained for free from newspaper offices, and children can create their own decorative wrapping paper, using markers, stickers, and other art supplies. Even old pillowcases can be used as gift bags with a pretty ribbon to tie the opening!

Reuse old magazines
Pretty magazine pages can be folded to make envelopes - just unstick another envelope at its edges, unfold it, and trace on the magazine page. Fold it back up and glue it into an envelope shape. You can also make a wastebasket out of magazines. Roll up the pages very tightly and glue them to a large ice cream container or some other type of tub. Of course, if you have vintage magazines that are in good condition, you might want to check their value on eBay. They may be worth more than you think!

Use your sewing/crocheting/knitting skills
If you know how to sew, knit, or crochet, you can reuse many household items. Old sheets can be sewn into curtains or pillowcases, old towels into laptop cases, and old dishcloths into throw pillows. Old clothes are another good resource. Instead of buying cleaning rags, cut up your old clothes. Use the waistband of old painter's pants to make a tool belt. Some crafty folks have even created patterns for knitting and crocheting those plastic grocery bags (that cause us so much trouble) into reusable tote bags!

Reuse old paper for arts and crafts projects
Recycling and reusing old paper can be as simple as using the reverse side of paper for kids' art projects. However, reusing old paper to make new paper can be an art project in itself! Place ripped up paper in a blender with water and blend to make a pulp. Put this mixture in a large tub or basin with some liquid starch. Use a tightly stretched window screen as a frame, and dip this frame into the pulpy mixture. Drain the water and make sure the mixture is even, then invert it onto a piece of fabric. Wait for your new paper to dry.

Don't toss your old clothes
Of course, if the clothes are still in good condition, they can be given to a shelter or a charity which will gladly accept them. If they aren't quite wearable anymore, try using them for children's dress-up - if you don't have children, contact your local preschool! Or dress up a scarecrow in your old clothes and put it out in your garden.

Miscellaneous Items
Keep big envelopes (A4 or bigger) & use them to keep a book or magazine from getting crumbled edges while you carry it around in your bag. Also put slippers or shoes in them when packing for a trip.

Unused envelopes that are stuck together can open right up once they come under a hair dryer or place them in a microwave for a minute.

Create a picture coloring book for kids by cutting out black & white comic strips or appropriate advertisements from newspapers & pasting them onto a scrapbook.

Convert plastic drink bottles to bowling pins.

Retain plastic or glass containers such as cups, bottles or boxes & use them either as vases, flower pots, pen holders or art & craft materials for your kids.


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