Recycling - Resourceful Reusing
Reuse is often confused with recycling, but they are really quite different. Rather than reprocessing an item into a new raw material for use in a new product (Recycling), reusing means anything that lengthens the life of an item.
You can reuse by purchasing long lasting goods, buying and selling in the used marketplace, borrowing, renting, participating in business waste exchanges and more.
Reusing creates less air and water pollution than making a new item or recycling. Reusing helps source reduction and results in less hazardous waste, as well as saves us money in purchases and disposal costs.
Resourceful Reusing - Tips & Ideas
Old Shoes - Send old shoes to Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program, where they are turned into sports surfaces like basketball courts and running tracks.
Toys & Books - Take these to hospitals, play centers or schools.
Clothes - Give unwanted clothes to charity shops and used clothing bins.
T-shirts - Use as rags for cleaning up around the house. Or sew a couple of favorites into a pillow.
Shoe boxes - Can be used as storage containers, file boxes etc, rather than spending money on plastic storage containers.
Plastic food containers - Use empty plastic containers for freezing or storing food items.
Wrapping paper & gift boxes - Save these to use again.
Jars - Wash and clean old jars and use for storage, or for making homemade jam or preserve.
Glass jars/bottles - Use glass jars or bottles (like spaghetti sauce jars) to make a planter or vase of some sort. Bamboo stalks are a great plant to keep in this type of jar as they don't like a lot of water. Put some marbles or stones at the bottom of the jar and type some material or ribbon around the jar to decorate.
Magazines - Take old magazines to your local doctors' or dentist surgery.
Computers & Monitors - Donate old computers to schools or community education centers.
Milk jugs - Cut off the top and hang from your clothesline to use as a clothespin holder.
Toilet Paper Roll - Use as an extension cord organizer and keep all your cords and cables tidy when not in use.
Toothbrushes - Bathroom scrubbers or clothing stain scrubbers.
CD's - Paint old cd's or cover with paper for one of a kind drink coasters.
Cereal Boxes - Open them up and lay flat, to make "placemats" for dirty jobs.
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