25 Things You Can Re-Use At Home
On average, each Australian household throws out 15.7 kg of waste every week.
Most of us have got used to the idea of putting newspapers, cans and bottles out for recycling, but there are many items that are not recyclable through our local recycling collections.
This page focuses on the materials that we can all re-use and recycle at home.
Follow the many common sense tips listed below and you'll be well on your way to reducing the amount of waste that you throw away every day.
- Protect your clothes - use an old car mat to kneel on when gardening.
- Placing coffee jar lids under your chairs or sofa is a great way to protect your carpet.
- Got a stain in your shirt or cuffs? Then rub in your stain remover with an old tooth brush before soaking your clothes.
- Go down to your local dog pound and get a recycled dog.....then cut down your food waste by feeding it all of your uneaten meat scraps!
- Make a portable dog poo shovel out of a 2 litre plastic milk bottle. Cut out a shovel shape, making sure that the lid and handle are left on the plastic shovel. Use the leftover plastic to scrape the poo into the shovel. When you get home, put the dog poo down your toilet and rinse the scoop and scraper after with a hose. It's great when taking your dog for a walk!
- Make a tin can telephone. Take off the lids and then tie two Milo tins together with a long piece of string for the desired effect - kids love it!
- Create ice blocks for your eskie - fill up old milk cartons with water and freeze them.
- Want the perfect shape for a scone? Then remove both ends of a baby food tin and use the can as a scone cutter. For big biscuits, use a fruit can instead.
- Get yourself a worm farm and feed it all of your food scraps. 1kg of worms can eat and recycle 1kg of food every day, giving you nutritious worm castings for your plants.
- Going on a picnic? Don't leave your cans and bottles in a litter bin - take them home and recycle them! Clean plastic pill bottles can also make great salad dressing containers as well.
- Put your bottle tops and jam jar lids into an old baked bean can. When the can is half full, squash the top of the can so the contents are held in - then put it in your recycling bin.
- Can't cut gift wrap paper in a straight line? Then put it in an old cling wrap box that has metal serrated edges - your problem will disappear!
- Want to keep the kids amused? Empty roll-on deodorant bottles can be used as paint pens for small children. Wash the plastic ball and bottle, then fill with paint and replace the ball and lid. When storing, keep it upside down with the lid on tight.
- Clear plastic lids from fresh cream containers can be placed under shaving aerosols to prevent rust appearing on your bathroom surfaces.
- Make your own gift wrap! Wrap your presents in the comic pages from your local Sunday newspaper, magazines or comics. Kids (and even adults) love it!
- Why not store your food scraps temporarily in an old ice cream container, before you put them onto your worm farm or compost?
- Don't put old cooking oil and fat down the sink - pour it into a used milk carton and put it out in the rubbish.
If you have a cat, you can put a bit of cat litter in the bottom of the carton to absorb the oil. - Old wet-wipe containers make great string dispensers - try it out!
- Open up the bottom of a used milk carton and use it to plant a tree seedling in. The carton will protect your seedling from weather and pests and will degrade as the tree grows.
- Made too much soup? Then try freezing it in an old plastic milk container (remember to leave a bit of space to allow for expansion).
Going camping? Plastic milk containers are also great storage devices for sugar, flour and other foodstuffs. - Just before your strawberries or raspberries are ready to pick, throw an old net curtain over them to protect them from birds.
- Has your pillow gone flat? Then why not fold it over, stitch it together and put it inside a new cushion cover?
- 50% of household waste going to landfill is what we call green organic waste. So make sure you put your lawn clippings and dead leaves into a compost heap instead of into your garbage bin.
- Got some old clothes or furniture that you don't want anymore? Well there are plenty of charity shops that do want them, so why not donate your unwanted items to your local op shop? Call them first though to check that they want the stuff you have to give away!
- Got an old electric blanket that doesn't work? Just remove the wires and it can become an under-blanket instead.
Also, if they don't take furniture for resale, your local council recycling officer should know someone who does.
Planet Ark is keen to hear about your own ‘home recycling' tips. How do you reduce your impact on the environment in your day to day life?
Let us know by e-mailing us at RNY@planetark.com.
