40 Old and Unused Items That Can Be Recycled at Home

40 Old and Unused Items That Can Be Recycled at Home · 1. Plastic Bags · 2. Milk Cartons · 3. Plastic Water Bottles · 4. Empty Ice Cream Container · 5. Empty Roll-On ... Skiptocontent Menu Recyclingisoneofthegreatwaystorecycleolditemsthatusuallyendupinour trashbin.AccordingtoareportbyDukeUniversity,“Approximately55%of220milliontonsofwastegeneratedeachyearintheUnitedStatesendsupinoneoftheover3,500landfills”. Landfills notonlyhavea badimpactonourenvironment butalsodegradethebeautyofthecity.Byrecyclingnot-so-commonitemsatourhome,wecanplayasmallbuthugepartinprotectingtheenvironmentandregainingthegloryofourcity. Wetendtothinkofrecyclingintermsofseparatingouritemsoutandtakingthem(orhavingthempickedupandsentto)arecyclingcentertobeturnedintosomethingelse.Thisisagreatwayto helptheenvironment,butwhataboutthingsthatcan’tbeputinarecyclingbin? Manyitemscanberepurposed(includingitemsthatcanbetraditionallyrecycled),savingthemfromendingupinalandfillandsavingyoufromhavingtopurchaseanewitemtofulfillthatpurpose.Thiswillhelpyoutominimizeyourimpactontheenvironmentandliveasustainablelifestyle. Contents40OldandUnusedItemsThatCanBeEasilyRecycledatHome1.PlasticBags2.MilkCartons3.PlasticWaterBottles4.EmptyIceCreamContainer5.EmptyRoll-OnDeodorantBottles6.JeansYouNoLongerWear7.OldClothing8.ClearPlasticLids9.FoodScraps10.Newspapers11.JunkMail12.HairAccessories13.UnusedKeys14.AluminumFoil15.UnneededDVDs,CDs,orVideotapes16.UnusedCellPhones17.OldWineCorks18.EmptyWet-WipeContainers19.OldJars20.JarandBottleLids21.FallenBranches22.PrinterCartridges23.Books24.UsedWater25.OldTires26.BreadBags27.EmptyLipBalmContainers28.OldPhotos,Postcards,PaperScraps,Etc.29.OldPaper30.GlassJars31.Cardboard32.BreadTies33.EggCartons35.OldContactLensCases36.PETBottles37.CrayonsandColoredPencils38.Pens&Pencils39.ToothbrushandToothpasteTubes40.Razors 40OldandUnusedItemsThatCanBeEasilyRecycledatHome Belowisalistof40oldandunuseditemsthatcanbeeasilyrecycledathome. 1.PlasticBags Keepaneyeoutwhenyouheadoutgroceryshoppingtoseeifyourlocalstorehasaplasticbagrecyclingprogram.Athome,however, oldplasticbags canbeusedeverywhere.Usethemastrashbinliners,bagsfordoggiepooorsoiledcatlitter,oraswrappingmaterialforshippingitems. 2.MilkCartons Cutthetopsoffofthemandusethemasplanters,orfillthemupwithwaterandfreezethemtomakeiceblocksforyourcooler. 3.PlasticWaterBottles Inadditiontotossingthemintherecyclingbin,youcanuse plasticwaterbottles foravarietyofpurposes.Ifyou’reagardener,cuttingoffthebottomsofplasticbottles,createsfantasticplantersforseedlings.Turnthemintopiggybanksforyourkidsorusethemforavarietyofcraftideas(youcanfindinspirationonsiteslikePinterest). 4.EmptyIceCreamContainer Whetherthecontainerisoneofthesmall,cardboardvarieties,orwhetheryouwentalloutandgotagiantplastictubofyummyicecream,theemptycontainercanberinsedoutandusedtostoreanythingandeverything.Storesmalltoolsandcraftitemsorusethecontainertocollectcoffeegroundsand foodscraps beforeaddingthemtoyourcompostheap. Seealso CanYouRecycleBritaWaterFilters?(AndHowToRecycleThem)5.EmptyRoll-OnDeodorantBottles Simplypopthemopenandthoroughlywashthebottleandtheball.Thenfillthebottlewithpaintandreplacethelid,makingafunroll-onpaintbottleforthekids!(Screwthelidontightlyandstoreupsidedown.) 6.JeansYouNoLongerWear Whethertheynolongerfitorareworntopieces,oldjeanscanbereusedonewayoranother.Ifthey’regentlyused,donatethemtoalocalcharityorresellshop.Ifthey’vegotoneholetoomany,usethemforpatchworksewingprojectsorcutthemupforuseascleaningcloths. 7.OldClothing Justaswithjeans,there’snoneedtopurchasedustragswhenyou’vegotoldpantsandT-shirtskickingaround.Ifthey’reingoodcondition,donatethem,butifthey’reallbeatup,chopthemupandusethemtogetyourhousesparklingclean. 8.ClearPlasticLids Placeoneunderneathyourshavegelinthebathroominordertopreventunsightlyrustringscausedbythemetalbottle. 9.FoodScraps Compost themtomakeamazingfertilizerforyourgarden.Evenbetter—getawormfarmandusethescrapstofeedtheworms.Wormwaste(alsoknownascastings)isawonderfulformoffertilizer. 10.Newspapers Useoldnewspaperstomakeuniqueandfungiftwrap.Usepagesfromthecomicssectiontomakewrapsthatwillbelovedbykidsandadultsalike! 11.JunkMail Don’ttrashthatjunkmail!Collectthereturnenvelopesanduseaddresslabelsandstampsinordertosendyourownmail.Youcanalsousetheenvelopesforstorage(thinksmallthingslikeseeds,screws,etc.)orshredthemtomulchyourgarden. 12.HairAccessories Youcanuseoldhairaccessoriesanywhereyouneedrubberbands,tiebacksorclips.Usehairclipsortiestoholdyourcurtainsopen;youcanalsousethemtosecurepoles,stemsorbranchesinyourgarden. 13.UnusedKeys Overtime,weallaccumulatealargenumberofrandom,no-longer-usedkeys.Don’ttossthemout;usethemforcraftprojects!Keysmakecooljewelryandcanbeusedtomakeuniquenecklacesandearrings. 14.AluminumFoil Widelyacceptedinmostrecyclingprograms,aluminumfoilcanalsobeusedforavarietyofpurposesaroundthehouse.Ifyou’regrowingplantsintheshadeandwouldliketogetabitmorelighttothem,arrangepiecesoffoiljustbehindyourplantsinordertoreflectsunlightintheirdirection.Youcanalsouseleftoverfoiltocreatewatertightpackagesforeverythingfromseedstophotos. 15.UnneededDVDs,CDs,orVideotapes Ifyoucan’tseemtokeepthebirdsandsquirrelsoutofyourgarden,tryhangingCDsorDVDsfromtreebranches.ThemovementoftheCD,aswellastheflickeroftheshinysurface,willscareawayundesirables.PullthetapeoutofoldVHStapesanduseitanywhereyouneedrope(forinstance,tosecurepostsinyourbackyardgarden). Seealso VariousAdvantagesandDisadvantagesofRecycling16.UnusedCellPhones Toomanycellphonesareendingupinlandfills.Ratherthantossingyouroldcellphone,giveitasagifttosomeonewhoneedsonethat’snew-to-them.SellitoneBay.Seeifyourcellphonemanufacturerhasaprogramwheretheywillbuyortakeyouroldphonebackwhenyoupurchaseanewone. 17.OldWineCorks Manywineandliquorstoreshavecorkrecyclingprograms.It’sworthkeepingthosecorksaround,though,astheycanbeusedforanendlessarrayofcraftprojects,frommakingtrivetstomagnets.Notfeelingparticularlycrafty?Lookonlinetofindcraftmakerswhobuywinecorkstousefortheirprojects. 18.EmptyWet-WipeContainers Usethemasadispenserforrollsofstring.Itreallyworks! 19.OldJars Insteadofpouringoldcookingoilorbacongreasedownthedrain(whereitwillcauseaclog),pouritintoanoldjarsothatyoucanthrowitaway. 20.JarandBottleLids Ifyou’retiredofgettingfurnituredivotsandindentationsinyourcarpet,placetheseunderneathtableandchairlegs. 21.FallenBranches Wanderaroundandcollectgood-lookingonestoarrangeinavaseinordertomakeahomemadeChristmastree!Justhangornamentsanddecorationsallover! 22.PrinterCartridges Checkthepackagingofyourprintercartridges;manymanufacturersincludeprepaidenvelopesinwhichyoucansendoldcartridgesbackforrecycling. 23.Books Gettogetherwithfriendsandneighborsandhaveabookswap.Getridofoldbooksandscoresomenewonestoread! 24.UsedWater Ifyourkidshaveoldpaintwaterfromtheirmostrecentartproject,don’tdumpit!Instead,useittowateryourplants—yourgardenandhouseplantswillthankyou! 25.OldTires Flowerbedsandtireswings.Needwesaymore? 26.BreadBags Insteadofbuyingbagstopickupyourdoggypoo,oldbreadbags(aswellasnewspaperbagsandoldplasticbags)dothejobjustaswell. 27.EmptyLipBalmContainers Thesecontainerscomeinhandywhenyoutravel.Refillthemwithproductstomakeconvenient,travel-friendlyportionsofyourfavoritecleanser,conditioner,etc. 28.OldPhotos,Postcards,PaperScraps,Etc. ReusethesetomakeChristmasandbirthdaycardsforfriendsandlovedones;justtapethemtosturdypaperanddecorateaway! 29.OldPaper Useoldpaper(newspaper,magazines,etc.)tosoakupleaksatthebottomofyourtrashcan. 30.GlassJars Usethemtostoreeverythingfromscrewsandsmalltoolsinthegaragetotweezersandcosmeticsinthebathroom. 31.Cardboard Oldcardboardboxescanbereusedtoshipitems.Theycanalsobeusedformanyimaginativecraftideas,fromacardboardboxguitartoacardboardracecar. 32.BreadTies Inthisdayofelectronics,wiresareeverywhere.UsebreadtiestopreventsnarlsofwiresnearyourTV,computer,orwhereverwirescongregate. 33.EggCartons Eggcartonscanbeusedtoorganizeandstoresmallcraftitems.Still,theycanalsobeusedinavarietyofprojects,frommakinganeggcartonplanterforsmallflowers,usingthemtogiftsmallitems(likemini-muffins)andcuttingthemuptouseincraftideas. Seealso DoYouKnowWhereAllofYourRubbishGoesto?34.PaperPlatesandCupsInordertokeepthemoutoflandfills,shredthemandusethemasmulchforyourgarden. 35.OldContactLensCases Similartooldlipbalmcontainers,youcancleanoldcontactlenscasesandfillthemwithsmallamountsofmakeup,lotion,cleansersandassortedcosmeticsthatyou’dliketotakewithyouwhenyoutravel. 36.PETBottles YoucandefinitelydropPETbottlesoffatrecyclingcentersinyourcommunity.However,therearevariousthingsyoucandowithPET.Youcantransformitintogorgeousaccessories;makeadecoration,avase,piggybank,gardeningpotsandmore.Youcanusethemtomakeaninstantlamp(Withjustbleachandwater)andwaterpurifier(Iodinesolutionandwater). InJapan,PETbottlescanbeexchangedforatrainticket,whilePETbottlesareusedtobuildhousesinotherpartsofAsia. 37.CrayonsandColoredPencils Everyschoolacademicyear,astudentusesanewsetofcrayons.Whataboutthoseremainingoldandbrokencrayons?BrokencrayonscanberecycledorturnedintoDIYpictureframesforyourfavoriteteacher.Learnhowtomakethemintogifts. CrayolahasacampaigncalledColorCycle;yousendthemtheoldonessotheycanrecyclethemagain.Butyoucanmakethesecrayonsintoanemergencylighttoo. 38.Pens&Pencils Allovertheworld,billionsofpensareproducedyearlyandthrownaway.However,pensarenotusuallyacceptedinmunicipalrecyclingcommunities.UsepenstodecorateasChristmastreeornaments,toysandinmanyotherways.YoucandonateyourpenstoschoolsandeducationalorganizationsortoartistPenGuyArt.comsothathecantransformpensintomajesticart. 39.ToothbrushandToothpasteTubes Saveanduseoldtoothbrushestoscrubhardtoreachplacesorotherdelicateorhardtocleanitemslikegroutandunderneaththefixturesonfaucets.Cleanoldtoothbrushesandreuseaseyebrowbrushes,haircolorapplicatorsorcleaningtools,electronics.Emptytoothpastetubescanberepurposedasafunnelbycuttingoffthebottom,orasafrostingtubeforicingcakes. ToothbrushrecyclingprogramsareongoingfrommanufacturerslikeColgateandPreserve.ColgatepartneredwithTerraCyclethatcollectstheusedtoothbrushestheyproduced,whilePreservecollectsthemtooandrecyclesthemintonewhandyitems. 40.Razors AccordingtoEPA,eachyear,twobilliondisposablerazorsarethrownaway.Youcaninvestinastraight-uprazororyoucanbuyadisposableoneandstoreitina“razorbank”oroldsoupcanafteruse.Ifyoudonotwanttothrowawaymanyrazors,applybabyoilonthemtopreventrusting. SomecompanieslikePreservemakesrazorsoutofrecycled#5plasticthroughtheirprogramGimme5.YoucandropoffyourrazorsontheirrecyclebinatWholeFoods. Shareon: AboutRinkesh Atrueenvironmentalistbyheart❤️.FoundedConserveEnergyFuturewiththesolemottoofprovidinghelpfulinformationrelatedtoourrapidlydepletingenvironment.UnlessyoustronglybelieveinElonMusk‘sideaofmakingMarsasanotherhabitableplanet,dorememberthattherereallyisno'PlanetB'inthiswholeuniverse. InterestingPostsYouMayLike... 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