Recycle and Reuse: Household Crafts
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Live Green and Have Fun Doing It!
Recycling by definition is the processing of used or waste material so that it can be used again, instead of being wasted.* The word recycling is used more casually to describe the process of keeping things from ending up in the trash. Whether this means collecting cans and bottles for refund, or turning what would be garbage into something new, recycling is an important part of life for many families.
Many Squidoo lens masters are experts when it comes to taking trash and turning it into treasure. If you're interested in making your planet and your home a cleaner place to live, then you'll enjoy browsing this selection of Recycle It! favorite lenses. I've gathered up some of the best tutorials by creative Squids who enjoy making crafts, clothing, and more from reusable materials. Whether you want to save the planet one newpaper at a time, or you're just looking for ways to be more frugal, there's something here that you will enjoy!
*Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Many Squidoo lens masters are experts when it comes to taking trash and turning it into treasure. If you're interested in making your planet and your home a cleaner place to live, then you'll enjoy browsing this selection of Recycle It! favorite lenses. I've gathered up some of the best tutorials by creative Squids who enjoy making crafts, clothing, and more from reusable materials. Whether you want to save the planet one newpaper at a time, or you're just looking for ways to be more frugal, there's something here that you will enjoy!
*Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
The 3 R's
A Musical Tribue
This is a great home video of the 2007 Kokua Festival, where Jack Johnson sings "The 3 R's", from the Curious George soundtrack. It's a fun way to teach kids about the importance of recycling, and how easy it can be.
I hope you will enjoy this musical performance while you read on about how you can reduce, reuse, recycle in your home!
I hope you will enjoy this musical performance while you read on about how you can reduce, reuse, recycle in your home!
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Paper and Cardboard
Ideas on How to Reuse Paper Products
The chain of waste management (the Three R's) begins with Reduce. Keep your paper consumption down by abstaining from unnecessary products. Instead of paper towel, use washable cloths and sponges for cleaning. Old newsprint can be used to wash windows, and actually leaves fewer streaks than paper towel.
Stainless steel coffee mugs and water bottles are more widely available than ever, because of BPA recalls for plastic products. Instead of purchasing coffees in throw-away paper cups, refill a travel mug. Instead of carrying lunches in paper bags, buy an insulated nylon lunch bag that you can use again and again. You can also reduce your paper consumption by asking for no napkins with your fast food orders, or better yet, avoid fast food altogether!
Most manufacturers now make recycled and unbleached paper products such as toilet tissue, note paper, and even diapers. Going green is a growing trend, and most stores are proud to offer recycled paper products for home and office.
Stainless steel coffee mugs and water bottles are more widely available than ever, because of BPA recalls for plastic products. Instead of purchasing coffees in throw-away paper cups, refill a travel mug. Instead of carrying lunches in paper bags, buy an insulated nylon lunch bag that you can use again and again. You can also reduce your paper consumption by asking for no napkins with your fast food orders, or better yet, avoid fast food altogether!
Most manufacturers now make recycled and unbleached paper products such as toilet tissue, note paper, and even diapers. Going green is a growing trend, and most stores are proud to offer recycled paper products for home and office.
Paper and Cardboard Lenses
Turn Your Excess Paper Into Treasure
Make the Most of Your Paper
Don't throw way paper! One of the worst things to end up in the landfill is paper, because it can be reused again and again, and once it's no longer usable, it can be recycled over and over to make fresh paper again.
Here are just a few ways that you can reduce the amount of paper that you buy and throw out around the house:
Here are just a few ways that you can reduce the amount of paper that you buy and throw out around the house:
Save your newspapers and use them to clean your windows and mirrors. You'll be amazed at how streak-free the glass is.
If you receive bills by mail, cut off any portions of the leaflet that aren't printed on, and save them for use as notepaper. Do this with all your mail and you'll never have to buy Post-Its again!
When you buy a wall calendar, make sure that you really love the artwork or pictures for each month. At the end of the year, tear away the pages and use them to decorate a drab area in your house such as the garage or garden shed.
Reusing Paper Bags
The Bag Book: Over 500 Great Uses and Reuses for Paper, Plastic and Other Bags to Organize and Enhance Your Life (Lansky, Vicki)
Amazon Price: $2.25 (as of 02/16/2012)
Learn how to use paper bags, plastic bags, mesh bags, and other accumulated items around your house to make crafts, organize your life, and have some green fun!
Project ideas include kites, puppets, laundry helpers and more!
Plastics
Ideas on How to Reuse Plastic Objects
To reduce plastic consumption, choose products with less packaging. Instead of buying pre-cut produce, by fresh items and prepare them at home. Use washable containers instead of plastic bags and cling wrap to store food and other everyday items.
Bottled water is under a lot of scrutiny because of the large number of plastic bottles that end up in landfills every year. Make a difference by using a stainless steel water bottle and tap water instead. Some experts say that tap water can actually be more healthy, because it is more strictly regulated. If you're worried about contaminants in your local water, you can use a jug or faucet filter.
Although many cities have now outlawed the sale of plastic shopping bags, many stores and cities are still catching up with current environmental trends. You can do your part by purchasing recycled, reusable bags. Many stores offer them right at the check-out, for prices as low as 99 cents each. Even if you buy just one bag per visit, you'll have enough for an entire shopping trip in just a few weeks!
Bottled water is under a lot of scrutiny because of the large number of plastic bottles that end up in landfills every year. Make a difference by using a stainless steel water bottle and tap water instead. Some experts say that tap water can actually be more healthy, because it is more strictly regulated. If you're worried about contaminants in your local water, you can use a jug or faucet filter.
Although many cities have now outlawed the sale of plastic shopping bags, many stores and cities are still catching up with current environmental trends. You can do your part by purchasing recycled, reusable bags. Many stores offer them right at the check-out, for prices as low as 99 cents each. Even if you buy just one bag per visit, you'll have enough for an entire shopping trip in just a few weeks!
Plastic Lenses
Turn Your Excess Plastic into Prized Possessions
Make the Most of Your Office Supplies
If you have kids around the house, or know someone who does, you can save yourself a trip to the recycling depot and make use of your old office supplies at the same time.
Kids love to mimic what they see adults doing, and a pretending to be mom on the phone is an indication that a child's social skills are developing in a healthy way. To help your kids with their imaginations, you can pass on your old telephones and keyboards to them.
Make sure to remove any cords or small pieces that can cause a choking hazard, and thoroughly wash items with warm water and vinegar. Then sit back and watch your little monkeys play!
Metal
Ideas on How to Reuse Metal Objects
Metals such as aluminum are one of the most widely accepted materials in city recycling programs. Because of recycling deposits, beverage cans are easy to return. Most stores that sell beverages will accept a certain number of cans from customers who wish to obtain a deposit refund.
Food containers and cans are reprocessed and made into all manner of new objects - even cars. Because the metal is melted down, any impurities such as food and paper labels are burned away. This makes metals much easier to recycle than paper and plastic.
Food containers and cans are reprocessed and made into all manner of new objects - even cars. Because the metal is melted down, any impurities such as food and paper labels are burned away. This makes metals much easier to recycle than paper and plastic.
Metal Lenses
Make Something Magical with Metal
Reusing Junk
Rubbish!: Reuse Your Refuse
Amazon Price: $11.74 (as of 02/16/2012)
Learn how to turn trash into treasure with over 30 fun and easy projects. You can upcycle your clutter into stylish jewelry, home decor items and more!
Projects include a lampshade, clock, bracelet and more creative ideas for green people.
Fabric and Clothing
Ideas on How to Reuse Cloth
When clothes are no longer worn because of fit, fashion, or your closet is just too full, donating them to charities and thrift stores is a great way to help others, and make a little room in your wardrobe.
However, if you wear your clothes to the limit, they can sometimes be a bit too ratty for anyone to enjoy. Plain cotton clothing is great for making rags that you can use for cleaning your home or car. Socks make great puppets and kids crafts, like pillow stuffing or wrist bands for playing dress-up. There are lots of ways to reuse fabrics so that they don't end up in a landfill.
However, if you wear your clothes to the limit, they can sometimes be a bit too ratty for anyone to enjoy. Plain cotton clothing is great for making rags that you can use for cleaning your home or car. Socks make great puppets and kids crafts, like pillow stuffing or wrist bands for playing dress-up. There are lots of ways to reuse fabrics so that they don't end up in a landfill.
Fabric and Clothing Lenses
Turn Your Worn Out Clothing into Crafts
Reusing T-Shirts
Generation T: Beyond Fashion: 120 New Ways to Transform a T-shirt
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 02/16/2012)
From the creative genius that brought us Generation T, this new collection of T-Shirt upcycling projects shows us how to turn our old tops into all kinds of useful and interesting items.
In addition to some new clothing projects, you can also learn to transform T-Shirts into stuffed cat toys, wine cozies, beach blankets and more!
Pre-order your copy today!
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Recycling Programs
Each city has different ideas about what is and isn't recyclable. Not everyone has access to clean and efficient collection of materials for recycling, and that's a shame! Reducing and reusing helps to prevent the need for recycling, but sometimes things just aren't worth holding on to.
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Food Packaging
Ideas for Reusing Food Packages and Materials
Excess packaging of food is a problem that doesn't seem to have a solution. Every aisle of the supermarket is filled with food in cartons, boxes and bags. Even produce comes prewashed and precut in convenient little containers.
You can reduce the amount of packaging that your household throws away by making your own food from scratch. Not only is this a great way to save money, eat healthy, and help the environment, but food preparation is an important skill that everyone should have. You never know when you might have to rough it!
You can reduce the amount of packaging that your household throws away by making your own food from scratch. Not only is this a great way to save money, eat healthy, and help the environment, but food preparation is an important skill that everyone should have. You never know when you might have to rough it!
Food Package Lenses
Preserve That Excess Packaging
Odds and Ends
Ideas on How to Reuse Junk and Other Stuff
Reduce - Make Things Last
Don't Throw It Out: Recycle, Renew and Reuse to Make Things Last
Amazon Price: $0.17 (as of 02/16/2012)
This in-depth guide from the pages of Yankee magazine offers tips and projects for reusing and repairing all kinds of objects around the house. Learn how to make the most of everything you buy, so that you can save money and help the environment, too.
Topics include maintaining appliances and wood furniture, how to refurbish and repurpose household items, and more!
Recycling Crafts
There's nothing better than being green and creative at the same time. You can have a lot of fun using everyday objects and recyclables to make these fun projects. Share them with a friend and help make the world a little greener!
- Credit Card Mosaic
Skill Level: Beginner
Use your old credit cards, bank cards, gift cards and other plastics to create colorful and unique photo frame.
Materials Needed: Credit cards, Glue, Photo Frame- Magazine Swirl Necklace
Skill Level: Beginner
Use bright, colorful pages from your previously loved magazines to create an interesting and beautiful pendant for a necklace. Your new attire will be the envy of everyone who loves to be green!
Materials Needed: Magazines, Hot and White Glues, Basic Jewelry Components- VHS Tape Book Ends
Skill Level: Beginner
Have you moved on to DVD and Bluray? Once you replace some of the older titles in your library, use the VHS tapes and CDs to make interesting bookends that reflect your personal tastes.
Materials Needed: 2 VHS tapes, 2 CDs, Epoxy- Recycled Can Planters
Skill Level: Beginner
Recycling is better than trashing, but it still uses energy to transport and reprocess the materials. Save your best sauce and vegetable cans and reuse them in the garden!
Materials Needed: Medium or large tin cans, Rocks or pebbles, Nail and hammer, Seedlings, or soil and seeds- Recycled Art Vase
Skill Level: Beginner
You can reuse glass jars and cardboard boxes to make this gorgeous decorative vase. By layering strips of cardboard, a wicker-like effect turns an old jar into a work of garden art!
Materials Needed: Glass jar, Cardboard, Glue- Cosby Sweater Cushions
Skill Level: Intermediate
If you've got sweaters that are too worn, or just too Cosby-like to give away to Goodwil, why not recycle them? You can turn your old sweaters into vintage style throw cushions for your sofa, or a fun gift.
Materials Needed: Sweaters, Pillows, Sewing Machine- Woven Scrap Journal
Skill Level: Intermediate
Don't spend a fortune on a fancy journal or planner, or buy a cheap one with toxic glue. Instead, reuse scrap fabric, yarn and paper to make a unique and interesting journal or notebook.
Materials Needed: Cotton fabric, Yarn, Paper, Cardboard- Washable, Crocheted Swiffer Sock
Skill Level: Intermediate
Cleanliness and convenience have done so much harm to the environment, it's time we started re-examining our priorities when it comes to housework. One of the first things that should go are disposable cleaning implements. If you're already using a Swiffer or similar sweeping mop, you can crochet a washable cover and never throw a cleaning pad in the trash again!
Materials Needed: Acrylic yarn scraps, crochet hooks- T-Shirt Quilt
Skill Level: Advanced
Turn your favorite logo T-shirts into a colorful and stylish quilt or blanket. This craft tutorial explains how to create a pattern and connect strips of cloth cut from your old T-shirts.
Materials Needed: T-shirts, Quilting Grid, Sewing Machine
Recycling Gurus
Lensmasters that Love the Earth
These lensmasters are dedicated to providing informative lenses about the Three R's, and recruiting new people to the Green side! Check out some of their lenses on living green!Green Guides
The number of ways that we can change our lifestyles to help the environment are practically endless. Many authors have compiled tips and techniques for lowering our impact on the Earth every day. Share your favorites with friends and family, and encourage them to Go Green! Every little bit helps, so start small and add a new eco-friendly activity to your routine everyday!
This Page Donates to Ecotrust
And So Can You!
If you purchase one of our featured recycling tips guides, a portion of the proceeds goes directly to this eco-charity. You can also make a donation here to benefit green projects.
Ecotrust is a conservation organization committed to strengthening communities and the environment from Alaska to California. We work with Native peoples and in the fisheries, forestry, and food sectors to build a regional economy based on social and ecol
Green Living
It's More than Just Recycling
There are lots of other ways to protect our environment, your health, and save money. Visit some of these other lenses to learn more!
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marsha32
Feb 7, 2012 @ 12:58 am | delete
- awesome! This lens is right up my alley! I've pinned it to my frugal living interest.
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TransplantedSoul
Dec 25, 2011 @ 6:56 pm | delete
- There is so much we can do. It is sad to think of all the years that the previous generations sent so much valuable stuff into landfill.
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dfroray
Nov 17, 2011 @ 6:42 pm | delete
- Hey I have reviewed your squidoo lens and I really liked it. Because of this I went ahead and “like” you on squidoo. Giving your lens another like.
When you have time, please take a look at my lens. It is located at
http://www.squidoo.com/appliance-removal-louisville
If you like my lens, please add a like to my lens as well. I am new to squidoo and I would appreciate any comments at all.
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crosscreations
Oct 26, 2011 @ 10:10 am | delete
- Great ideas, especially love the credit card mosaic picture frames, also the dog images collaged with newspaper, very creative ideas to recycle old stuff into useful and artsy new creations.
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bercton
Aug 15, 2011 @ 1:36 pm | delete
- I love lenses that benefits the environment. Great lens.
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by Mortira
Mortira
I'm always looking for ways to reduce clutter while helping the environment. But I try to reduce before I reuse!
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