Recycling of old items in the house is a great way of reducing your waste footprint which means fewer of your items end up in a landfill. It also saves you money as the items act as substitutes for things you would end up buying. Here are 5 areas you can explore simple recycling of common household items around the house:
- Cleaning tools: Old clothes that cannot be donated can be turned into cleaning rugs for mopping and dusting. Old toothbrushes can be used to clean those difficult to reach areas like underneath fixtures on faucets and for shining shoes. They can also be used as eyebrow brushes, to apply hair colour and for cleaning tools and electronics.
- Making art: Old buttons and unused keys can be used to make cool jewelry like earrings and necklaces. Old wine corks can be turned into art projects that can be displayed around the house such as message boards, art pieces and kitchen magnets. Empty wine bottles can be turned into decorative light holder and candle holder for those special occasions. Old toothbrushes can be repurposed as paint brushes for children to play with on their creative projects.
- Toys and play items: Assorted toys and play items can be created from a variety of old household items; from socks to tins, containers and cardboards. One is only limited by their creativity. Such projects are a good way of bonding with your kids and gives them valuable lessons while also instilling in them confidence. Monster trucks made out of containers, space shuttles out of carboards, robots out of tins, boats from cartons, puppets from old socks and swings from old tyres are just some of the examples.
- Compost: Composting your food waste for your backyard garden and potted plants saves you money on buying fertilizers. Care has to be taken though to ensure the compost does not contain harmful chemicals and metals.
- Other uses: Hair clips and rubber bands can be used for holding curtains open and branches of potted plants in plants. They can also be used to hold wires of various household electronics to prevent entanglements. Used coffee grounds are good pest and insect repellant. Sprinkle them outdoors and around your plants. Aluminium foil can be used to reflect light to plants that are in the shade, they can sharpen knifes and can be used to clean jewellery. Coasters can be made from a variety of recycled materials such as plastic bottles, lids, magazine pages etc.