Resources for Reusing!

Here's the article for reusing that I know you all have been awaiting for so long... :P


BLANKETS AND CLOTHS OF ALL KINDS

Reuse your blankets and towels by donating them to a shelter, either human homeless or a pet shelter... The homeless will have something to keep them warm, and puppies will have something besides a concrete floor to lay on.

NATURAL MATERIALS

Here, we're talking about things that are directly from nature, and although some of these things don't necessarily fill up landfills THAT quickly, these reusing projects are fun to do, no matter how helpful they are to the environment... so after that disclaimer, here we go...

Fruit and vegetable seeds, although they may not take up that much space in a trash bin, really don't need to be thrown out when you can try your hand at growing them... it's a fun way to use each part of your food.

Any food that you don't eat (but not meat, bones, grease, or the like) can be put in a compost pile.  If you live in an apartment, there are countertop composters that have a carbon filter to keep smell down.  You can add the resulting "compost tea" to houseplants and window trellises, and make them GROW.  Do a quick search for compost tea if you don't know what that is... maybe that's a new post.

PLASTIC BAGS

Plastic bags are that thing that we're so worried we over use, and many of us eco lovers either are incredibly guilty when they use them, or refuse adamantly to use these demons... :) SO what can you do to reuse the ones that you DO use?  Here are some ideas:

The easiest and most common way to reuse those bags (I do this myself) is use them as liners for those smaller trash cans often found in bathrooms and bedrooms.  Just reusing it once (yes, we know it still ends up in the landfill) can make it more convenient for you when you don't have to go digging your hands through the bathroom garbage to empty it (gross).  Another idea that's very similar to this one is to use the plastic grocery bags as doggy poop scoopers.  No one likes scooping poop, but these bags need a second job, and this is better than buying special bags just for doing so.  These are ok solutions, but the bag still goes to the landfill... Here are some more ideas:

If you have a small hoard of bags (as many people do), don't feel shy in using them to replace packing peanuts when you ship something to a friend or through ebay.  You don't have to buy biodegradable peanuts, (or those AWFUL non-biodegradable ones), and you can reuse that pesky army of bags.

Here's another one that's pretty ok... you can use the bags in your car to collect trash that accumulates while you're driving... think banana peal, mcdonald's wrapper, diet coke bottle... you can recycle the contents of the bag when you get home, but this is a good way to keep everything contained.

You may want to donate plastic bags to a thrift store or charity that might be able to use them, so that they don't have to buy new bags.  Call and see if they can use them... along in this vein, you may want to post a craigslist ad for them, stating that reusing your bags would be very green, and save the business money.  Individuals may use them for projects.  Who knows?

If you take your lunch to work or school, use them as a lunchbox, OR use them to contain tupperware of things that might otherwise leak and leave a mess (soups).  In your kitchen, keep a bag around your flour, sugar, and other ingredients that tend to make a mess... this will help keep ants out, and make clean up a lot easier. 

PAPER BAGS

Some very cool ideas for reusing what you chose to be the greener option of "Paper or Plastic?"

Bonemeal is an excellent source of nutrients for all the plants in your garden. You can easily make your own by first drying your leftover chicken bones in a microwave oven (depending on the quantity, cook them for 1-4 minutes on High). Then place the dried bones in a sturdy paper bag and grind them up using a mallet, hammer, or rolling pin. When done, distribute the powder around your plants and watch them thrive.

Add paper bags to your compost, cutting them up and wetting them before stirring them in (so that when they dry they don't just blow away).  Earthworms really really really love paper bags (and CARDBOARD)  :)

A tutorial on how to make your paper bag into an oversized mailing envelope:  http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2008/07/26/recycled-paper-bag-mailer/

If there's a forecast of snow, put your wipers up to a diagonal angle, and place a sliced open bag underneath both wipers so that the whole windshield is covered.  in the morning, before you turn on your car, lift wipers and remove snow by pulling on the bag.

Many fruits -- including avocados, bananas, pears, peaches, and tomatoes -- will ripen better when placed in a paper bag. To hasten the ripening process of any fruit, place an already ripe apple or banana peel in the same bag and store it at room temperature. To ripen green bananas, wrap them in a damp dishtowel before placing them in the bag. Once your fruits have adequately ripened, you can halt the process by putting them in the refrigerator.

Cut open one or two paper bags and spread them out over your countertop when peeling vegetables, husking corn, shelling peas, or any other messy task. When you're done, simply fold up the paper, and toss it into the trash for a fast and easy cleanup.

Cut open one or two paper bags and spread them out over your countertop when peeling vegetables, husking corn, shelling peas, or any other messy task. When you're done, simply fold up the paper, and toss it into the trash for a fast and easy cleanup.

Need to wrap a present in a hurry? You don't have to rush out to buy wrapping paper. Just cut a large paper bag along the seams until it's a flat rectangle. Position it so that any printing is facing up at you, put your gift on top and fold, cut, and tape the paper around your gift. If you wish, personalize your homemade wrapping paper by decorating it with markers, paint, or stickers.

Finally, Use a paper bag to create a book cover for your child's textbook... she'll be able to decorate it, and it'll leave her book in tip top condition... here's a tutorial:  http://www.cynthiareeg.com/kids/paperbag.html.


I'm incredibly tired and work is piling up at home, so I'm going to leave it at that for now, but I'll be back soon to post more ... PS, i wrecked my computer, so i have to do this from the libraries and computing centers around campus... ah what i don't do for my readers.... :P  anyway, hope you enjoyed.  See you soon!