Well worth a read - didn't copy and paste because wasn't sure about copyright laws etc.
We could start our own thread on here - what can be re-used in your house instead of going in the bin??
Hints for re-using household items
Moderator: Peak Moderation
Hints for re-using household items
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/sho ... ml?t=81041
Well worth a read - didn't copy and paste because wasn't sure about copyright laws etc.
We could start our own thread on here - what can be re-used in your house instead of going in the bin??
Well worth a read - didn't copy and paste because wasn't sure about copyright laws etc.
We could start our own thread on here - what can be re-used in your house instead of going in the bin??
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sol, vind & vatten
- Posts: 18
- Joined: 24 Nov 2005, 11:09
- Location: Sweden
We all have a lot of rubbish each week that we want to get rid of. By thinking ahead we can reduce it. Start to think already in the shop when you choose your groceries. Buy things with minimum packaging or reusable packaging. Buy refills if possible and use all the contents of the things you bought. Shampoo bottles, ketchup bottles and toothpaste tubes are examples of things that often are difficult to get properly emptied. Adding water or cutting up the packaging can sometimes help. Putting a ?no junk mail? note on the letterbox will also cut down the waste.
When it comes to reusing it is mainly storage that comes to mind either of home-made food in the fridge, freezer or in the cupboard or storage of other things that linger in the home everything from small screws and buttons to magazines and toys. However there are some other things they can be used for too.
Here are some examples of reusing
Cereal packets make good magazine racks or storage of papers or newspaper cuts.
Drink cans if the top is removed with a can opener it makes a good penholder.
Tins storage in the garage or utensils in the kitchen.
Glass bottles are good for your home-made wine or fruit drink.
Glass Jars are good for home made jam, marmalade etc or in the garage for knickknacks. The lid can be secured with a few nails or screws under a shelve and the jar with its content can be screwed in afterwards. You when have added storage space and it is easy to see what it contains.
Ice cream tubs are good for storing food in the freezer or in the fridge. Make good cake tins and lunch boxes too.
Cream / creme fraich/ natural yoghurt tubs with lid are good for storing food in the freezer or in the fridge.
Margarine tubs are good for storing food in the freezer or in the fridge.
Biscuit tins good for storing home-made biscuits, cakes, breakfast cereal etc.
Milk /juice cartons (tetra pak) can be used to freeze food in. Clean the packaging and fill with the food you wish to freeze. Cut the sides almost down to the food surface and wrap the packaging snugly and tape it down.
Milk plastic bottles can be used to emptying water out of open boats by cutting off the base and keeping the top screwed on. It can be used in similar ways as a? spade? for digging out sand or grain etc.
Egg cartons (paper) are good for putting potatoes on in spring to let them shoot or storing your home grown vegetables or fruit like apples or pears on as they provide cushioning and air.
Egg cartons plastic can be used as an ice cube mould.
Kitchen/toilet roll inner tubes are good to roll up small table clothes on to keep them straight and also to store rubber bands on.
Clips/fasteners for bags and rubber bands can be reused for the same purpose or to bind up plants with.
Carrier bags and plastic bags used for packaging rubbish. In many countries carrier bags will cost you extra and reusing carrier bags is a good way of saving money as well as good for the environment.
Plastic meat trays are good to sow seeds in that need to be started off indoors or in a greenhouse.
Netting around fruit, nuts or vegetables makes good birdfeeders (coconut fat mixed with sunflower seeds or unsalted peanuts). However birds are not to keen on the red coloured nets.
Camera film cans are watertight and excellent for spices and other small things.
X-mas pudding basin makes good plant pots if you do not want to steam another pudding in it of course.
Spice jars as any other small jar good for storing small things.
Plastic bottles have many uses. Home-made fruit drink can be stored in the freezer in plastic bottles. Cut off the base and you have a good funnel. Fill it with gravel, grit or sand and store it in the car during winter to be used on icy patches if needed. Filled with sand or water the make excellent weights for the home ?gym?. If you have plants in pots in the garden you can fill a bottle with water (no lid on) turn it up side down and push it into the soil and it will water the plant in the pot slowly. Good for drinking water storage in the car for pets and humans.
Wine crates in wood make nice storage for magazines, videos, toys etc
Large cardboard boxes for fruit, wine or washing powder are excellent for storage in the cellar or on in the loft.
Padded envelopes (jiffy bags) and mail tubes great to reuse.
Electrical wires and switches and plugs from discarded electrical goods can be reused..
Anti static bags for computer components are great to reuse.
Shoeboxes good and sturdy storage for photos.
Glass bottles and jars make good vases.
Hand pumped spray bottles can be used for spraying water while ironing or vinegar on weeds or water and natural soap mixes on roses to get ride of aphids. Kids like them for water spraying games too.
Make games out of plastic bottles eg skittles, pyramids of drink cans to threw a ball at or tins eg stilts.
Newspaper is good for many things as padding or support eg by wrapping your apples from the garden they keep longer and do not get bruised. Filling plastic sacks with crumpled up newspaper makes a good blanket around potted plants in the garden.
Scrap printing paper (printing that went wrong). The reverse side can be used as drawing paper for kids or notepaper.
Old envelopes and other scrap paper make good shopping lists.
Old car or tractor tyres make good swings or planters in the garden. If they have an inflatable inner tube they make good fun as floaters in the sea.
The list can become endless and I am sure there will be much, much more suggestions coming up on this sight. I look forward to get some more ideas.
When it comes to reusing it is mainly storage that comes to mind either of home-made food in the fridge, freezer or in the cupboard or storage of other things that linger in the home everything from small screws and buttons to magazines and toys. However there are some other things they can be used for too.
Here are some examples of reusing
Cereal packets make good magazine racks or storage of papers or newspaper cuts.
Drink cans if the top is removed with a can opener it makes a good penholder.
Tins storage in the garage or utensils in the kitchen.
Glass bottles are good for your home-made wine or fruit drink.
Glass Jars are good for home made jam, marmalade etc or in the garage for knickknacks. The lid can be secured with a few nails or screws under a shelve and the jar with its content can be screwed in afterwards. You when have added storage space and it is easy to see what it contains.
Ice cream tubs are good for storing food in the freezer or in the fridge. Make good cake tins and lunch boxes too.
Cream / creme fraich/ natural yoghurt tubs with lid are good for storing food in the freezer or in the fridge.
Margarine tubs are good for storing food in the freezer or in the fridge.
Biscuit tins good for storing home-made biscuits, cakes, breakfast cereal etc.
Milk /juice cartons (tetra pak) can be used to freeze food in. Clean the packaging and fill with the food you wish to freeze. Cut the sides almost down to the food surface and wrap the packaging snugly and tape it down.
Milk plastic bottles can be used to emptying water out of open boats by cutting off the base and keeping the top screwed on. It can be used in similar ways as a? spade? for digging out sand or grain etc.
Egg cartons (paper) are good for putting potatoes on in spring to let them shoot or storing your home grown vegetables or fruit like apples or pears on as they provide cushioning and air.
Egg cartons plastic can be used as an ice cube mould.
Kitchen/toilet roll inner tubes are good to roll up small table clothes on to keep them straight and also to store rubber bands on.
Clips/fasteners for bags and rubber bands can be reused for the same purpose or to bind up plants with.
Carrier bags and plastic bags used for packaging rubbish. In many countries carrier bags will cost you extra and reusing carrier bags is a good way of saving money as well as good for the environment.
Plastic meat trays are good to sow seeds in that need to be started off indoors or in a greenhouse.
Netting around fruit, nuts or vegetables makes good birdfeeders (coconut fat mixed with sunflower seeds or unsalted peanuts). However birds are not to keen on the red coloured nets.
Camera film cans are watertight and excellent for spices and other small things.
X-mas pudding basin makes good plant pots if you do not want to steam another pudding in it of course.
Spice jars as any other small jar good for storing small things.
Plastic bottles have many uses. Home-made fruit drink can be stored in the freezer in plastic bottles. Cut off the base and you have a good funnel. Fill it with gravel, grit or sand and store it in the car during winter to be used on icy patches if needed. Filled with sand or water the make excellent weights for the home ?gym?. If you have plants in pots in the garden you can fill a bottle with water (no lid on) turn it up side down and push it into the soil and it will water the plant in the pot slowly. Good for drinking water storage in the car for pets and humans.
Wine crates in wood make nice storage for magazines, videos, toys etc
Large cardboard boxes for fruit, wine or washing powder are excellent for storage in the cellar or on in the loft.
Padded envelopes (jiffy bags) and mail tubes great to reuse.
Electrical wires and switches and plugs from discarded electrical goods can be reused..
Anti static bags for computer components are great to reuse.
Shoeboxes good and sturdy storage for photos.
Glass bottles and jars make good vases.
Hand pumped spray bottles can be used for spraying water while ironing or vinegar on weeds or water and natural soap mixes on roses to get ride of aphids. Kids like them for water spraying games too.
Make games out of plastic bottles eg skittles, pyramids of drink cans to threw a ball at or tins eg stilts.
Newspaper is good for many things as padding or support eg by wrapping your apples from the garden they keep longer and do not get bruised. Filling plastic sacks with crumpled up newspaper makes a good blanket around potted plants in the garden.
Scrap printing paper (printing that went wrong). The reverse side can be used as drawing paper for kids or notepaper.
Old envelopes and other scrap paper make good shopping lists.
Old car or tractor tyres make good swings or planters in the garden. If they have an inflatable inner tube they make good fun as floaters in the sea.
The list can become endless and I am sure there will be much, much more suggestions coming up on this sight. I look forward to get some more ideas.
Last edited by sol, vind & vatten on 24 Aug 2005, 07:39, edited 2 times in total.
Common sense will get you far, applying science will get you further.
Fantastic post! Thanks!sol, vind & vatten wrote:We all have a lot of rubbish ....
I heard today that RyanAir is already into it. When asked for an air sickness bag, you are provided with a Fuji film development envelope! "If you dont get sick you can use it to send films for development..." I guess Fuji even PAY them to provide those bags. I laughed for a full five minutes ...
off topic but did you know that the price of drinks on RyanAir is negotiable - they don't tell you how much until they have poured it - if you then say "?3 for a cup of tea, I'm not paying that!" they go away and come back later with a better offer (and a fresh cup) 
RogerCO
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The time for politics is past - now is the time for action.
___________________________________
The time for politics is past - now is the time for action.