Blind consumerism has created a planetary crisis. There are few excuses for blatantly wasteful behaviour now that humans are collectively aware of the consequences.
So how can you do your part to keep the planet green? It all starts at home. Here are 11 items you can reuse and repurpose to be more thoughtful about our planet.
Egg cartons and eggshells
Egg cartons pose a problem, depending on the brand you prefer. Many come packaged in styrofoam, a material many recycling centres won’t take. It’s a Number 6 plastic, something many sorting centres lack the machinery for processing, and it isn’t cost-effective for many curbside pickup programs.
One solution to reduce your styrofoam use is to switch brands, but what if you already have a handful of such containers? These handy shallow dishes make the perfect spot for storing buttons, sequins and other assorted sewing materials, or even organizing your medications for a 10-day getaway. You can also use them as seedling starter trays to get your summer veggies ready to sow.
Did you know you can use eggshells as seedling starters, too? It takes a bit of savvy to get the knack of creating a small drainage hole in a shell’s bottom—not to mention cracking the eggs so that you retain a usable portion. Once you get a set of 12, fill them with potting soil, plant your seeds and place the shells in the carton to wait for your baby plants to sprout.
Old clothes and linens
Spring’s return means it’s time for cleaning out your closets. However, there’s no need to throw a single item in the rubbish bin. Even socks with holes can see new life as something else. For example, could you stuff them with a few unmatched mates you also find in your sock drawer, and stitch them closed to make a chew toy for Fido?
Along the same lines, do you sometimes feel a draft creeping underneath your door? Take an old pillowcase that was starting to fray and transform it into a stopper that will do double the green duty while saving you cash. This will help you repurpose the item while conserving energy and reducing your overall carbon footprint.
Cardboard boxes
If you live in a rural area, you might have no choice but to have some products delivered to your doorstep when they’re unavailable in local stores. That can leave you with a stack of cardboard rivalling that of a small grocery store. You can recycle it at nearly any sorting centre, but even breaking down items into raw form for reuse takes some energy.
Why not see if you can repurpose the cardboard boxes first? For example, many Amazon boxes easily transform into cute cat condos with little more than some paint, epoxy and a liner—perhaps made from some of that old clothing from your last cleanout?
Wine corks
Wine corks come in two varieties: natural and artificial. If you have the latter, fortunately, most plastic and metal screw caps belong in the recycling bin. The former type needs to go to a special centre, unless you get a bit crafty at home. There are literally scores of things you can do with natural wine corks.
A single champagne cork can serve as a makeshift pincushion, especially if you don’t sew much and only need a safe place to stow a few sharp needles. You can also collect your corks in a drawer or jar and use them to make a bulletin board you can use for tacking your honey-do list.
Cereal liner bags
The cardboard from your kiddo’s last bowl of Cheerios belongs in the recycling bin, but what about the bag? Although you can’t toss it in a standard recycling bin, you can find plenty of alternative uses.
For instance, you can create professional-looking cake designs by placing your icing within it. Cut a small opening to squeeze out a thin line of coloured frosting to spell your child’s name or make roses.
You can also use the waxy stuff to separate meat patties in your freezer, or use these bags for crumbling materials in the kitchen, such as graham crackers to make a crust. The material is thicker than that of standard plastic bags, making it less likely to tear.
Plastic produce tubs
Recently, France passed a law banning plastic packaging for produce. It makes sense—there’s no need to put apples or even blueberries into a container that will one day end up in a landfill, break down into microplastics and poison aquatic life. Baskets and reusable bags exist for good reasons, but it’s unlikely you’ll see any such measures being used for packaging in North America anytime soon.
However, you can do your part by avoiding plastic packaging when you can. When you can’t—such as when those blueberries look way too good to pass up—repurpose the plastic tub for another purpose. Clean out your kitchen junk drawer and use several containers for holding rubber bands and paper clips. Line your produce drawers with them to keep your carrots separated from your leeks.
Packaging bags
Many people move to rural areas to avoid big-city sticker prices and escape pollution. Nonetheless, delivered items sometimes come wrapped in plastic packaging, no matter how responsible you try to be. Worse, you can’t put this packaging in the recycling bin.
There’s no need to throw these plastic items in the trash, though, at least not before giving them one last use. If you’ve got a cat or dog, learn how to open them carefully to create a sack for scooping pet waste, or offer them to a friend or family member with a pet. While it’s not exactly a zero-waste solution, it at least replaces the plastic bags you may otherwise buy for the purpose.
Soap ends
Please don’t leave those last bits of soap sticking to your dish, only to get washed down the drain. If you have a cheesecloth bag, hang it in your shower to collect the end bits when you get out a new bar. Eventually, enough will collect in the bag that it’ll act like a soapy sponge, allowing you to recapture every last dollop of suds.
Glass jars
Glass jars can become dozens of useful items. Have your child draw a picture to glue to the outside with some ribbon and make a pencil holder for their teacher’s desk. Keep your makeup brushes clean and organized or use lidded versions for keeping your dry pantry goods fresher and safe from insect pests.
You can even reuse old candle jars after removing the wax. All you have to do is boil water on the stove and pour it inside. The wax will loosen and float to the top, where you can scoop it out and clean the glass.
Candle wax
Don’t toss that candle wax in the rubbish bin, as it has additional uses. You can stop another energy vampire: windows lacking adequate caulk. Just a smear of the stuff can fill a crack or gap. While it won’t last as long as the stuff from the hardware store, it’ll do the trick in a pinch and is handy if you don’t feel like spending your money fixing up your landlord’s pad.
You can also use the stuff to stop a squeaky door. Remove the door and the pins, and then melt the leftover wax and use it to coat the pins. Replace the door, and voilà! It should be as quiet as the proverbial churchmouse.
Cardboard tubes
You can recycle old paper towel rolls and toilet paper rolls, but you can also give them new life. Do you have a bin full of various cords all a-tangle? Straighten them out so you can quickly find the adapter or extension cord you need in a pinch by threading them through an empty roll and using it to hold them in place.
You can also use these rolls to keep your slacks from getting that hanger crease at the knee. Cut a slit along the side of a tube, and then place it over a hanger’s rod before adding your trousers.
We all need to help the Earth
Stopping climate change requires everyone’s help. You might wonder what exactly you can do, but environmental stewardship really begins at home.
Start by reusing and repurposing the above items to be more thoughtful toward the planet. As a bonus, you’ll save money you can use to take a much-needed day off for enjoying nature’s beauty.
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