Image Credit: Jessica Reeder
Things that we know can be recycled don’t tend to be reused by us, but instead piled up at one side of the kitchen until we can be bothered to take them out to the recycling bin, if you’re anything like me at least. However – there are a lot of things that you can do with these before you recycle them.
Plastic Milk and Juice Cartons.
It doesn’t matter if you go through a lot of milk and juice or not; the big plastic cartons seem to have a magical ability to accumulate over time, and they take up quite a bit of space in your recycling area – so it can be pretty handy to find a way of repurposing them to do something a little different. Just because something is used does not mean it is useless. There are no shortage of things that you can do with some old, washed out cartons, and it just so happens we’ve tracked down a great list to get you started; with more than 30 different uses for used milk cartons and juice cartons.
Paper Milk and Juice Cartons.
Of course if you buy your milk or juice in a little paper carton instead of a plastic one you can still recycle it, with no end to the number of little creations you can produce. The paper material is easy to work with and makes a great option for crafts with children, with a great variety of things you can make and activities you can do. Of course you will need to be sure that you wash the cartons beforehand and dry them properly. We’ve found a great list of ideas to get you started on your carton creations.
Bags.
Doesn’t matter if they’re plastic or paper, we seem to do nothing but gather bags. Usually all pushed inside one big bag and shoved into a cupboard. Bags can be difficult to get rid of, so why not make use of them at home? There are surprisingly quite a few things you can do with the plastic and paper bags you have lying around. We found one particularly great list that gives you some suggestions for both plastic carrier bags and paper bags. So you can finally do something about the overflowing hoard of carrier bags you’ve got stashed away under the kitchen sink.
Paper Cups.
If you head over to the coffee shop and pick up a latte to go as part of your morning routine then you probably bin a lot of coffee cups that are perfectly recyclable and reusable. There are plenty of options for making something new and attractive with your old paper cups, and of course we have found a great list with a number of suggestions to get you started. These make great activities for your home, your garden and even entertaining your kids, so there’s no reason not to hold onto those cups.
Tin Cans.
Pet food, our food, custard – tin cans are used for a wide variety of things we use on a day to day basis, so it isn’t really a surprise that we have so many of them around. It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking for something that will serve a purpose in your home or you’re looking for something crafty you can do with the kids; there are plenty of things you can do with a tin can. We’ve found a particularly big list full of wonderful ideas that you might like to try for yourself.
Toilet Roll Tubes.
You would be amazed what people can do with some little cardboard tubes. Families in particular will see these stack up in the bathroom constantly. If you have pets such as hamsters, guinea-pigs or mice they do make great toys / chews – but if not there are plenty of other things you can do with them. We found a list of 50 different uses for empty tubes.
Boxes.
Doesn’t matter what kind of box you have, you can make use of it. Cereal boxes, packing boxes, scraps of cardboard, general food packaging boxes – it doesn’t really matter what it is if it’s cardboard, card or even just hard paper you can be sure to find a way of making use of it. We happen to have already created a post full of cardboard creations for you to try.