Recycle The Items Around You
September 1, 2009 by Guest
Filed under Uncategorized
We are constantly being told to recycle as much of our waste as we can. plastic containers and cardboard items can be recycled with relative ease as lots of people have separate bins for this stuff or can drop it off at a recycling centre in town. Larger items are another issue however, and we don’t really get told what to do with these. Things like chairs, windows and kitchen units usually find their way to the tip and often get destroyed. This is not only a big environmental concern but also a financial one, so here is some advice for making the most from the items already in your home.
Wood. Lots of people are very quick to get rid of their old chest of draws or bookshelf without taking some time to consider if they still have some use. With a little imagination you can make a great coffee table by bolting a 2 or 3 kitchen cupboards together, removing the handles and placing them door-side-up on the floor. The best bit is that the coffee table will double up as storage space as you can just open the lid and pop stuff in. You can also use wood to make lots of little things such as door stops and chopping boards and even wine racks
Glassware. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be an expert in glass melting in order to reuse an old glass. Glasses can be used to pot house plants, store knick-knacks in, and even create feature walls with if you’ve got the time to make it. Glass is a very versatile material to use but people tend to just get unnecessarily scared trying to recycle it.
Furniture. This is one of the hardest things to recycle and I’m not saying that you will be able to make tableware out of your old sofa, but sometimes there is scope to get a few more years out of items you thought were at the end of their life. If items have exhausted their use in the home, they can often be put to good use in the garden. If you take off the padding, most dining chairs can be used outside if given a good coat of varnish. Old curtain poles also come in very useful for attaching a clothes line to, or running cable through to the shed or garage.
