RECYCLING RE-USING

We are ardent gardeners.  We recycle or should  I say re-purpose/re-use.  We have recycled entire buildings' lumber into sheds and retaining walls for ourselves.  Peoples' pitched and rotting retaining logs have the rotted part removed and they are reused in our garden.  Dinner plates have become low retaining walls.  Speaker boxes that are plastic or metal have been re purposed into planters and retaining walls.

We don't live in an area where plastic recycling is available.  We are very conscientious about trying not to send things to the land fill. 

 The list of large items is endless.

 

Our small item list grows even longer each day.  You do not need to purchase pots for raising your plants.  The discards from friends, neighbors, co workers will give you more items than you need.

 

I hope this list gives you ideas you will be able to use in your daily routine. 

 

1.  Our new favorite potting container. "Activia" .  Other yogurt containers with inward slopping sides do not make good planters.  You can't get the plant out without disturbing the roots.

 

ALERT: WHEN YOU REMOVE THE RING ON THE ACTIVIA CUP PLEASE CLIP ONE SIDE SO IT IS BROKEN. PLASTIC RINGS, IN LAND FILLS, STRANGLE WILDLIFE.  THANK YOU FOR PROTECTING THOSE WHO CAN'T PROTECT THEMSELVES. (DON'T FORGET THE RINGS ON TOP OF MILK CARTONS.)

THE PLASTIC HOLDERS FOR SIX PACKS (MULTIPLE PACKS) also endanger wildlife .  Each cell is a tourniquet waiting to happen.

2.  Cardboard type milk cartons:  Quarts are great, half gallons are nice,  We use them for plants like tomatoes where we want them to grow lots of roots up the stalk.  When we transplant we only fill the container about 1/3 full before putting in the tomato and then we fill it up.  The plant will grow roots up the buried stem.  Besides the depth it is a narrow container, using less dirt that I have to prepare..so it is a labor saver.

3.  Styrofoam packing trays:  The ones which are from the meat department serve as trays for holding small pots for watering.  The mushroom boxes which are Styrofoam make good under house plant saucers.  All colored Styrofoam trays and packaging are a very good Crafting medium for kids. 

4.  Plastic, take me home, domed containers:  Including those that rotisserie Chickens arrive in.  These are great mini green houses.

Did you perhaps buy a cake at the bakery in either a square or round one.  Turned upside down the lid is a tray and the dome a green house. 

5.  Cardboard boxes food comes in (I.E. cereal, crackers etc.):  Any box that has food in it is safe for food.  You can open them out flat.   The larger ones you can cut in half along a seam.  What to do with them?  You can use them as cutting boards for things like onions.  Then you don't have to wash the board you just throw it away. (If it is a juicy item you don't want to cut it on the "disposable board".  the card board will dissolve).  Another caution, The side with the printing should never be used to cut on.  The inks may be dangerous and the out side may have a plastic coating that would not be good in our digestive systems.

The larger pieces can be used for emergency dust pans.

6.  Have you up scaled a piece of furniture.  Try it and save it from the land fill and put the money you saved  into the bank.

7.  Old clothes can go to good will or you can use them yourself.  I have up cycled clothes which are already in the "use for Paint cloth" bin.  The following blogs are about re-using/recycling tossed aside or worn out items:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2011/01/trash-to-treasure.html

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2012/01/one-mans-trash.html

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2008/09/recycle-those-bridesmaid-dresses.html

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2010/10/halloween-re-cycledre-used.html

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2010/10/halloween-homemade.html

Edit March 6, 2013:

8.  I have forgotten one of our favorite re-uses.  We cut the bottoms off plastic gallon milk containers and use them for cloches on tiny tender plants in the garden.  You do have to monitor them though.   Sometimes you need to vent the heat out the top (removing the cap), and other times you need to remove the cloche entirely.  If the sun is bright you can cook your little plants.   If your plant is large and touches the plastic and you have a freeze then the plant will freeze where it touches the side of the cloche. 

9. Another garden recycle is newspapers for mulch.  A word of caution, if  you have sow bugs, they feed on them and prolificate under the layers.  You must also weight them down or you will be papering the neighbor hood  until  they get dampened enough.

10.  Carpet:  Old carpet, as long as it doesn't have the rubber backing, is great for paths in the garden.  It can hit the dump after it has served a year in your garden.  (It should be pulled up at the end of the season because of all the unwanted stuff  that might be hiding to emerge next year) 

Break the circle of death,

Break all plastic circles.

 

Have fun finding ways to save our environment.



For more blogs by me visit at:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting, but cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,
A tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.
Blog about dolls.

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/

                                                  blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry

Blogs about seed sprouting.

Tutorial on planting Strawberries.

As always, any pictures or writings are my own.

                                            Credit has been given to contributions not my own.
                                                   Please do not use without permission.