Everyday Household Recyclable Materials To Reuse and Repurpose

The United States alone generates 254 million tons of trash every year and only recycles around 87 million tons. Despite calls to reduce, reuse, and recycled materials landfills continue to grow at an alarming rate. In fact, many smaller landfills have closed as there’s simply no more room. It’s gotten to the point where the US has started to ship trash to other countries. This leads to a new set of problems as junk from the ships often falls into the ocean, leading to even more ocean pollution.

Unfortunately, it’s getting harder and harder to avoid creating trash as so much of what we purchase is packaged in plastic marked with plastic recycling numbers. While recycling can help reduce the amount of waste we produce, in some areas even when you separate your recycling from your trash, it still ends up in the landfill anyway. More importantly, there are simply not enough plants around the world to recycle everything. Luckily, there are some things you can do with some common items to make sure they don’t end up in the ocean or landfill.

Plastic Water Bottles

Plastic bottles are perhaps the most ubiquitous items on the list. We’ve moved away from glass bottles to plastic due to its lower price point. Unlike glass, it’s not ideal to reuse plastic bottles as any signs of wear and tear could allow chemicals from the bottle to leach into your water or juice.

While there’s been some form of bottled water since 1622, it didn’t really gain traction until the 19th century due to technological advancements that allowed water to be bottled faster. While its popularity has declined in the US at least in the 20th century due to the advent of water chlorination, it still remains the 2nd most popular commercial beverage.

Plastic water and soda bottles tend to either have the plastic recycling numbers of 1, which means it is made from polyethylene terephthalate also known as PET. While recyclable, most people tend to drink their water or soft drinks on the go where there often aren’t any recycling bins.

While it’s best to reduce your use by carrying around a reusable water bottle for on the go, you should also consider installing a water filtration system for at home so you don’t drink bottled water at home.

If there is no way to avoid water bottles, there are plenty of ways you can reuse them. You can cut off the bottom portion of the bottle and fill it with dirt to use as a little nursery for plants. If you don’t have a green thumb, you can use them to create simple crafts. Not only is this a great way to get plastic bottles out of landfills, if you have kids it’s also a great way to teach them the importance of recycling and reusing common household items. 

Plastic Bags

Many states have started banning plastic bags in an effort to reduce the amount of plastic trash that ends up in landfills while others are starting to charge a fee for every plastic bag you use.

Whether or not you live in a state that has started cracking down on plastic bag use, it’s still a good idea to be proactive about your plastic bag use. Reducing the amount you use means bringing your own reusable bags to grocery stores. Still, there might be times where you end up with a plastic bag anyway.

One of the best things about plastic bags are considered as a recyclable materials and they can be reused over and over again. If you don’t want to spend the money on a fancy reusable bag, you can always bring in your old plastic bags to pack your groceries. As well, you can reuse it as a convenient little trash bag for your home or simple transport to bring your vegetable peels over to your compost bin.

For those with gardens, you can use plastic bags as starter pots for plants or, if you already have some seedlings, you can cover small pots with the bags to create a mini greenhouse. 

Resealable plastic bags are even better as you simply need to wash them out after use. You can use them to store leftovers in the fridge or freezer or to pack sandwiches. Once you’re done, make sure to bring them home and wash them out. Don’t have a piping bag for your desserts? You can simply cut one corner off of a plastic bag for a makeshift piping bag. 

Of course, you can also recycle plastic bags that you get from stores. Many actually offer recycling bins where you can drop off any excess bags you have. Still, with so many ways to reuse plastic bags, you might as well keep them on hand in case you need them.

Aluminum Foil

Aluminum foil is a super useful kitchen tool. You can mold it into pretty much any shape and it can block out moisture so long as you fold the edges properly. Heck, you can even recycle it with your canned items. However, did you know you can reuse your foil more than once?

If you use your foil for baking, it might be a bit more difficult to reuse, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. All you need to do is clean the foil. If you have a dishwasher, you can actually just toss the piece of foil in there on the top rack with the soiled side down. Make sure you weigh it down with a utensil so it gets the best clean. Once the foil is cleaned, you can reuse it infinitely for your baking needs. The trick is to make sure you don’t tear it.

Still, even if you do tear a piece of foil, it still has its uses. You can use it as a sharpener by folding it until it is 6 layers thick then cutting through the foil with knives or scissors. You can also roll it up into balls and use it as a pot scrubber (don’t use it on nonstick though) or toss it into your dryer to help remove static cling and wrinkles. If it’s a little worn down, toss it into your boots to help keep them upright or toss it in the bottom of a large planter to fill up some space.

Old Trophies

Not everyone has old trophies, but for those that do, if you’re ready to part with them you don’t have to toss them into the trash. Instead, take a picture so you don’t forget them and then donate them to trophy manufacturers. Many will donate them to charitable organizations or recycle the parts to create new awards.

If you want to keep the trophies but don’t want them to collect dust, there are a lot of fun ways you can reuse them. If you have trophies with figurines, you can simply attach the figures to corks or coat racks for fun decorations. Better yet, you can work with your kids to redecorate the figurines to create some cool Christmas tree ornaments.

Trophies that have a cup shape are the most useful as you can use them to create planters or even a small birdbath. If making a birdbath, just make sure to properly attach the trophy to something sturdy so it doesn’t fall over. If you’re feeling extra crafty, fill the cup with wax and add a wick to have your own trophy candle.

Old TVs

Technology might have gotten better, but it seems like the actual hardware doesn’t last as long anymore. Many TVs nowadays stop working after 5-10 years. While you don’t have to have a TV, it’s still a nice item to have in the house if you want to watch movies or your favorite TV show.

Before you toss your old TV, the first thing you should do is try to see if you can fix it. There are plenty of video tutorials online that can help you fix your problem. More often than not it just requires removing a few screws and cleaning something off.

If your TV is beyond repair, then don’t just throw it away in the trash. TVs have a lot of harmful chemicals that can leach into the ground in landfills, which can ultimately affect the surrounding water supply. Contact your local sanitation department to see where in your area you can recycle your TV. If nothing else, Best Buy does recycle old TVs.

Depending on the type of TV you have, you can repurpose it in a variety of ways. Flatscreen TVs are a bit more challenging as they don’t have much room to work with. If you have an old CRT TV, though, you can remove the interior of the TV and just keep the frame, which, you can then use for a variety of crafts such as an aquarium or a nice planter for your garden. If you’re into programming, you can purchase a Raspberry Pi and turn your vintage computer into a video game emulator or even a weather satellite.

CDs, DVDs, VHS Tapes

Blu-rays might still be a thing, but CDs and VHS Tapes have pretty much gone the way of the dodo. Still, those of us who grew up during that era probably still have a lot of our old collection growing dust. While you can always rebuy old VHS movies as a digital download, your old home videos aren’t something you can replace. Luckily, there are companies that will transfer your old VHS tapes into a digital format so you can always keep those embarrassing videos of your kids.

Once you’ve digitized your collection, it’s time to get rid of that clutter. Instead of throwing everything out, contact your local sanitation department to see if there are organizations that recycle old CDs, DVDs, and VHS. If not, then you can still find ways to repurpose them. Your old CDs can be remade into lovely wall or ceiling art. If you have a garden, you can transform your CDs into a scarecrow as the reflected light keeps birds and other critters at bay. 

For your VHS, you can reuse the tape in a variety of ways. If you have a garden, you can use it to bind together posts, create pom-poms, use it as a crochet thread to create a chic reusable bag, and more. The casing itself can be turned into a trendy clock or even fun purse for your essentials. If you have a lot of tapes, you can combine it all together to create a funky table.

Wine Corks

While wine corks are biodegradable, that doesn’t mean you can’t reuse them. In fact, there are plenty of wine cork crafts out there for you to try. Of course, this means you need to save your corks so make sure you don’t throw them out after finishing up a bottle.

You don’t need to have a huge cork collection to find neat ways of reusing them. Sure, the ones that tend to get a lot of attention online require hundreds, sometimes thousands of corks. You’ve probably seen the cork tables and other pieces of art.

However, that’s not all you can do with them. You can do something as simple as gluing a piece of magnet to a cork to create useful fridge magnets. Or, if you enjoy making homemade sauces or preserves, you can use them to cork your bottles. Are you good carving? Take a blade and turn your corks into cute stamps.

Old Cell Phones

In the US alone there are more than 300 million cell phones in use. With every manufacturer pushing newer and better models each year, the amount of e-waste continues to pile up. While many phone carriers offer a discount on newer models when you return your old one, the discounts, especially on phones that are a few years old, hardly make a dent on the cost of new phones.

So many people simply throw smartphones into the trash. Not only do the materials that make up the body of the phone not biodegradable, but the chemicals in the rechargeable batteries are also very dangerous if they leak out of the phones.

If your phone is too old to be sold or used for trade-in credit, look into recycling it. Many towns offer an electronic waste program where you can drop off your old phones. You can also search Earth 911 if your town doesn’t have a program to find the nearest place that does. If your phone still works you can donate it to a few programs such as Cell Phones for Soldiers or HopeLine.

Junk Mail

Gone are the days where you would get a letter from a friend in the mail. Today, it’s all digital. That is except junk mail. There’s around 100 billion pieces of mail sent every year in the US alone. While a lot of today’s junk mail is made from recycled paper, it’s still a lot of waste. Recycling junk mail is the most obvious way to help the environment, but there are other ways you can reuse the paper.

If the return envelope is still in good condition, reuse it to send your own mail. Just make sure to cover up any logos and the return address before sending it out. If you have a shredder, you can do even more with your junk mail. You can use the shredded paper as a homemade mulch for your garden. If you have kids, you can mix the paper together with some flour and water to create paper mache crafts. You can also use the shredded pieces to pack fragile items during a move or if you’re sending a gift. 

Books

If you’re a bookworm, it can be hard to part with your books. After all, each one holds a special place in your heart. Still, there comes a time when you need to clean the house and declutter. If there are books you haven’t read in years or perhaps some that are in very bad condition, it might be time to get rid of them. Luckily, you don’t have to toss your books into the trash.

If your books are still in good condition consider donating to your local library or thrift store. You can feel good knowing that your book will at least be enjoyed by other people. If you have other book-loving friends, consider a book swap. That way you can get rid of your old books while getting some new ones. You can also choose to sell your books, but you often won’t get much for more popular books and you’ll have to deliver it yourself. 

If your books are not in good condition then the first thing you should do is get yourself a digital version especially if you really liked the book. From there you can transform your books into a variety of items like garlands, a clock, a bookshelf, and more.

Cardboard

Most people probably end up with a lot of cardboard in the house thanks to the ease of online ordering. Of course, more shopping means more waste. Luckily, cardboard is incredibly durable and has a variety of uses. It is also biodegradable, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to recycle or reuse it.

So what can you do with cardboard? A lot, actually. The easiest thing you can do is use it as storage boxes. You can easily store it under some furniture and throw items in there like toys or miscellaneous cords and wires. If you want, you can add a nice fabric lining to it so it looks a bit nicer. If you’re really crafty, you can transform a cardboard box into a variety of toys like a little play kitchen or even a cardboard car. If you’re into cosplay, you can mold the cardboard into things like armor, weapons, and more. There are a dozen different ways you can repurpose cardboard for useful home items. So long as you have basic materials like glue, a sharp blade, and some time then you can pretty much make anything.

Help Keep Our Planet Green and Reuse or Repurpose Everyday Recycled Materials at Home

Before you throw something out, take a moment to see if there are ways you can reuse an item with it’s recycled materials for another purpose. While it might take a bit more time to look something up or the plastic recycling numbers, ultimately you’ll be helping the environment and saving yourself some money. There are many sites and video tutorials dedicated to ways you can upcycle your ‘junk’ and identify recyclable materials.

Of course, if you can’t reuse, then the next best thing is recycling. Make sure you get to know your community’s recycling guidelines. For e-waste, always check to see if there’s a specific day or location where you can drop off old items like phones, TVs, and computers as these require special handling. At the end of the day, a little time and effort can go a long way in reducing your waste.

Karen A Mulvey is a personal social blogger and mom with 14 years of experience in the every day world of motherhood and sustainable product research. Karen is on a mission to help everyday families select sustainable, non-toxic organic products, stop stressing about uncertainties on sustainable home goods and apparel, and start living the life they’ve always wanted.

Follow Karen at @karenAmulveycs | Karen A Mulvey

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