Learn to Reuse in 2009

Filed under: Home, Tips

Most of us have the recycling thing pretty well figured out and we’re getting better at reducing, but what about the reuse part of reduce, recycle, reuse?

Sometimes instead of being excited that your trash can is nearly empty and your recycling bin is full, you should challenge yourself to reuse as many things as possible and reduce the general outflow of stuff from your household whether it is recyclable or not.

I’m not advocating collecting a massive amount of butter tubs and egg cartons by any means but, before you just recycle everything, think about what else it can be used for. And whether something isn’t recyclable, it is particularly crucial to look at it with new eyes.

In my own life I had quite an odd reusing experience lately. My husband and I bought an inexpensive gazebo to stand under during our wedding, which we had in our backyard. The gazebo seemed like a good deal at the day, but while we were away on our honeymoon, a good strong wind collapsed it. We didn’t want

to throw it into the trash and the metal was not of a quality that could be welded back together successfully.

So, it sat in the yard, awaiting something. Recently we installed a wood stove and needed to set up a wood pile. We used some pallets my husband scrounged from his office to get started, but we needed something more. Off came the legs from the gazebo, about seven feet towering and the perfect width to hold a piece of firewood. The weatherproof fabric top of the gazebo drapes nicely by the wood pile to keep things dry.

It’s not the most romantic end for my wedding gazebo but I was certain happy to find a good use for it! Check out some of Lifehacker’s top reusing projects of 2008 to get inspired for your next project.

Learn to Reuse in 2009 originally presented on Green Daily on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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[Source] Christina Clark