Do you recycle these items?

yellowhair

20 years ago

Hi,

Just wondering what kind of uses you get for these items:

The bags that microwave popcorn come in. Can they be reused for something?

Aluminum cans---I use one as a pet food dipper-outer.

Water bottles. I used some for starting seeds. Some I use for freezing regular water.

Glass jar thingys that face creams and other good-smelling cosmetics come in.

Plastic shopping bags. I use some for trashcans.

****************************

What other uses can these items have? Or do you have some items that you recycle? TIA sue

Comments (3)

Carina
20 years ago
I use plastic shopping bags to line small trash cans, like in the bathroom & office...also for doggy-doo pickup bags on walks. The small plastic produce bags - I only get those if I'm getting something like green beans that have to be bagged - get used for sandwich bags etc; instead of buying sandwich bags, which has always seemed really silly to me.

Plastic pop bottles and cans get "recycled" at the grocery store for cash.

I think bottled water is a horrendous waste of money...I have one of those filter jugs for water, and keep it in the fridge. I used to have a filter that attached to the faucet; that worked very well too. Most bottled water is just filtered tap water anyhow, why pay for it when you can filter your own at home for way less? Plus you're not cluttering landfills with plastic bottles.
budster
20 years ago
I recycle what I can....mostly in the ways you have mentioned. I have crocheted with the plastic bags, made a throw mat and fiddled around and made a bag for wet beach things....a friend crocheted some placemats for her patio from grocery bags... tin cans, well I have a book somewhere that shows how to make some dollhouse furnature from tin cans (someday I will attempt something) but they mostly hit the recycle bin - rinsed and label removed (Campbell soup labels go to the local grocery store where some of the schools have drop bins for the labels - they earn points for computers etc...) Other than that...well I don't buy the bottled water unless it is an absolute neccessity. Here we go off on the great bottled water debate again...Bud
Related Discussions
vertical gardening with recycled items
Q
Comments (2)
Wow! That's alot of cukes! How do you make your pickles? I got alot of great seeds in the secret santa swap on the round robin exchange. Unbelievable how many cukes I got. We had cuke sandwiches tonight. Nummy! 1 cuke on a small slice of party bread with some sort of rich white spread between the bread and the cuke. I got white, blonde, muncher cukes and others. It was so much fun!
...See More
Where do you put recycling?
Q
Comments (21)
Two sinks here. Echoing the advice from Buehl about locating recycling bin nearer to prep zone. Our cabs man had put it next to cleanup sink in his plan but I moved it. He was puzzled. But I knew that empty milk, wine, and beer bottles were generated at the eating table (not at the cleanup area) and that after observation of my own cooking behaviors, I had already decided that a canopener was going to live in the prep sink area, but none in the cleanup area, because that's where I open cans. I can rinse out empty yogurt, etc containers at prep sink before tossing into bin. I still haven't solved the problem of old newspapers, flattened cartons, etc. within the recycle bin--I shove them down alongside the paper bag that holds the rest of recycling stuff within the plastic bin. When this loose big wad begins to overwhelm, I move it to a bin in garage. By the way, there's a rolling boot to hold the Ikea bin mentioned above--two bins actually. I planned to put a small wastebasket under the cleanup sink, but 6 months after the install of cabs, I haven't done it yet and the walk 6.5 feet to the double pullout bin with both waste and odd recycle items isn't that daunting. Compost, on the other hand, is generated and stored at both sinks.
...See More
Do you recycle?
Q
Comments (49)
We live in an unincorporated area of Sacramento County, California. We have curbside recycle pickup. Each house gets three "trash" cans. One for Garbage, one for Green Waste, and one for Recycle. The Garbage is collected every week, and the Green Waste and Recycle alternate weeks. You have your choice of a 30-gallon, 60-gallon, or 90-gallon can for each of the three types. You are billed according to what size cans you have. You can have more than one of each type but, again, you are billed for any extra cans, according to their size. (And, of course, you do not get a credit if you don't put a can out.) When recycling cardboard, the pieces of it must fit inside the can with the lid closed. If they don't/won't, you have to call in advance to let the collection company know that you have oversized cardboard to be picked up. Then, you have to have the stuff bundled together with string and set it out next to the Recycle can. Used motor oil can be left in sealed containers next to the Recycle can. Oh - the cans are plastic and have wheels on the back, and a handle at the top back. So, you just tilt it slightly and wheel it to the curb.
...See More
How much trash do you create if you recycle and compost?
Q
Comments (21)
And stonetech, while I'm fairly cynical about things touted as green, and don't expect all recycling is collected and reused in an ideal manner (local recycler's fine print reads that they may "reject" -- ie dump -- any loads that are not acceptable at their discretion), I do think the effort is worth it. All local trash is incinerated, so even if only some is diverted, recycling has a chance to be the better option here. Arguments about the costs of such services, about what's greenwashing, about consumerism in general, about the global commodities markets and the economics of the waste business... all are topics worth thinking about, but that may be beyond the scope of this forum...
...See More
kathy_
20 years ago
I use plastic bottles (cut off) to make a dish to replant my seedlings after I started them in a bigger dish or pan. Yogurt cups are great for this too.
The grocery stores take the used plastic bags here but Mom volunteers at a food bank and they need all they can get.
Sue try a stir crazy popcorn popper - they work great and you can control the oil you use in them. I bought my last one at a yard sale for $3.
To each their own on the water - I drink enough sodas for my "waste" of money. Kathy

Related Stories

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Add a Touch of Sparkle With Recycled Glass in the Garden

By Olander Garden Design

See 7 practical and versatile ways to use recycled glass in the garden

Full Story

KITCHEN DESIGN Kitchen Counters: Sturdy, Striking Recycled Glass With Cement

By Ivon Street Studio

Ecofriendly and full of character, this heat- and scratch-resistant material is a great fit for custom kitchen counters

Full Story

SHOP HOUZZ Shop Houzz: Recycled, Reclaimed and Repurposed

By Houzz

Go green with furnishings made from upcycled materials in an industrial setting

Full Story

GREEN BUILDING How to Recycle Your Kitchen

By Christine Tusher

Instead of adding to the junk pile — and paying landfill fees — get rid of old appliances, cabinets and countertops the ecofriendly way

Full Story

107

GREEN BUILDING The Future of Smart Design: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

By Eric Reinholdt, Architect

See why reducing waste in a home construction project should appeal to every architect, designer and client

Full Story

MATERIALS A Hard Look at Recycled Plastic for the Home

By Julia Pockett

It's durable and versatile, but processing takes a lot of energy. We sort through the facts on recycled plastic so you can choose wisely

Full Story

KITCHEN DESIGN Super Backsplashes to Pair With Recycled-Paper Counters

By Becky Harris

Aesthetics and personal ethics come together for most folks who opt for this eco-friendly material

Full Story

GREEN BUILDING Insulation Basics: Natural and Recycled Materials

By Mariana Pickering (Emu Building Science)

Consider sheep’s wool, denim, cork, cellulose and more for an ecofriendly insulation choice

Full Story

LOFTS Houzz Tour: A Commercial Laundry Gets Recycled Into a Dramatic Home

By Camille LeFevre

See how this 1923 behemoth becomes the ultimate home for entertaining and more

Full Story

114

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: Recycling an Old Cabin in the Sonoma Wine Country

By Karen Egly-Thompson

Knotty cedar planks combine with Cor-Ten steel in a new modern home with a view worth raising a glass to

Full Story

Do you recycle these items?

Comments (3)

Carina

budster

Related Discussions

kathy_

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US