Upcycle / Repurpose / Reuse – Page 20

Reusing rubber gloves

March 12November 16Posted in DIY, Upcycle / Repurpose / ReuseTagged broken, cleaning, craft, diy, eco, eco friendly, gloves, green, how to, ideas, jewellery, latex, old, recycle, reduce, repurpose, reuse, ruuber, tips, tutorial, upcycle3 Comments

Updated: November 2016

“I’ve realized is that regardless of the material and construction, sooner or later, they all end up reaching the point of no return thanks to pointy knife tips, chemical deterioration or simple wear and tear. What I didn’t realize is that synthetically processed (as opposed to naturally derived) latex is the norm among conventional brands and that even when it’s the latter, in some cases, the material is taken without regard toward maintaining the fragile balance of forested areas such as Brazil’s Amazon region.

It’s possible to green up my kitchen habit by specifically seeking out Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified natural latex options that ensure that rubber tappers are compensated with fair trade wages when they responsibly utilize forest resources. So many natives live in poverty and are forced by their circumstances to profit in any way they can from the diminishing resources they can extract from the Amazon, but there is a better way.

The bad news is that truly eco-friendly waterproof household gloves are very challenging to find. There are just a few manufacturers right now that offer reasonable options, such as:

If You Care Household Gloves: These cotton-lined, naturally biodegradable lime green gloves, dipped in FSC-certified latex, are packaged in a fully recyclable cardboard box printed with nontoxic ink and sealed with equally planet-friendly glue.
Green Tips Fair Trade Latex Household Gloves: Described as flock-lined, ethically sourced 100% latex gloves, this FSC-certified option is also bright green in color and packaged in a fully recyclable/equally compostable container.”

– By Elizah Leigh on 1800recycling.com

“Before throwing away your rubber gloves, take another look because that glove may be useful in new, unconventional ways. By recycling rubber gloves, you’ll get more bang for your buck and discover a useful item for your household. Since rubber gloves are non-slip and waterproof, they are perfect to cover slippery surfaces and to open jars, and they can even be useful in first-aid kits.”

– By Becca Janet on eHow

Below a few ideas to reuse the old/broken rubber/latex gloves, click on each image to go to the original source and tutorial:

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Reusing CD/DVD cases

March 5April 27Posted in DIY, Plastic, Upcycle / Repurpose / ReuseTagged case, cd, crafts, diy, dvd, jewel, old, recycle, reduce, repurpose, reuse, spindle, turn, tutorial, upcycle6 Comments

According to Umbra from grist.org:

If you wish to recycle the plastic cases, it might be a bit tough. These are #6 plastic (polystyrene), which may be recyclable where you live — be sure to check with your local authorities. Since #6 is not wildly popular, a better bet might be one of several outfits around your country that will recycle these items for you; generally your costs are just for shipping. Check out GreenDisk, which takes all manner of “technotrash,” from iPods to X-rays; CD Recycling Center of America, which has several locations around the country; and CD Recycling Central based in California, which recycles other e-waste items too.

What happens to your CD cases when you send them off this way? According to Earth 911, they are simply recycled into new plastic items, which we hope will be useful to someone — and then eventually recycled again.

You could also contact your local library to ask whether they need any replacement cases — I see from many discussions online that library patrons are wild and reckless, and CD cases often come back smashed. Many people also recommend posting the cases on a site such as Craigslist or Freecycle. One man’s trash, and all that.

Other option is to reuse/repurpose/upcycle them, here some ideas:

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Reusing candle wax

February 26March 27Posted in DIY, other materials, Upcycle / Repurpose / ReuseTagged candle, craft, cube, diy, eco, fire starter, green, hack, homemade, how to, ideas, inspiration, leftover, melt, old, recycle, Recycling, reduce, repurpose, reuse, savvy, scented, tips, tutorial, upcycle, Upcycling, wax1 Comment

“Candles are wonderful at setting the mood of a room, but once the candle burns down to the bottom it can be unsightly and hard to remove from the container. Some candle containers are so delightful, so it is nice to reuse them. Candles can also be messy and wax is difficult to remove if the candle spills over (…) Once you have used up most of your favourite candle with a scent but there is still too much left to throw away, purchase tea light molds and tea light wicks. Melt the remaining wax and pour into the tea light moulds. You won’t waste your original candle and you will still get to still enjoy your favourite fragrance.”

— thegardeningcook.com

Following are some ideas to reuse the leftover candle wax to make new ones. Click on the images to go to the original source and tutorial.

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Reusing old Pens

February 19March 27Posted in Aluminium, DIY, Plastic, Upcycle / Repurpose / ReuseTagged alternatives, ballpoint, bic, crafts, diy, dried, how to, ideas, inspiration, litter, old, pen guy, pencils, pens, recycle, Recycling, reduce, refillable, remake, repurpose, reuse, reusing, terracycle, tutorials, upcycle, Upcycling, used, world environmental organization, writing instruments brigades, zero waste3 Comments

What do you do when you’ve finished with a used ink pen – toss it in the trash? Probably, because that’s what we all do. It’s about the only thing you can do with an old pen.

“According to the EPA, Americans throw away 1.6 billion disposable pens every year. Add the rest of the world, multiply by over 50 years of writing with disposable pens, and that’s a lot of metal and plastic waste ending up in landfill! I suspect it’s just the tip of the iceberg, given the piles of disposable pens that many of us haven’t thrown out yet. Not to mention the refillable pens that we never take the trouble to refill. (…)

Fast forward to the age of Bic, and the advent of cheap, disposable pens. New habits were formed, and ballpoint pens (not refills) were soon sold by the pack. Now, everywhere we turn, someone is handing us an inexpensive pen with their company name on it. Many end up in a drawer, pencil cup or purse, never to see the light of day or fulfil their intended function. Others are pitched in the trash when they run dry.” As written by Fredrica Rudell on We Hate to Waste

Complete pens can’t go into normal plastic recycling bins because they contain bits of metal, as well as the remainder of the ink. The barrels themselves are typically “Type 5 recyclable plastic,” according to Pilot, but all metal components and the refills have to be removed before recycling. So, even if you disassembled every pen you use, you would still be left with a pile of clips, plungers, springs, barrel rings, screw-on tips, and refills.