Reusing old Pens

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.

There are a few choices:

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Reusing old Suitcases

Reusing suitcases | ecogreenloveFurniture: TablesChairs • More | Storage | For Kids | For Pets | Others

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DIY: Upcycled (& original) Holiday Gifts

DIY: Upcycled (& original) Holiday Gifts | ecogreenlove

Updated: September 2018

I have always liked giving functional presents for these holiday season as well as for birthdays. And most of the years I make some time to create the gifts myself, maybe is only the wrapping (not that I create the gift per se) but something that makes it unique and more personalised. I have collected some ideas, a few but quite not so common, that I hope they inspire you.

Click on the image to go to the source and/or tutorial. Don’t forget to send a picture or Instagram it and hashtag ecogreenlove to share your ideas with us! With your ideas we can make this community grow even more! Thank you for following and happy upcycling! 🙂

DIY: Upcycled (& original) Holiday Gifts | ecogreenlove
Painted Rocks as paper weights. Check their 40+ Gifts Kids can Make for Grown-Ups ideas!

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Reusing old Yellow Pages / Phonebooks

IMG from wikihow

I have so far 2 yellow pages and 2 phonebooks, they are updated every year or two. Most of them are made with recycled paper already, and many times they offer to recycle them or you just have to deliver them to a paper recycling bank.

Yellow Pages opt out recommends:

  • Check your local phone book for recycling information, usually in the front or back
  • If curbside recycling is offered in your community, you will likely have the ability to recycle Yellow Pages directories by putting them in your curbside bin
  • If curbside recycling is not an option, visit your county’s solid waste department’s Web site for recycling information
  • Contact your local Yellow Pages publisher for phone book recycling drop-off locations

If you, on the other hand, have one or two (maybe more) but want a creative way to reuse them, then continue reading and find some ideas:

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Reusing old Razors

If you use disposable razors, you know that in the end you throw them away and end up in the landfill… Know that “once the lubricating strip starts to wear away and the blade dulls it is time to get a new one”. I researched a little bit and found this interesting Disposable vs. Reusable Razors article from HowStuffWorks to help you compare and see why “it appears that buying a reusable razor is cheaper in the long run. Even if you have to replace the razor a couple of times a year, you still come out ahead in the long run and you help save the environment a bit while you’re at it.”

 

In the meantime, if you already bought a pack of disposable razors, know you can sharpen them so they last longer:

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