Creative Recycling

There are so many ways of recycling and reusing beyond separating your plastics from aluminum. Here are some ideas for recycling to not only help the environment, but live frugally:

Join your local Freecycle yahoo group to get rid of unwanted items, and find what you need hidden in someone's garage rather than buying it new.

Before you throw something out, even if it's broken, consider how else you or someone else could reuse it. Put it on Freecycle and you may be surprised.

Use washcloths as often as possible rather than paper towels or napkins.

Plastic grocery bags can be reused as trash bags and litter collection bags.

With the massive amount of paper we accumulate I keep a magazine-holder in a convenient location to stash paper that is used on only one side, then grab a piece when it's time to make the grocery list or take a phone message.

The weekend newspaper can be used as fire-starters in the winter, garden mulch in the summer, and as a "tablecloth" for art projects.

A wipe-off board in the kitchen allows me to keep to-do, chore, and grocery notes, thereby not having to use paper.

Join www.paperbackswap.com to recycle books you're done with, and receive others you want.

Buy or recycle glass containers to use for leftovers and storage rather than plastic ziploc-type bags. Recycle glass pickle jars, etc., when possible.

Create a compost pile for table scraps. Use only fresh vegetable peelings, no grease, meat, etc.

Don't write in workbooks if at all possible, so they can be reused by others.

I don't buy chemical cleaners, which not only saves money, but the environment. I use vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda for most jobs.

Refill ink cartridges, if possible.

Use your library whenever possible.

Buy Nalgene water bottles and keep some filled in the freezer for summer outings. You can keep them in a hot car or bag at the pool and they'll be thawed and ready to drink by the time you need them.

Buy each family member a good, reusable water bottle that is easily portable to grab when you're on-the-go so you don't stop and buy water or other beverages in plastic containers.

I hope this has given you a few ideas, or at least got you thinking about simple ways you can recycle.