Creative repurposing, reusing, and recycling in our home
*Disclosure: I have partnered with Clean Foundation for #GivingTuesday and have received compensation for this post. All opinions and creative repurposing projects are my own. Be sure to read to the end of the post to find out how your kids can be “famous” by giving back.
Anyone who knows our family understands that this house is one big DIY project. We’re constantly “rescuing” free furniture from the curb or accepting hand-me-downs from a family member. We paint or refinish it (accessories, too, like lamps and frames) instead of buying new items, and everyone’s happy.
But we do more than just save furniture (SO. MUCH. FURNITURE.) from the landfill.
Since Tuesday, Nov. 28 is #GivingTuesday, Clean Foundation asked me to share the ways our family reduces, reuses, recycles. Our kids are already passionate* about “saving da environment,” and recycling is second nature to them. I’m always impressed to visit their school cafeteria and see the kids walk up to the row of garbage cans, check the posters above each one, and drop their apple core or juice box into the appropriate bin.
*Our son came home from school last month and immediately told me to unplug the TV to save power — and apparently his classmates came home grilling their parents on water use and electricity consumption. It was really cute … until he didn’t understand the concept of an energy-saving power bar and thought we were singlehandedly ruining the planet by not unplugging the TV, which would mean dragging the electric fireplace away from the wall 10 times a day. Ah, kids.
The kitchen is the busiest spot in our house, so it’s no surprise that’s where we sort garbage, refundables, recyclables, cardboard, and compost.
Of course, the “clean” living doesn’t stop there …
- The kids take lunches packed in reusable containers (super-cool LEGO ones, actually)
- Instead of buying those little milk cartons at school, they take milk in these containers
- We eat a lot of leftovers to reduce food waste (and save money)
- Instead of one-time-use plastic baggies, I sew reusable snack bags that can be refilled again and again
- We NEVER, EVER buy paper towels — we use flannel paper towels or dishcloths to wipe up spills, and rags to clean. (This drives visiting family members crazy, but we’re stubborn about it.)
And even though we have recycling bins, we often raid those bins to re-use those items …
- We turned old soup cans into desk organizers
- We turned burnt-out light bulbs and empty jars into holiday decor
- We used rinsed-out jars to store ribbon and thread in my craft area
We love finding ways to repurpose items that USUALLY would end up in the trash …
- We painted our rusted light fixtures instead of buying new ones
- We’ve turned old Christmas lights into light-up wall art
- We’ve recovered countless old lampshades instead of tossing them
- We transformed our babies’ outgrown crib into a bench
- We repurposed the crib mattress as an ottoman
- We used old left-outside-too-long wood from our sandbox cover to make pallet signs
Because I love to sew, we’re able to go even further with our repurposing …
- We’ve re-covered faded patio furniture cushions instead of tossing them
- When our daughter outgrew her canopy bed, I turned the old curtains into a new quilt
- We’ve also made a quilt from old, ripped pairs of jeans
- We turn favourite old T-shirts into funky throw pillows for our kids
#GivingTuesday is almost here, and you can get your kids involved in a really cool way this year. Encourage them to round up those refundables and donate the recycling money to Clean’s EnviroEd program, which brings interactive programs to classrooms across Nova Scotia — helping local kids become environmental superheroes.
Kids contributing to #TeamEddie gets to hear a personalized thank-you from Clean’s famous superhero cat puppet, Eddie, who will be live on Clean Foundation’s Facebook page Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 1 p.m. Atlantic, and again at 6 p.m. Atlantic (to catch kids before they head off to bed). I don’t know about your kids, but mine are going to FREAK OUT when they hear their names announced live “on da internet.” They’ve got big celebrity YouTuber dreams! 😉
So get your kids excited about bagging up those refundables and being environmental superheroes — on Giving Tuesday, and every other day of the day.
Hopefully by the time they’re adults, the world will be cleaner, healthier place … with robot butlers … and those dehydrated mini-pizzas like in Back to the Future II.
5 Comments on “Creative repurposing, reusing, and recycling in our home”
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Heather's Handmade Life 
I LOVE all your repurposed furniture products! Great tips. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks, Gina!
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Woah! I didn’t know there was such a thing as cloth paper towel! Where did you get it??
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I actually sewed them years ago! http://thechronicleherald.ca/homesnews/1273047-eco-friendly-kitchen-towels
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Ok, I am definitely doing that as a Christmas gift – and for myself! Thanks!!
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