November 15 is America Recycles Day! It’s the perfect time to celebrate not only recycling plastics and other materials, but also closing the ‘recycling loop’ by purchasing products made from recycled materials. More than 80 percent of Americans say they feel more “green” when they buy products for the home that are made from recycled plastics or other recycled materials, according to a recent survey conducted by Plastics Make it PossibleSM.
Recycling plastic bottles and bags is one thing that everyone can do to help make a difference, not just because it keeps valuable materials out of landfills, but because the plastic bottles and bags you recycle can live “second lives” as other products such as carpeting, a tote bag, furniture or even a stylish T-shirt. In fact, 81 percent of Americans say they want to buy and/or wear clothing made from recycled materials!
So how do you “close the recycling loop”? Leave a comment below letting us know about the cool recycled content products you use every day or share your tips for recycling more plastics. And thanks to everyone who entered our “Recycling Gift Basket” giveaway contest!
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use recycled tee shirts , totes ,door mat,wood with recycled waste. plus lots of others with partial recycled material
My dog’s bowel movements make great compost. Its easy to do and great for my garden! I also use reusable grocery bags for all of my shopping. These are two simple and fun ways to help care for Mother Nature!
All my sheets and bedding are recycled material. West Elm has a lot of good options!
Always recycle cans,bags,glass and anything else……
I return plastic bags to the store, I buy recycled material anytime I can, I buy clothes from recycled bottles and my dogs poop bags are made out of recycled material! I also just discovered baby wipes that are biodegradable!
peanut butter and pasta sauce jars for water glasses!
I make banks and animal treat containers out of plastic Ice Cream containers.
I recycle all my household waste that I can. Veggie waste goes in my composte to use in my garden, what my hens don’t eat. lol Plastic bags are recycled, and used for meat and ‘other’ waste that can’t go in the pile. I reuse plastic containers from coffee, bakery items, take home meals, etc. to freeze soups, store leftovers in or when sharing homemade treats with others. I make my own laudry soap so that saves me money and saves from more plastic bottles being made, ( I store ‘that’ in a recycled plastic cheese container) Pay bills on-line, less mail. Grow veggis and fruit and berries so no packaging from stores, along with eggs from my hens.
Have always ( even when not poplur) used my own cloth bags 4 grocery shopping, have compost bin, use the compost on gardens, rinse & seperate all throw away garbage-make do with what we have-waste not want not
I cut up plastic bags/old t-shirts/scrap fabric and knit items from them. I also buy sweaters at thrift stores and “unwind” them and re-knit the yarn from the sweaters. I also buy 100% wool sweaters from the thrift shops and felt them, cut them up, put them back together in some new way (such as a hat, slippers, or flowers) and use these as gifts. I take old newspapers from my neighbor and paint them for use as a wrapping paper. My sister has done the same with paper grocery bags.
a nursing home near us helps recycle pill bottles for drugs that go overseas to missions. i also take my cardboard to a bin at our school or ask a restaurant if they mind if i add to the container adding cereal boxes and cardboard boxes that have been mailed to me…
I have been using reusable shopping bags since 1984 or so. Not sure if I got string or canvas first, too many years ago. I’ve been recycling about the same amount of time, glass, steel and aluminum cans, paper, cardboard, and plastic. I also walk around where I live here in the country and pick up what other people throw out their car windows, and depending what it is, either recycle or throw it away. That Native American man with the tear running down his face from the 70′s really affected my outlook on life.
I want to win the gift basket for my mom. who recycles EVERYTHING, more than anyone I know. she rinses yogurt cups and other containers that otherwise cannot be placed into recycle bins. and often reuses vegetable spread and other bowls in place of buying Tupperware containers. she has always taught our family the importance of reusing anything we can and recycling those we cannot.
I now use empty ice cream tubs to store bird seed and other animal supplies. cool whip bowls for leftovers, etc. I shop at many discount grocery stores, not only to save myself a little money, but I either use cloth bags, or reuse any plastic bags I have. Empty sauce jars and coffee cans make excellent containers for my hair ties, paper clips, coins and almost anything other odds and ends.
I have bought bamboo clothing, dishes and flooring. I recycle cardboard, plastic and aluminum.
I shop with reuseable bags made from recycled materials, My friends give me their empty small jars that I use when I make jelly in the fall. My boyfriend works at the local recycle center, so I send everything that can be recycled to work with him!
I buy recycled clothing, and products that have been recycled. I also use reusable shopping bags instead of using plastic bags at all stores!
I recycle soda pop aluminum cans. I bag them up and take them to our local recycling center, and they pay you for it. I also recycle plastic grocery bags from the grocery store. I reuse them for the kitty litter and use them to carry stuff in. I recycle shoe boxes and use them to put my stuff in. I recycle newpapers by using them to line my parrots cage with. And I also recycle cool whip, butter, and other plastic dishes to store food in like tupperware.
everything i use and my freinds use from plastic bottles, drink cans, clothes, plastic bags etc… and make them into jewellery and sell them in my shop.
great idea !
I shred un-recyclable magazines and paper-mache them onto cardboard boxes I find. This serves as wrapping paper for the holidays once I paint over it; if I choose to decorate it further because it looks cool as it is!
Every birthday gift, mother’s day or father’s day, Easter or Christmas gift that comes in a bag is always stored for later use. I never buy new decorative bags to hide those hilday presents. You simply slip them into older bags that someone gave to you last year, or last week.
A creative way to use glass jars is to use them as jugs or mugs, or drinking glasses! Whenever I buy pasta sauce or Nuetella I save the glass jar and keep it in my cupboard.
Not just items can be recycled — while you’re waiting for your shower water to heat, keep a bucket under the shower head of faucet to collect that excess water and use it to drink, cook, or tend to you plants. This is also extremely useful with leaks. You’ll be amazed at how much water drips out of your leaky faucet in a whole day.
Guests feel enchanted coming into my home, because everything in it has lived so many lives they sparkle with warmth and longevity.
After a grocery shopping trip there’re several things that happen.. The plastic bags are placed into another plastic bag filled with other ones. The bags in this bag are constantly reused around the apartment. When the bags have outlived their uses at our place we bring them back to the grocery store on our next trip and return them to get recycled there. Also, if there are any jared and/or boxed items those containers also get used (as soon as they’re available). Any bottles are also reused. Soda bottles and such are used by me to bring a drink to work from home and bigger ones are used to make drinks (such as tea, kool-ad, etc.) in and they have other various uses around here as well and of course we keep the labels on the soda bottles so we can return those later. We always try to sort our recyclables and keep them out of the trash as well. It may not be much, but with a limited budget and means of transportation (going without a vehicle right this moment) we do what we can.