What do you re-use?

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What do you re-use?
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gardening-girl

Joined: 25 Feb 2009
Posts: 6024
Location: Somerset.

Posted: Fri Jan 01, 10 6:42 pm Post subject: What do you re-use?
We had some friends in for lunch today, they were having hysterics beause I was washing out freezer bags to re-use.I thought this is quite normal They just thought I was being tight. Good job they haven,t been here all afternoon, I,ve just been sorting out plant labels to use again.Hot water and tipex does the trick What wierd things do other people re-cycle?

LynneA

Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Posts: 4893
Location: London N21

Posted: Fri Jan 01, 10 6:48 pm Post subject:
Whenever the works canteen throws out a blue plastic produce tray, I filch it and hide it under my desk until I have a bag to take it home in.

Mutton

Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 1508

Posted: Fri Jan 01, 10 7:00 pm Post subject:

Washing plastic bags - totally normal. My parents always did that one too.

My mother was an avid collector of the rubber bands dropped by postmen. Our postman doesn't drop any.

(One use for those, plus re-washed plastic bags, was to put bags over end of holly branches to keep birds off the berries in the run up to Christmas.)

Lots of plastic milk bottles - raw material for anything needing plastic - plant labels, plant pots, plastic strips for various things, pots to put things in, tree guards, cloche. They do go brittle in the sun but last a few years.

Grocer gives away the useful blue plastic trays at times. Sweet shop occasionally gives away big sweetie jars in return for pennies to charity. Most useful for storage. (We have a themed kitchen rather than a co-ordinated kitchen. Guess the theme.....

)

Other than that just scored a whole load of wooden palettes via Freecycle - keep things off damp floors, sheep hurdles, raw material for hay racks and rough shelving. When eventually rot, then dry out and put in stove.

Sherbs

Joined: 27 Apr 2007
Posts: 1931
Location: Swansea

Posted: Fri Jan 01, 10 9:45 pm Post subject:
I always wash out plastic sandwich/freezer bags. I have cunning device for drying them out. I attached a clothes peg with blue-tac to the cupboard door by the sink and I just turn them inside out and peg them up and let them drip. I find they dry much quicker this way.

Mr O

Joined: 13 Feb 2005
Posts: 5512
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Posted: Fri Jan 01, 10 9:52 pm Post subject:
I cut up those tubes that silicone sealant comes in and use them as biscuit cutters, for pastry as well. They are empty when I cut them up mind!

Sally Too

Joined: 14 Sep 2006
Posts: 2511
Location: N.Ireland

Posted: Fri Jan 01, 10 10:03 pm Post subject:

Jam jars
Screw top bottles
Student's folders/polypockets (I'm a teacher & when their work goes I keep the folders & recycle to other students etc.)
Cardboard (for weed supression)
Flora tubs etc. for taking leftovers to work as lunches
OH is saving CDs for something techie to do with reflected light!
Padded envelopes for posting
Old cable from a dog electric fence for tying up plants next year.
Polystyrene packaging to insulate metal shelves in green house
Pots of all sorts
Rabbit hutch... rabbit is long gone - small puppy now uses the hutch as her den in my kitchen
Old office furniture..... (all over my house & made into a tree house outside... )
I'm sure there's more..............

Jo S

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 5174
Location: Somerset

Posted: Fri Jan 01, 10 10:08 pm Post subject:
I'm a hoarder. I keep lots of things, fully intending to use them at some unspecified point in the future...

lottie

Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Sat Jan 02, 10 12:15 am Post subject:
I save cardboard inners from loo/kitchen etc rolls for sowing seeds and planting out in roll---especially for stuff like parsnips.

LynneA

Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Posts: 4893
Location: London N21

Posted: Sat Jan 02, 10 8:59 am Post subject:

My (Welsh) grandad was the odd job man and cleaner at the Fairey helicopter factory for many years. The amount of stuff he brought back from work was admirable, though it did get on my nan's nerves sometimes.

Fibreglass offcuts became plant labels, plastic cups from the vending machines were washed and used for seedlings, discs of polarised perspex and titanium were turned into a bird scarer and foam rubber offcuts were given to my nan to make cushions.

quixoticgeek

Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 296
Location: Canterbury

Posted: Sat Jan 16, 10 2:22 am Post subject:

Mutton wrote:

Lots of plastic milk bottles - raw material for anything needing plastic - plant labels, plant pots, plastic strips for various things, pots to put things in, tree guards, cloche. They do go brittle in the sun but last a few years.

I find they are perfect for freezing liquids like stocks and soups. I have even taken to buying the 1pint bottles rather than the 2pt ones as they are more useful to freeze.

I find yoghurt pots are really handy for use when painting.

I have an arrangement with a local bar to collect all their green wine bottles for my wine (still need another 24...).

My local farmers market seems to have an endless supply of blue and black small crates that stack, I think they had mushrooms in them or similiar at one stage. I have them stacked in the porch for veg storage.

J

Went

Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 6968

Posted: Sat Jan 16, 10 7:57 am Post subject:

We try and re-use most things that can be washed/ cleaned / salvaged but have a clear-out every so often to reduce things we will not use (take them to recycling). In addition we often find useful things we ask if we can have - recent finds include a large sheet of new perspex (for a cold frame), wooden fruit crates (destined for this years apples), off cuts of wood (hundreds of uses)...it's fun and saves a few bob.

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8938
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Sat Jan 16, 10 9:11 am Post subject:

bring me sunshine wrote:

I'm a hoarder. I keep lots of things, fully intending to use them at some unspecified point in the future...

Should we start Hoarders Anonymous?

At least my dad had his hoarded stuff neatly filed, and stored in labelled marg tubs and jamjars.

btw postmens' rubber bands are now biodegradable so although they are red and easy to find, they crumble in no time

Bodrighy

Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 2157
Location: Near Devizes

Posted: Sat Jan 16, 10 10:14 am Post subject:
All the above plus cardboard boxes. Recycled by turning inside out and resizing for posting delicate items, bubble wrap my better half brings home for work....sheets of it and loads of bags, All these get thrown out by stores. Maybe worth checking ith some of them. Pete

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Sat Jan 16, 10 10:26 am Post subject:
Did anyone else see slumming it last night. I reuse milk bottles jars loo roll tubes plastic bags (bread bags turned inside out). & I steal bubble wrap from the fruit section at the supermarket everytime I visit for packaging eggs. I burn most of my paper waste on the rayburn but I should be shredding it for chicken litter really.

jamsam

Joined: 21 Oct 2005
Posts: 2560
Location: erm....i dont know, its dark.

Posted: Sat Jan 16, 10 11:21 am Post subject:
oh god...i cant actually ADMIT to what i hoard, but i do reuse masses of stuff! Hoarders Annonymous would be a good plan.....i'll join!!!!

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