Treat materials as resources, not waste
My general attitude towards physical (non-living) objects is to treat every material as a potential resource. To make our planet continually habitable for all creatures, including humans, we have to use less and waste less material goods. Wasting material goods equates to wasting the resources, time, and labor that go into those goods and making them truly “trash” instead of reusable (via reinvention, repair, recycling, etc.) This means we have to:
Buy/acquire items that last longer and are of higher quality
Use the items we have for longer periods of time
Reuse items both for their original or reinvented purpose
Repair broken items
Recycle items when the recycling process is a better way of reusing the original materials
Refusing to accept items we know are ultimately designed to be trashed (fast fashion, promo items, etc.)
Change the way we operate culturally to focus more on quality of life and less on mindless consumerism
To help support these actions, I am currently compiling a list of ideas.
Refuse, reduce, reuse, repair & recycling idea list
Refuse, reduce and reuse are three of the most important “R’s” for a sustainable world.
I am obsessed with reuse and am compiling a “living” list of refuse, reduce, and reuse ideas. Because “recycling” and “repair” are also sometimes lumped in with “reuse” I am including those here too. The best way to reduce environmental impact is to value the materials we have right now and make them last as long as possible - not make items out of new materials. Reduction of unnecessary purchases is also very important, along with refusing to accept wasteful items.
Books
Borrow books from your library
Share books with friends
Remove photos or art from coffee table books and frame the prints
Use antique books with pretty covers as decor
Turn antique book covers into notebooks by replacing the paper & rebinding
Cardboard
Reuse boxes as-is for shipping, storage, garage sales/giveaways
Flattened cardboard as a weed suppressor for “no-dig” garden beds under compost
Remake smaller boxes out of larger boxes for shipping
Toilet paper roll seedling pots
Cleaning
Find metal bristle brushes at estate sales and use for cleaning non-scratchable items
Find steel wool at estate sale and use for cleaning rusted/dirty metal items
Use old dental tools for cleaning crevices and small spots
Use leather cleaner and conditioner to make leather items last longer
Combine small used soap pieces in a mesh bag to make sure they all get used
Clothing
Ignore trends, wear what you like
Buy used clothing made of natural materials (unless allergic)
Stop buying plastic clothing (this includes those amazing vintage acrylic sweaters)
Wash existing plastic clothing (acrylic, polyester, polyamide, nylon) in a bag (example) that can prevent their microfiber particles from entering the water system
Wear clothing until it needs repair, then repair and re-wear
Unravel used wool sweaters for yarn
Cut out tags and plastic ink from t-shirts and compost cotton
Use old t-shirt material as rags
Remake old t-shirt material into smaller items like underwear
Make clothing out of vintage patterned sheets
Make reusable bags out of old linens (tablecloths/napkins)
Purchase a used sweater shaver to remove pills on old clothing
Crafts
Buy slightly used craft items at estate/garage sales
Electronics
Buy a small soldering iron, solder and small wire brush for cleaning corroded electrodes and resoldering used electronics (that’s sometimes all that they need to get working again)
Collect and recycle old batteries via your recycling service of hazardous waste facility (do not throw them away)
Buy used power cables (12 V and computer cables) at garage/estate sales
Buy boxes of lightbulbs at garage/estate sales - many times only a few bulbs have been used
Put lights and other intermittent electronics on timers - used mechanical (not wifi) timers are common
Collect used loose tiny Christmas bulbs to replace broken ones instead of buying a new strand
Buy used solar powered outdoor lights
Fabric
Cut old cotton towels into smaller pieces for washable rags or bathroom wipes
Keep large container of reusable kitchen towels for spills and cleaning
Use old cotton bedsheets for weed suppression in garden beds
Buy used linens and blankets (but clean well before using)
Weave old unusable rags into rugs
Use old quilts as blackout curtains and temperature blockers
Food
Compost waste food or feed to worms/chickens/livestock (check food type for appropriate use)
Glass / Ceramic
Glass clock domes for diorama protection covers
Glass stemware and drink glasses for small plant pots
Wash and save glass jars for food and object storage
Check free piles on the last day of garage / estate sales for glassware
Broken tiles and dishes can be used for mosaic projects
Burnt out vintage Christmas light bulbs can be used for crafts
Repair ceramic chips with 2 part epoxy (for non-heated items), fill small cracked areas with epoxy adhesive paste, then paint & seal
Hygeine
Use permanent shaving razors where you only change the blades, tape used blades and put them in metal scrap
Don’t shave and then trim excess hair (like a beard)
Use reusable menstrual pads or menstrual cups
Metal
Recycle aluminum cans at bottle drop locations
Make permanent ferrous (tin, steel) metal recycling collection bin for bringing to metal recyclers
Put rusted metal pieces, old bolts, bad scissors, electric cords, etc. in here
Make permanent non-ferrous (brass, copper) metal recycling collection bin for bringing to metal recyclers
Put unwanted brass, copper, and aluminum bits in here
Check free piles on the last day of garage / estate sales for metal bits like nuts, bolts, & screws
Paper
Shred plain paper (junk mail with no plastic/coatings/excess ink) for compost
Shred plain paper (junk mail with no plastic/coatings/excess ink) for fire starter
Shred paper for packing material
Use paper bags as trash can liners
Do not burn coated (glossy) paper or paper with plastic windows
Plastics
Cut top side of air pouch bags from shipping packages to reuse as plastic bags
Save plastic food tubs for small part storage and organization
Empty and rinse liquid soap bottles, fill with water for squeezing water onto small plants
Refuse plastic bags if possible
Reuse plastic cat litter buckets for yard work
Refuse plastic promotional items unless useful long-term
Shoes
Buy used “ugly” shoes and repaint exterior
Use plastic bread tab to hold rubber flip flop toe post when it pulls out
Glue separated soles of tennis shoes back to the main shoe body
Sew separated soles of shoes back to the main shoe body
Tools
Buy tools used from estate/garage sales
Borrow tools from the library or a neighbor
Get screws and nails for cheap/free from hardware filled jars at estate/garage sales
Wood
Use old broom and shovel handles for curtain rods
Put small untreated wood pieces in compost pile
Use old popsicle sticks for plant labels
Buy wood from estate sales
Chip untreated wood and use as mulch
Burn small untreated wood pieces and use ash as soil or compost amendment