Getting More Use Out of What we Have
U.S. EPA Region III
841 Chestnut Building
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Nancy Grundahl
Env. Services Division
1990
All of us as citizens of the Earth can help conserve our natural resources and help prevent pollution by getting more use out of what we already have. Before throwing something away, think: How can I use this "waste"? Can I avoid purchasing a new product? The ideas in this booklet will help you get started. Be creative! And, remember, while you are saving the Earth, you will be saving yourself money. The Earth wins and so will you.
From Your Kitchen & Laundry
- Use net onion bags to hold chicken or other bony meats while boiling them for soup. This helps keeps bones out of the broth.
- Make a pot scrubber by stitching together squares cut from net onion bags.
- Use odd bowls and dishes as pet feeding bowls.
- Use cookie tins to store small items such as sewing supplies, marbles, drapery hardware, nuts, bolts, screws, etc.
- Use an old metal lunch box as a carrying case to store frequently used tools.
- Use dented metal cooking pots as starter planters.
- Use fruit and vegetable crates as family room or patio coffee/side tables.
- Use old toothbrushes to clean between bath tiles, around faucets, etc.
- Cover an old coffee can with wrapping paper, fill with cookies and you have a great gift.
- Use a plastic coffee can cover to scrape snow off of a car windshield.
- Clean and re-use glass jars and plastic containers.
- Paper towel rolls make great cat toys.
- Use paper and plastic shopping bags for trash bags.
- Save butter and margarine wrappers to line the bottom of bread and muffin tins (place the lettered side out).
- Boil apple peels and water together to brighten a darkened aluminum pot.
- Use lemon rind, turned inside out, to clean sinks and bathtubs.
- Dry seeds from pumpkins, melons, squash, etc. and place outside for birds.
- Dry eggshells, then crush and use as fertilizer.
- Rinse empty milk cartons with water and use the liquid to water plants.
- To clean the toilet bowl, pour in leftover cola soda, soak for a while, then flush.
- Rinsed coffee grounds are an especially good fertilizer for geraniums.
- Rinse used coffee filters after using. They're great for cleaning windows, mirrors and shining ranges since they leave no lint.
- Place nut shells in the bottom of flower pots to help drainage.
- Use popscicle sticks and broken wooden clothespins to make wall hangings, toys, etc.
- Use wine that has turned to vinegar as a hair rinse.
- To get the remaining bit of ketchup from the bottle, recap the bottle tightly, hold by its bottom and swing it vertically in full arm circles; the ketchup will move towards the cap.
- Or, add a little water to the ketchup bottle and shake; then use the mixture as a cooking sauce over meat or fish.
- Put bar soap leftovers in a squeeze bottle, add warm water, let sit, then use for washing your hands.
- Unwrap a bar of soap and place in a basket in the bathroom. The soap gets hard, lasts longer, and acts like a room deodorizer.
- Rinse an "empty" bottle of laundry detergent with warm water to get the last bit of detergent out.
- Wash and re-use plastic bags.
- Place the cotton from pill bottles in the fingers of rubber gloves to help keep sharp fingernails from making holes.
- Cut parallel strips off of old rubber gloves to make rubber bands.
- In the spring and summer, put dryer lint and bits of string and yarn on tree branches so that birds can use it to build nests.
Clothes, Curtains, And Material
- Tie old handkerchiefs or oddball pieces of ribbon to luggage handles so that your luggage can be easily identified on airport turntables.
- When shoes or sneakers with ties are no longer useful, save the shoelaces to use later.
- Use an old sock as a dusting glove.
- Put old socks over your shoes when painting to protect the shoes from splatters.
- Put catnip in an old sock, tie a knot at the open end, and you have a cat toy.
- Tie an old pair of pantyhose into a ball and use it for washing the car instead of buying a sponge.
- Use old pantyhose to make a braided rug (cut the panties off first).
- Use old pantyhose to tie plant stalks to supports.
- Use worn cotton undershirts as dust cloths.
- Give broken wind-up watches that can't be repaired to a jewelry designer or design school. The watches are disassembled and made into pendants.
- Set up a children's clothes exchange among friends and relatives.
- After getting new prescription eyeglasses, have the old pair tinted (if they have plastic lenses); you'll then have a pair of prescription sunglasses.
- Cut the feet off of outgrown children's pajamas so that the pajamas can continue to be worn.
- Make a pair of children's mittens out of an old heavy sweater by placing the child's wrist on the waist ribbing, and cutting around the hand in a double thickness, then sew together.
- When the bottom of a full slip wears out, cut it off to make a camisole.
- Mend clothes that can be salvaged; have shoes, boots, and purses repaired.
- Remove the buttons, snaps, etc. from clothes to be discarded so that they can be used again.
- If a tablecloth gets a cigarette burn hole, use the rest of the material to make cloth napkins, curtains, a skirt, children's clothes, etc.
- Before throwing away curtains, see if any of the material can be salvaged; you might make a laundry bag.
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Last Updated: January 16, 1995