Don’t have the yard space for a garden? You can reuse rain gutters to create a lovely herb and salad garden right on the side of your house or garage. Simply attach gutters to a wall, fill with topsoil, and get planting. These gutter planters are perfect for herbs as well as lettuce, and any other vegetables that have shallow roots and don’t spread out too much.
Great Picture from Recyclart.
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Raising a family is a lesson in handling STUFF–and, if you’re a parent, you’ve muttered to yourself more than once about how your family has way too much of it. We’re all familiar with the items we can recycle at the curbside or drop-off. What about everything else? Nearly everything else is recyclable. I think you’re going to be excited to hear about the things you can recycle right in your local community.
RecycleChicken, tells you where you can take anything and everything for recycling and reuse in your area. The site, searchable by item and zipcode, lists businesses and programs in your area that accept your beyond the curbside materials. Here is a listing of seasonal waste reduction suggestions.
- Pumpkins: A few ideas here. You could, of course, make pumpkin pie. You could feed the deer. You could add to yours or a neighbor’s compost pile. Roast the seeds or plant them for next year’s crop.
- Baby: Green Island Earth Friendly Goods in Traverse City is accepting used cloth diapers and cloth diaper systems. Call 231-933-8465Â for accepting conditions.
- Vacuums & vacuum parts: Check with your local vacuum repair shop about what brands and conditions they accept. Most shops rebuild and sell used vacuums–a potential deal in itself.
- #3-#7 Plastics: Check in with Bay Area Recycling for Charities or American Waste.
- Garden Plastics: Bay Area Recycling accepts black (and other color) nursery pots, trays and plastic lawn edging. The Head Hen’s personal heroes!
- Dry Cleaning Hangers & Bags: Most drycleaners will take back their own or unprinted paper hangers as well as plastic dry cleaning bags. Call ahead to your favorite cleaner to check.
- Computers & Accessories (working or not): In the Traverse City area, some easy options include Goodwill and TC eWaste. In Emmet County, take to the Recycling Center on Pleasantview Rd.
- Other Electronics: In Traverse City area, take to TC eWaste. They take a wide array and even have drop boxes at Oryana Food Co-op. In Emmet–Pleasantview Rd. center.
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Recycling involves processing used materials (waste) into new products to reduce the consumption of resources and save money. Recycling is the modern component of waste reduction and is notably third in the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” hierarchy. (Hashtags for Twitter: #recycling #rcycl #rchk #3r, #3rs)
A Recycling Pioneer
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FREE COMMUNITY-WIDE RECYCLE & REPURPOSE EVENT FOR DAYLIGHT SAVINGS
‘Fall Back’ into Action to Clean Up and Green Up
The Michigan Green Consortium will once again produce a free community-wide recycle, repurpose and reuse event from 10am until 3pm on Sunday,November 7, 2010 at Parking Lot B in downtown Traverse City. The event is held twice a year, the morning following the time adjustment, and serves as a reminder to residents to renew their pledge to do their part to preserve the environment.
The Daylight Savings Clean Up and Green Up Event will be hosted by the Consortium and a dozen or more local area businesses that provide recycle and reuse services. The event is comprehensive, offering residents the chance to bring recyclable items to one location and at no charge for collection.
Area businesses will be on site that day to process a realm of household goods that have reusable or recyclable value. While not all vendors are yet confirmed, past vendors have included. American Waste; Bay Area Recycling, RecycleChicken, Rifkin Steel, L & B Recycling, Cartridge World, Goodwill, GT Profile’s Shredmonster, TC eWaste, Odom Reusable Building Products, Northern Michigan Garment Restoration, Evergreen Bottle Company, Team Elmer’s and Home Depot.
Michigan Green Consortium is a trade association established in 2008 to promote and support green and sustainable businesses; to educate the business and local community on what should be done to ensure a healthy environment and provides networking opportunities for green
companies. The consortium is funded solely by member dues and public contributions.
To learn out more about the Daylight Savings: Clean Up and Green Up event, call (231) 947-1688 or visit www.mgconline.org
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A RecycleChicken Facebook fan wishing to avoid the landfill asked today what to do with an old T.V. that doesn’t work.
Here are a few ideas to get you started.
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Got your attention with that one, didn’t we? Well, we’re going to cover several things here. You actually can recycle fish. Here’s what we mean: First, there is the most straight forward form of recycling fish. You have probably heard of the concept of catch and release. There is a website called RecycleFish that encourages catch and release, and … you have to admit … the name is fun. Secondly, if you decide to keep and clean your fish, the guts or remains can be used for gardening. Fish remains when properly composted make a second to none garden fertilizer. Here are some great links for how to properly compost fish remains:
Last, we share with you a number of ways materials have been recycled or repurposed into some crafty fish or fish related items:
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I’m guessing this isn’t a commonly requested item for recycling, but nevertheless if you’ve ever wondered what to do with an old keyless remote for an automobile, here you go:
There is one program called … you guessed it … Recycle Your Old Keyless Entry Remote where you get a prepaid mailer to send in your remote and they send you $5 credit toward a purchase of a new or replacement remote. This seems like a good deal if you’re in the market for such a purchase.
Beyond that, if you just have an old keyless remote you’d like to part with, you have two choices:
- You can take your keyless remote to most any local e-waste recycler or e-waste collection program.
- You can return your keyless remote to a dealership selling that particular brand of automobile. Most dealerships are linked up with keyless remote refurbishing channels.
For e-waste locations in NW and SE Michigan, CLICK HERE.
Keyless Remote Recycling
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Many people are starting to can their own food at home recently. The once thought to be out of date practice is seeing a regrowth lately. Canning is extremely beneficial and can be a very fun project as well. Many have turned to canning as a means to save money but there are also many other health and economic benefits to canning as well. Along with saving money canning also allows you to reuse those mason jars over and over again. Once you have eaten all of the great pickles, jams, and sauces you made in the first batch, simply wash, sanitize and prepare to refill the jars with your newest creation. Canning Local has written a great article on the subject and has made some great points.
Canning is a great idea because:
- Excellent quality and taste – When you use quality produce and perform the canning process correctly, you will create superior products to those for sale at the supermarket. Many recipes for home canned food are delicious and literally the quality is something that money can’t buy.
- Control over the ingredients – With home canning, you will know exactly where your food is coming from. Ideal sources of produce are your own garden and fruit trees, local organic farms, and any local farm. From any of these sources you will be able to hand select your produce at the peak of ripeness.
- Support of the local economy – By directly buying produce from local growers, you are putting money into the hands of local people. Local growers love selling from their own farms or market stands because they are not at the mercy of the big commodity buyers who set prices. This also allows local growers, especially small ones, to remain profitable, which is good for the local economy.
- Sense of accomplishment – Once you begin canning food, you will be thrilled with yourself. You will feel like you did something very meaningful to your existence because you did! Along with that you also have the ability to reuse those jars once they are empty to cook up even more delicious canned creations.
These are all great reasons to start canning at home. Your family will love the delicious food you have cooked up and canned goods are a great gift as well. From homemade pickles to jams, and even flavored vinegars, your friends and family will be happy to unwrap a jar of something you’ve made just for them.
There are many resources on the internet that can instruct you on canning as well as thousands of recipes available. Canning can be a little overwhelming at first but once you have done a few canning projects you should get the hang of it and it becomes quite easy.
Below is a list of resources to help you get started.
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By cutting strips and rolling the fabric you can create a trendy new necklace to wear to work or out on the town tonight. All you need is a t-shirt you don’t mind cutting into strips, and a pair of scissors. Oh, and a little inspiration would be good too.
Greenwala says: Basically, this project requires no expertise — just careful cutting skills.
All you need to do is cut full 1 inch strips off the bottom of your desired t-shirt (after you remove the hem).
Then pull each strip as illustrated above so that the jersey material curls in on itself — this will make the strip much shorter in length.
Repeat the process multiple times so that you end up creating as many strands as you like — the key is to graduate the length of each piece depending on the look that you want to achieve.
Here’s where it gets a lot more fun. Pull out your beads, sequins, charms, buttons…basically any old adornments you have tucked away in your closet and sew the pieces on in whatever manner floats your boat.
Thanks for the great idea Greenwala. RecycleChicken‘s intern will definitely be trying this one out.
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Cardboard tubes from various packaging and paper rolls can be transformed into a trendy art gallery in just a few steps according to Apartment Therapy.
Here’s how to do it:
- Clean the rolls by removing any labels or leftover paper.
- Mark the rolls by using a ruler and pencil to mark the width of each ring will help you keep the cuts straight and level. Make different sizes to add interest and dimension.
- Cut the tubes into rings using an X-acto knife and/or scissors.
- Trace circles around the ring to mark a circle on the photo you want to frame. Cut out the circle using scissors. The circle should be just a bit wider than the outside of the ring.
- Glue photos to rings by drawing a thin bead of glue on the rim of the cardboard ring. Glue the photo circle in place. Consider gluing the photo to the front of the ring so it stands out from the wall, or to the back of the ring so you can peer in at it.
- When all the rings are done and dry, use a little white glue on the side of the rings to glue them together.
- Hang the rings on the wall by putting up a few pushpins or small nails and slipping the rings over them.
Thanks so much for the great idea Apartment Therapy.
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