It’s hard to believe that 2013 is almost behind us. My goal was to dramatically reduce the amount of stuff we carted in through the front door and limit the plastic bags of stuff we hauled back out. It’s an idea that is not only good for the environment, but for me as well. With it, I have an exhilarating hobby, and I save money to boot. What’s not to love?
I come by this tendency honest. I’ve watched my mother keep what she calls “live garbage” for years, always tending an earthy compost heap nearby. She saves every plastic butter dish and Cool wWip container for future use. And every member of our family knows that gift opening is to be slow and methodical as we are all required to remove the tape carefully. My sisters and I accuse Mom of having not actually bought any new wrapping paper since the early 60’s.
Below are my favorite trash to treasure projects from the past year or so. Watch out! Recycling, repurposing, and up-cycling are addictive.
And they are, from last to first:
10. Holiday pumpkin turned into pumpkin cookies
9. Leftover chicken backbone and giblets boiled into chicken broth
8. Dry leaves composted into next year’s great dirt
7. Cotton clothing turns into dirt, eventually
6. Old shoe-hanger turned into spring garden starter
5. Kitchen scraps for composting
4. Old bananas and leftover coffee frozen for later use in a smoothie
3. Dried orange peels and dryer lint are very flammable. Use them in fire starters
2. Old, stale bread baked into croutons
Drum roll please /////////////////////////////
1. Dead canopy covered with plastic and turned into a green house
That’s it, folks. It’s been a great year. I’ll be looking for new ideas in the year to come. If you have some, let me know! I’ll give it a whirl or perhaps host an article from a guest blogger. So, please let me hear from you. The more minds on this the better!
