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You are in: Home > DIY > Craft Recycled: 11 More Project Ideas Straight from the Trash Bin

Craft Recycled: 11 More Project Ideas Straight from the Trash Bin

5 by Becky Striepe on November 16, 2009
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Upside Down Hanging Herb Planter

Last week, we took a look at craft projects for empty wine and beer bottles, scrap paper, and empty glass jars. Really though, that's just a small part of the things we trash that can be useful again!

After the jump, we've got some projects for empty cans, plastic bottles, and laminated cardboard, but we'd also love to hear from you! Are there any items you feel guilty about sending to the bin? What trash would you like to see turned into craft? We'd love to hear from you in the comments!

Can It
Can OrganizerWhether you just finished off a sodapop or needed a can of beans for a recipe, you can save those empties and make some pretty awesome projects.

Check out Matt's quickie tutorial for turning empty cans into a combination wall art and organizer. This would be perfect for storing tiny things in your craft room like embroidery thread. It might also work well as a spice rack!

Over at Laissezfaire, there are a bunch of other ideas for tin can organizers.

For even more uncanny ideas (I would apologize for the pun, but I'm NOT SORRY!), you can check out eight projects for tins and cans over at Crafting a Green World!

Plastic Bottles
Upside Down Hanging Herb PlanterEmpty water bottles or plastic two liters don't have to go to the landfill. There are plenty of crafty ways to reduce your waste from plastic bottles!

Two liter bottles are perfect for making an upside down herb planter. You can even hang these in a window and keep your kitchen in fresh herbs year round.

That's not the only garden-related use for those empties! Matt found an awesome tutorial for turning an empty water bottle into a self-watering mini greenhouse. It's hack #7.

How is this for simple? You can use plastic bottles as the handles for a DIY jump rope!

If you're feeling artsy and have some colored plastic waste on hand, you might try making your own mobile. Just cut any abstract shapes you like, drill holes, and hang!

Even the caps from plastic bottles can be useful again. Check out this great idea over at Whip Up for using plastic bottle caps to make a memory game.

Cardboard
Cardboard BatsA lot of areas don't recycle the laminated cardboard that packages things like frozen pizza and beer. Luckily, there are lots of ways to reuse all of that scrap cardboard!

Thin cardboard is easy to cut and perfect for making holiday decorations like spooky Halloween ornaments. You can use similar ideas to decorate for Christmas, birthdays, or even New Year's Eve! Create ornaments or garland by cutting out seasonal shapes, painting them, and stringing on fishing wire or twine. This is a great art project for kids, too! Not only do they get to be involved in the process, they'll be so proud when you pull these decorations out each year.

You can also use thin cardboard and scrap paper to make pretty little gift tags. To start, glue the paper onto both sides of the cardboard with a glue stick. Then, cut out any shapes you like - rectangles, hearts, stars - get creative! Punch a hole to hang the tag or tape it to your wrapped package, and you're all done!

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Category: DIY | Tags: crafts, DIY, recycle, tips

About the Author:

Becky Striepe is a green blogger and independent crafter with a passion for vintage fabrics. She runs a crafty business, Glue and Glitter, where her mission is to make green crafting and vegan food accessible to everyone! You can find Becky on Google+.

Twitter Follow Becky Striepe on Twitter: @glueandglitter
  • http://garlix.com Daniel

    Great idea. I want to grow some tomatoes upside down in plastic bottles this coming Spring. But I didn’t think about decorating or painting the bottles. That’s a neat idea.

  • http://art-doll.com cindy

    Substantially, the post is actually the best on this worthy topic. I harmonise with your conclusions and will eagerly look forward to your incoming updates. Saying thanks will not just be enough, for the fantasti c lucidity in your writing. I will directly grab your rss feed to stay informed of any updates. De lightful work and much success in your business efforts!

    • http://www.google.com/ Karcy

      TYVM you\’ve solved all my prbeolms

  • Pingback: Happy Earth Day! Three Recycled Craft Project Videos [slideshow] : Green Living Tips | Living Green and Save The Planet |

  • Pingback: Craft Recycled: Tin Cans Upcycled for Storage : Green Living Tips | Living Green and Save The Planet |

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