For those of us who want to make an impact on the world that we live in, it’s difficult to know where to start. Recycling and reducing your waste is always a great start. While it seems like a Sisyphean effort at times, it’s well worth the effort to know that you’re having an impact on the world that you live on. If everyone just took a little more time out of their day to do so, the world would be a lot better for it.
Recycling doesn’t have to just mean separating your paper and glass from your other waste, it can go a good deal deeper than that. Turning something old and otherwise unwanted or unusable into something functional and beautiful can be an excellent way to recycle. If you’re not sure where to start, check out this list and see where you can dig in and get greener.
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Reduce, Reuse, Refurbish
The craftier among us may be able to find this tip an exceptional task. Transforming old into new and well-lived furniture can transform the life of an object and save it from the trash heap. Many people have even made upcycling items into a profitable business. The only limitation is how creative you can be.
You also don’t want to take on a project that’s far outside your capability or the tools that you have available to you. Start small on projects that require more labor and fewer tools — converting a drawer into a cushioned bench or a shutter into a headboard. Once you’ve gotten a few projects under your belt, you can work on something more substantial. Either sell them or keep them for yourself but know that you created a beautiful item that would otherwise be considered trash.
Get Out and Grow
When it comes to being self-sustaining, you can always grow your own food. This can do double duty for the environment because you can always grow your plants in containers that you’ve recycled as well! Even if you have a limited space to grow things, you can cobble together a space that can be utilized in all directions. It doesn’t take much to be an option for growing, it just needs to be able to hold dirt and properly drain.
Growing a garden can become one of the most liberating things that you can accomplish in a modern, bustling society. Once you’ve started delving into the growing, it isn’t a large leap to something like composting. Not only will this help you to create food for your plant darlings, it will help decrease your overall waste. You’ll find shortcuts to using all those scraps that you’d otherwise throw out. The possibilities out in your garden are endless.
Repurpose and Restyle
The recycling need not stop at furniture. You can definitely recycle clothes too! With all the thrift stores everywhere, there’s no shortage of used clothes to get your hands on. These upcycling projects can be as simple as a t-shirt rug, where you only need a pile of old shirts, a pair of scissors and an afternoon. A larger project would look something like a large quilt made from old jeans or sweaters. You’d need some practice on how to make a quilt, but the outcome will be a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that you’ll want to show off to everyone.
When it comes to getting your hands dirty, it’s well worth it to know that you’re also helping to save the earth. Recycling isn’t a wasted venture, no matter what you hear. Even though it’s a small thing, you can work wonders if you let your creativity bring a little light into the world.
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