Finally on this week’s Recycle This stationery theme, we’ve got this question from Nicole:

Now all my college’s lecture rooms FINALLY let you use powerpoint, I can get rid of all the OHP lecture notes I’ve created over the years. What can I do with them?

According to Wikipedia, most transparencies are sheets of cellulose acetate. The Google results are confusing but I think cellulose acetate can be recycled but I suspect it’s carried out more at a manufacturing level than post-consumer. Anyone know for sure?

What about reuses? I imagine they can be used like old photo negatives to make lampshades and the like – probably would work better for those with photocopied pictures, diagrams or text on rather than hand-written notes. Other ideas?

Other stationery items

• How can I make a notebook out of recycled materials?
• How can I reuse or recycle used envelopes?
• How can I reuse or recycle the spiral of a spiral bound notebook?
• How can I reuse or recycle hanging files?
• How can I reuse or recycle glue stick tubes?
• How can I reuse or recycle printer cartridges?

We’ve kinda already the memory stick thing before but we’ve had an email from Michael which expands on the idea a bit:

Is there a charity or anything that redistributes old memory cards and USB keys? I’ve got some old flash cards from my old cameras and some SD cards too as well as the memory sticks. The biggest are 256kb so I doubt they would be worth selling but they all work, I’ve just got bigger storage ones now.

I have no idea I’m afraid but I like the idea – does anyone know of anything? (In fact, I like the idea so much that if there isn’t already a group doing it, I’ll set up a scheme to collect and redistribute them myself.)

And any reuse ideas for if they’re broken?

(Photo by fanf)

Nigel, who uses old audio tapes for community health projects, has put this request on the audio cassette tape page and I thought it was worth featuring more prominently:

Hi everyone, I am now after any old 8mm film reel or any old and unwanted home movie footage on video or film.

Also any old photo slides as we need them for a film project we are doing but it has to be your images such as old family stuff as we cannot use any copy written stuff.

Doesn’t matter what of and from where as we will use bits if you know what I mean.

Send to me at ACT,West House, Lombard Street West, West Bromwich, West Midlands B70 8EG.

So if you’ve got some stuff hanging around, send it over ;)

(Photo by bop)

We’ve had a message from Leanne, saying:

I have an MP3 Player that no longer works and 2 digital cameras with cracked screens. Both still work but you cannot view the object as you are taking the photo. Do you know anywhere I can recycle these?

I’d be tempted to put the digital cameras on my local Freecycle group because someone may be able to use them for something that doesn’t need a screen. If my (admittedly incredibly geeky) friendship group is anything to go by, there are always people that want to fix a camera to a kite/dog/radio-controlled helicopter and might be able to use a screenless one instead of risking their brand new 8megapixel camera or whatever.

Aside from that, in the UK (and the rest of the EU), I believe these types of things are covered by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive so the shop where you bought them may have a “bring back scheme” to take care of the recycling – or your local household tip might have a special bin for that sort of thing.

Any further advice or reuse suggestions?

(Photo by nkzs)

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’d been over to the HQ of Ruby-on-Rails ISP BrightBox and discovered a load of computer parts packaging.

As well as the plastic trays that we featured the other week, there were a number of sheets of cardboard-backed bumpy foam – which is apparently called waffle foam but, if the picture’s not clear, it’s the stuff that people usually use for soundproofing.

These sheets aren’t that big about 15cm by 45cm so you’d need a LOT to do any serious soundproofing and could be kept for future packaging purposes – but I suspect they might have so more fun reuses.

The cardboard on the back limits it to dry/non-fire related things – I guess it could be pulled off but that seems to provide it with a lot of structure.

Any suggestions?