Posts tagged "candles"

Interesting Reducing, Reusing and Recycling links

reusable-swiffer-coverThis week’s quick link round-up:

How can I reuse or recycle wax from cheese?

Wax coated cheeseWe’ve had an email from Natalie:

We’ve been buying little cheese from our local farmers’ market which are covered in wax like Edam or Babybell, except they’re all different colours.

Can we use the wax to make candles?

I’ve never made candles so I’m not 100% sure but my research (reading Wikipedia) tells me that cheese wax is typically paraffin wax and that can be used for candle making (although some people prefer to avoid it…)

Apparently it can also be used for sealing jars, bottles and the like so that might be an option if you make your own preserves or pickles.

Anyone else know anything more about making it into candles? And what about other reuses?

How can I reuse or recycle tea light candle containers?

TealightsWe’ve had an email from Bob:

I have lots of tea light candles…metal container as I use a lot of them.

I love those little candles but I hate the waste they produce…so I’d love to get some help with reusing them =)

The ones I’ve seen tend to be thick aluminium foil so they could probably be recycled along with your other aluminium products – we can doorstep recycle them here.

But I hear you Bob: reusing rocks!

I’ve seen them used countless times as miniature ashtrays – but ones that are thrown away after use, so that’s not exactly much better than throwing them away in the first place.

So any suggestions?

(Photo by kix)

How can I reuse or recycle paraffin candles without making them into other candles?

candle250.jpgWe covered candles and their wax about a year ago but Chris Petescia has emailled with a more specific query about paraffin-based candles:

I understand that they are not good to burn for health and environmental reasons, and have switched to beeswax and soy. However, I have a decent stock of what MAY be paraffin candles (they do not say what they are made from). I don’t want to give them/sell them to anyone, because I don’t want anyone else to have the negative elements affect them in any way. IS there any use for them? I’d hate to just trash them…

On the other post, Rene makes a possible suggestion about making them into wax pucks for skateboarders and the like – but anyone else got any other non-candle related suggestions for Chris?

(Photo by jilted)

How can I reuse or recycle old candles?

A burning candleA few years ago, I went through a spate of buying candles. We don’t use them much any more but have been known to have the old candle-light game of Scrabble or lit by candles, eat soup inside a den built out of cushions and quilts in the middle of the living room (we are possibly not as mature as we should be at our age and still like building dens).

Anyway, from those times when we have used them, we’ve got a number of chunky candles still around the place but while their external wax is still fine, they’re insides are all melted away and the wick is pretty much non-existent.

So what can I do with old candles?

Can we make new candles by reusing the wax from the old ones?

Or are there any other good/fun things we could do with them?

(Photo by jilted)