We’ve had an email from Aleta asking for ideas on how to reuse or recycle plastic prescription tablet and vitamin bottles/containers.

They’re usually so sturdy – and usually childproof – that ways to reuse them would be best but can they be recycled? I can’t see a number on the bottom of any of few we have lying around here – does anyone know what type of plastic they are?

Also, does anyone know if there are any schemes to reuse bottles as medicine/prescription bottles again (after sterilising or whatever)?

(Photo by Carin)

We’ve covered on VHS cassettes before but now Suzy has emailed asking about their now redundant solid cases:

I have some old vhs tape cases. The cases are made of a plastic shell to hold the video that is glued to a cardboard outer layer with the artwork printed on it.

Is it possible to recycle this plastic? I don’t see any recycling symbols but I’d hate to just throw them away!

There must be thousands and thousands of these things kicked about as people dumped their old videos. So any suggestions for recycling or reusing them?

(Photo by Suzy – thanks Suzy!)

This isn’t a real post just an advert for those who are currently feeling slightly sick after eating too much chocolate this morning.

We covered excessive Easter egg packaging last year but are still keen to hear your ideas and suggestions.

The cardboard can usually be recycled and the foil reused in a number of crafty ways but what about the plastic?

We’ve had an email from Christina Biggs, who works for the Wildlife Trust.

I have 27 hard top yellow helmets which are out of date and need replacing according to health and safety regulations.

I run a waste and recycling classroom so ideally I would like to keep some of these on site and turn them into recycled products, I have thought about hanging baskets. What can these be recycled into? Any suggestions?

I was going to say hanging baskets (with a hole drilled in the bottom for drainage) but Christina beat me to it. Given they’re going to be pretty hard plastic, I don’t know how much they can be modified but I wonder if they could be made into fun birdboxes or something. Any other suggestions?

(Photo by brokenarts)

I use plastic disposable razors. I admit it but I’m not happy about it.

I don’t use them that much – just for my armpits say, once a week (since I’m not that hairy and/or bothered) – but it still seems incredibly wasteful.

I’ve tried using ones where you just replace the blade – but they always go rusty really quickly and so work out really expensive for the amount I use them – and I have a rechargeable electric razor for my legs – but that doesn’t work well on my pits for some reason – so I’m left with the disposable ones. Boo.

Any suggestions for reuses or ways to recycle them? Or other ideas?

(Photo by chris2k)