I’ve recently started drinking mixer type drinks in pubs – lime and lemonade, that sort of thing – and because of the heavy cordial involved, I usually get a stirrer or straw in my glass.

I also know a lot of cafés and coffee shops still use plastic stirrers rather than spoons for take-out drinks. So what can be done with them?

The pub ones are usually pretty sturdy plastic – and can be cute like the one in the photo – whereas the hot drinks one tend to be flimsy. Suggestions for either?

Connie Deakins submitted this comment on the used envelopes post but I thought I’d bring it here to highlight it:

How can I recycle the plastic envelopes that the Radio Times is sent in, and other publications? I have heard there is a place that recycles these but cannot locate it.

I assume she means the plastic bags which are used to send magazines – or similarly sized thin catalogues – through the post. I’ve got one in front of me now which says “this plastic wrapping will degrade harmlessly under the right conditions with 12-18 months” but it doesn’t say what those right conditions are. And also “degrade” isn’t exactly the best thing, unless it’s compostable degrading as happens with corn-based “plastics”.

So any thoughts or suggestions?

At any one time, there are at least two or three crisp (potato chips) packets blowing around our street, invariably ending up in our garden or making “fffffwhpp” sounds as they rattle against the railings at the end of the road.

I remember making shrinky-dinks out of them when I was a kid but aside from that, I can’t think of any other ideas about what can be done with them. (And I don’t even know whether you can do that with the foil lined packets kicking around now.)

So is anyone else more inspired about what can be done with them? Suggestions for big “family size” packets as well as standard ones are welcome.

(And in case anyone else other than me is interested, this is the 250th post on here – that’s a whole lot of reusing and recycling ideas! I’m think I’m going to celebrate with some salty potato snacks!)

(Photo by monomatt)

We’ve had an email from Alison:

My company just organised a conference and we had some waterproof stickers printed up to promote it and give out. We’ve got a box leftover but they can’t be used at future events because they’ve got this year’s date and venue on them. Can they be recycled?

I’m assuming Alison’s means vinyl when she says “waterproof” and according to my limited research, most types of vinyl can be recycled. I don’t know if that’s just containers or bigger pieces though. Anyone know?

What about reuses?

(Photo by Ambah)

As I mentioned in passing the other day, we hacked up a very old sofa at the weekend. We wanted to give it away for re-use as a sofa but it was in frankly awful condition – thanks to the cats and just years and years of use – we got it at least third hand after it had been a family sofa then used at some offices.

We stripped it down before getting rid of it though – I covered the sofa foam on Monday, the wooden frame has gone into a scrap/fire wood pile, and we’re going to see if we can use the (flat) springs as some kinda notice board and/or use as a support for french beans in the garden next summer.

We also cut off the leather from the bits that weren’t utterly ruined/torn – mostly the back of the sofa and the backs of cushions. They’re quite a soft leather with nice, clean suede on the other side. But what can we do with it?

I always like practical suggestions but am open to crafty ones too – especially if I don’t need to buy special tools for it.