Since jars and the like are kept out for reuse, our glass recycling bin is mostly filled with narrow-necked bottles: olive oil bottles, balsamic vinegar ones, organic squash bottles and if any wine or bottled beer drinkers have been around, those bottles too.

They don’t seem as easily reuseable as wide necked jars or bottles, and the oil ones are a pain to clean out thoroughly (or they are for me at least) – some of them have those “easy pour” tops in which make it even harder. But still, I’m reluctant to recycle them – mostly because there isn’t doorstep recycling for glass around here and it’s a chore to take them to the glass banks at the tip.

So any ideas to save me that tip-trip?

(Photo by levi_sz, c/o sxc.hu)

Thanks to the felines, we generate at least one empty tin can a day. Given the size of our kitchen and the delightful pseudo-fishy aroma they tend to emit, we tend to just throw the cans in the recycling bin as soon as they’re empty.

But there must be a thousand uses for them.

Back in the pistachio shell days, we came up with the idea of using the shells in two cans taped together to make a rattling percussion instrument, so that’s one idea – but I’d love to hear more because a girl can only use so many noise makers.

EmJ has been in touch to ask how she can reuse or recycle dead light bulbs.

She didn’t say whether she meant energy efficient ones or the old type that died in a nanosecond so feel free to make suggestions about both.

Does anyone know if they can be recycled as glass or do the metal/plastic bits get in the way?

(Photo by beate, c/o sxc.hu)

A few weeks ago, on the coconut shells post, I found a very cool way to reuse plastic milk bottles to make covered bird feeders for small birds (UPDATE – the link I had has stopped working, the next best one uses big milk jugs but the same principle applies to smaller bottles too, from a 2pint/1ltr upward).

But as we’ve only got one tree in the garden (and that’s not really a tree, it’s an overgrown bush which is very cat-accessible), I’d love to find out other ways to reuse them rather than just slinging them in the recycling bin.

Any ideas?
Continue Reading →

I used to wear skirts quite a lot so, given I live in the chilly north of England, I bulk bought tights (or stockings, but mostly tights) whenever I had a bargainacious opportunity. Still, with the help of nail varnish for emergency repairs, I managed to keep them going until they were grey, shapeless, snagged nylon sacks. Attractive imagery, I know.

Now those many, many sexy garments are taking up valuable space in my underwear drawer but I can’t bring myself to throw them away, no matter how unlikely it is that I’ll ever wear them again. I’m sure there are hundreds of things to do with them but am really at a loss to think exactly what. So, any suggestions?
Continue Reading →