A Reuse Centre Christmas

(Advent Calendar from Cereal boxes, Clothes pegs and Fabric)

Let me get this off my chest, I love the Reuse centre, I love it so much that I have to limit my 'shopping' trips. I always find so many different crafty projects just waiting to happen that I can't stop myself from piling a box high. So this year I found a way to incorporate my favourite Reuse centre finds into my Christmas crafting.

Some generously donated Cream Cordruoy became...

A Tree skirt

A few sheets of old Music paper became some gift boxes

The front of a Christmas card gave me just enough information to replicate it in Cross Stitch form.

I never fail to be inspired every time I visit, I hope you do too.

Thank you for your generously donated crafty goodies in 2012 Edmonton, together we can divert even more from the landfill in 2013.

- Emma (Volunteer) 

What do 142 million milk bottle caps have to do with the Reuse Centre?

More than you would think! We completed our yearly numbers and it turns out we received 142.3 tonnes of items this year from Edmontonions! 

This amount of weight needs to be put into some perspective considering all the tiny-sized or light items that we accept at the Reuse Centre. As an example I will use plastic milk bottle caps, a popular item at our store. Teachers buy bottle caps to use as wheels in demonstrations to students or Reuse bloggers make lovely milk bottle cap crafts. People, having devotedly cleaned the bottle caps, drop off loads of bags of them to us.

So how can we interpret the scale of our yearly drop-off numbers using plastic bottle caps? Well after some very quick research online, I found that (according to the Green Centre, a non-profit environmental group in England*), assuming that the average milk bottle cap weighs about 1 gram, that we would need 1 million bottle caps to make a tonne. So to make up 142 tonnes, in milk bottle terms we would need to have 142 million dropped off.

So how much landfill space would one hundred and forty-two million bottle caps take up in any given landfill? With each bottle cap taking the area of 12.56 sq cms multiplied by 142 million it equates to about 178 352 sq. metres. About the equivalent of about 25 soccer fields*. Not bad, eh?

These bottle cap numbers are by no means official, just a few calculations by a history major/volunteer coordinator. They do show though that the Reuse Centre, its customers, volunteer and supporters are preventing a lot items from taking unnecessary space the landfill and that is undeniably awesome.

*http://www.thegreencentre.co.uk/get-involved/green-a-z/m/milk-bottle-tops-(plastic)-in-brighton.aspx
*associated football pitch is 7140 m² taken from Wikipedia

- Hayley (Staff) 

Furoshiki - The Reusable Wrap

If you're looking to cut down on waste and add a stylish 'twist' to your gifts for 2013 and beyond, then you need to get wise to Furoshiki.

This Japanese method of wrapping, folding and twisting your gifts in double sided fabric is the ultimate in reusable wrap, but it goes beyond gift wrap, a few knots and twists will mean your recipient can even wear their gift wrap as clothing, an accessory or even a baby sling,  take that one use paper wrap!

Just two 16'' squares of fabric sewn together, flipped right side out and topstitched will give a generous sized reusable wrap to be passed on, and on and on for the life of the fabric. Don't sew? think lightweight fabrics e.g vintage Headscarves, Last years Sarong. Bigger gifts? Thrifted tablecloths, the more decorative the better.

 Write the link to these these instructions on the gift card, or email/text so your friend can pass on the Furoshiki wrap to others. It's part of your gift to them, and regifting is encouraged.


Just for Christmas? think again, Easter gifts, Valentines, Birthday, if you're giving a gift then these techniques are a must for reducing waste and adding that extra special treatment to your present.

Fabric is always plentiful here at the Reuse Centre, so make a resolution you will actually keep, practice Furoshiki and help divert paper wrap from Edmontons waste.

- Emma (Volunteer)