'Recipes' to Reuse Packaging - Part 2

World Environment Day on June 5th served as an important reminder of just how precious our resources are and an abundance of those resources are used to produce the various packages we encounter everyday.  If you missed the opportunity to participate that day, then there is no better time than to start making reuse a daily practice! Whether or not you habitually reuse containers for their original purpose by refilling or not, these ‘recipes’ provide practical and delicious ways to reuse packages for a new purpose. The following items that you may habitually discard can be reused by getting creative.

A cereal box

Has new purpose as a solar oven with benefits for the whole family: it allows you to meet one of the UN Commitments for Environment Day by reducing our energy usage, keeps kiddos busy once school is out and saves everyone from missing out on glorious S’MORES in the unfortunate case of a fire ban during your summer camping adventures.

Created with Canva

Or check out these instructions to create a more durable camping solar oven.

An empty bag of birdseed or compost

Is now a garden apron that keeps the muddy work around your yard from making a mess of your clothes! Yard work is also safer with the help of a grocery bag hat to keep the heat of the sun off! You can read more about the challenge of dealing with plastic bags throughout Canada.

Apron and hat created by a Reuse Centre customer

A stash of candy wrappers

Can become purposeful again and add style when rolled into beads for DIY jewellery. Don’t want to try this project on your own? No worries, you can book a program or birthday party with us and our staff will help!

A laundry soap container

Has new use as a sitting or hanging plant pot that offers exceptionally easy watering! Create your whimsical and practical pots with this video.

Video sourced from YouTube

Though this compilation of common packaging and reuse ideas is far from exhaustive, it will hopefully inspire more reuse in your life! Some people struggle with the idea of crafting due to the perception (a reality at times) that crafts result in excess waste. But, I strive to find fun and function from my crafting efforts that will creatively reuse commonly wasted items. Continued success to all of you also striving to find creative re-useful crafts. Please share what household containers and packaging you struggle to reuse or what is your favourite way to reuse containers and packaging? Add your thoughts to the comments section below.

All photos and submission by Andrea (staff)

Water Station Recyclables

As the weather warms dramatically, we're spending every day outdoors soaking up the sun. But there are only so many popcicles you can feed a toddler to cool off before chaos ensues! So I've raided our recycling bin once again to create a water wall against a fence for hours of cooling fun.

It's best to find a fairly large bin to collect the water, otherwise your hose will be running non-stop. I found an old, long, flat Rubbermaid bin that works perfectly. Using 1/4" screws, I attached large plastic tubs to the fence above the flat bin and loosely enough to let the tub rotate. Make very sure you're not introducing screws farther than the depth of your fence, creating a dangerous situation for your neighbours!

Both of these large plastic tubs are affixed loosely enough to rotate pouring water from one to the other and into the bin at the bottom.

With a second plastic tub, I first drilled holes in the bottom so the water would slowly drain out.

Use a very small drill bit to make holes in the bottom of a container, allowing water to slowly drain. My son also discovered that adding sand to the containers slowed the draining process. How exciting to make these small discoveries!

I cut the bottom off a juice container and positioned it firmly upside-down so that it could fill if the lid were shut or drain when opened.

This orange juice jug is perfect to work fine motor skills by opening and closing the stubborn lid. When done successfully, my son is rewarded with a gush of water.

I used zip ties and eye screws, both found in our tool room, to fix an old soap bottle against the fence.

I added red food dye to the bottle for some colour mixing. 

The station is adjacent to the sandbox, so my son can play with his toys and make mud pies to his heart's content. I've since planted some ground cover around the area so the roots can suck up the spills.

I don't have to water the plants in this little corner of our yard thanks to all the spillage!

We've also introduced food colouring, to the amazement of my son. I put a few drops of each colour into each container and let him mix away.

The water's trajectory from bin to bin, colours mixing along the way.

What materials would you introduce to stimulate a budding hydrologist? Comment below to help grow our water wall this year!

- Ellen (Volunteer) 

*All photos provided by Ellen