Reusing and using up kitchen “garbage”
It’s time to look at the things in your kitchen that you dispose of, perhaps prematurely. Recycle what you can but then look again: could their use be extended or could they be reused? Let’s have a look.
Dishwashing soap
Add some extra water to your dish soap container and squeeze out those last few drops of concentrated soap.
Grocery bags
If you’re not using cloth bags at the grocery store, make good use of the plastic bags that you do bring in to the house. You can use them to line smaller garbage containers in the home or office, or even use it as a lunch bag.
Food containers
From margarine and yogurt containers to the tray that your frozen lasagna comes in, you can use these containers to transport food (lunch, perhaps?), or send leftovers home with friends or family. If the container is metal, you can use it to warm up food in the oven. Artistic children may find these containers useful: a larger yogurt container can be a dirty water bucket for the budding painter and a metal pan can be used to hold and/or mix paints. You can also turn that tin can that used to hold tomatoes into a pencil or paintbrush holder.
Egg cartons
Depending on the type of eggs you buy, you have a couple of options. You can use the more durable (but less environmentally friendly) styrofoam containers to hold small items that you want to keep together. Again, your favourite child might find that the egg carton works just great to hold beads. If you’re ready to test out your green thumb, why not plant some seeds in an egg carton for starters?
Elastic bands
If you buy broccoli or any leafy vegetable that comes in bunches regularly, you probably have more elastic bands in your kitchen than you will ever need. Take the rubber bands to other parts of the house: why not use elastic bands to hold together stacks of papers that need to be kept together, or keep an unruly cord that is far too long out of the way?
There are so many things that fall under the “trash� category that can be reused. Before you get rid of something, take a moment to consider what its purpose could be in its second (third, fourth…) life.
kitchen garbage, reusing containers, soap, thrifty
October 1st, 2007 at 8:11 am
This is a GREAT entry. You know what else I’d love to have ideas about? How to make “art” or something interested out of items you would normally throw away. I’m not at all creative but I always wish I was so I could “Re-Use” and make art at the same time!
October 1st, 2007 at 10:48 am
On a slightly similar note…snother way to avoid throwing things out is to compost. It’s amazing how much we end up putting in our compost container rather than throwing it in the garbage. And we pay $1.25 per bag to have our trash taken away from the curb so every bit of space saved counts.