What Can We Recycle? Oh, Let Us Count the Ways!
May 25th, 2011
A lot more creative thinking can go into what we recycle. Look at any object you don’t think you need anymore and ask yourself, “Is there anything else I or someone I know could use this item for before it ends up in the landfill?” Sometimes it requires thinking “out-of-the-box” to come up with ideas for re-use.
Recently, I got creative with three janitorial items that I realized I could re-use in my garden: mop poles, clear plastic gallon containers, and old feather duster handles. I could kick myself for not thinking about how I could put these objects to use before, but in the future I will continue to save them for re-use. It saves money, and it gives me a sense of satisfaction that I am taking one more little step towards sustainability both at work and in my personal life.
Mop Poles
Here is a photo of how I use the mop handles for staking up my blueberries. I use them to support a variety of plants, and they help my tomato cages stay upright too. They are very easy to saw through. I just wish I could come up with an idea for the mop fibers themselves. Anybody have any ideas?
Clear Plastic Gallon Containers
I have a huge problem with slugs eating my vegetable starts. I usually have to end up buying several boxes of slug bait each year to keep them at bay which is costly and not very organic. Last year I even had a neighborhood rabbit chewing up my broccoli and I had to go out and buy more plants after he had devoured them. Instead of spending the money on slug bait this year, I am covering my veggie starts with the containers overnight to keep the slugs and snails out. It takes me a good minute to cover the two dozen plants I have each evening, and then the next morning I have to go out and kick aside the containers, but I feel it’s worth it. When they get too big for the containers then they’ll be able to survive the slugs, or I can invest in a box of slug bait. 
Feather Duster Handles
The handles on feather dusters are really hard and sturdy, so I use them as smaller stakes for all kinds of plants and flowers. When I think about the hundreds of feather dusters that we’ve thrown into the landfill in the past, it makes me cringe. Does anybody else know of creative things to do with feather duster handles? I’m thinking, something artistic maybe? Mini trellises perhaps?
AT WORK
At work, we recycle as much as we can. We have our employees bring in ALL their chemical containers and other items when they come to the office instead of throwing them away at their buildings. Many clients still don’t recycle thoroughly, so this way we make sure we’re at lea
st doing what we can from our end.
Portion Control Containers & Spray Bottles
Proportioner dispenser systems may be the best way to reduce the wasteful use of smaller containers and spray bottles, but sometimes it’s just not possible or practical to set up these systems at many smaller offices and facilities, especially if there is no appropriate janitorial closet. We try to buy concentrated chemicals in larger refill containers which are then poured into secondary containers and spray bottles to prevent the waste of one-time-use containers.
Re-labeling Portion Control Containers
If you are bothered by the cost and the wasteful disposal of smaller containers, what is keeping you from reusing them over and over again? We reuse some of our portion control containers and put other labels on them for use out in the field also. When possible, we refill brand name chemicals from their larger refill containers into the spray bottles. It’s a savings in many ways, and it’s better for the environment. In the end, when a secondary container or spray bottle can’t be used any longer, then it goes into recycling. That doesn’t have to happen until after it has been refilled perhaps dozens of times, or until the bottle brakes or the label deteriorates. We get most labels from our janitorial supply retailers, but I have also managed to get hard-to-find ones from the manufacturers and distributors. They’ll send you some if you let them know that you really want to use their product, but you can’t without proper labels. When we can’t find good labels, we can sometimes make our own.
We all need to think about more ways we can recycle equipment, tools, and chemical containers. I would appreciate more ideas on this subject, so if readers can share with me the ways they recycle certain objects, both practically or even artistically, please let me know.