Reusing and Repurposing - Don't Toss That!

This week, we are running our weekly Freebie Friday contest with the theme focusing on ways that you can reuse or repurpose items instead of trashing them. Beyond recycling, reusing or repurposing old items is an incredibly important part of the sustainability cycle. There are some very cool uses for random things that you might never have thought of. For instance, you can use a toothpick for a “place holder” on a roll of clear packing tape. We all know how frustrating it is to find the end and get it to tear off evenly. This way, you avoid wasting too much of the roll! Another great idea is to use an empty tissue box to store your plastic grocery bags. You can always recycle the bags at the grocery store, but if you like to keep a few on hand, a tissue box is a great way to store and dispense them – repurposing two different items! While you’re thinking about repurposing old items, the next best step is to support and purchase items that replace disposable items entirely. One example is LunchSkins, an incredible product created by moms to displace the amount of disposable baggies that were going into landfills every day. LunchSkin’s website states: “We’re on a mission to reduce the number of plastic baggies thrown out. Help us reach our 2015 goal of keeping more than 500 million plastic baggies out of landfills and waterways.” And the retailer ReUsit has so many amazing and affordable options. From glass straws to truly reusable paper towels, a “coffee brewer” that requires no filters and even reusable zip ties, they have a million ways to reduce your use of disposable items. In addition, 1% of their sales go to multiple environmental causes. Reducing and reusing never felt so good!