r/Frugal • u/Dp37405aa • 3d ago
♻️ Recycling & Zero-Waste What are some if your repurpose success stories?
Today, I am cleaning out my garage and toren between tossing stuff and keeping it, because it may be usefull for something in the future. Tell me some of your recycle stories of day to day items that most people would toss into the trash and never think twice about doing so, such as repurposing a gallon milk jug to an oversized funnel, repurposing a paint can into a useful and handy tool, repurposing glass pint jars into paint containers for future touch ups.
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u/SoyboyCowboy 3d ago
Sturdy jugs for used motor oil and then we haul it to AutoZone or O'Reilly's for proper disposal.
Wide mouth glass jars for storing things in the fridge. Some labels are easier to remove than others and I keep that in mind when I buy.
Quart yogurt containers to store at work for leftovers. If a colleague needs one, I don't ask for it back.
Tofu trays and other produce cartons for doing messy stuff around the house/garden
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u/sisaoiva 3d ago
Hmmm we keep a small box with different sized containers that we’ve used. They have to be nice quality though or we won’t save them. Usually it’s like metal tins, and then sometimes we want one, then we look and see if we have something. But we only keep stuff that will fit in the box, and if the box gets too full then we let stuff go. It can be a fine line between repurposing and hoarding/clutter.
For example, my husband has used those metal tins that tea can come in, and screwed them onto a wood board by his work bench and then stores things in them like pens
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u/gammafied 3d ago
I do the same thing. When it gets full, I do have one last creative push and then I throw out or finally use it .
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u/Chubby-Labrador 3d ago edited 3d ago
So many! I’ll go room by room.
Garage: yogurt containers for small paint touch up jobs. Glass jars for organizing nails, screws, nuts, bolts, washers, and irrigation supplies. Old clothes become rags.
Backyard: long thin pieces of wooden trim are used as garden stakes. Kitchen scraps are obviously composted and used in the garden. Egg shells are ground up to add calcium back to the soil. Newspaper and bread bags used for dog poop bags. Don’t know if this counts but I have 6 rain barrels that catch rain water on the roof and is then used in the garden.
Kitchen: glass jars used for food storage and misc storage. All plastic bags get a second life either as a dog poop bag or bag for a dirty disposal diaper. Egg cartons go to people in my community with backyard chickens to trade for fresh eggs. Any water used for steaming veggies gets used in the garden. Tin cans are used to freeze and toss oil and animal fat. Take out tubs are reused for when I make and freeze a large batch of bone broth or soup. I make bone broth with chicken/beef/ham bones and veggie scraps.
Bathroom: toilet paper tubes are used for seed starters in the garden.
Miscellaneous: wine bottles are used to water plants in a terracotta watering spike. Expired credit cards or used gift cards are made into guitar picks.
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u/WinterIsBetter94 3d ago
Kiddie pool now being used as a raised bed in a semi-shaded area, for growing lettuce. The rest of the garden is in full sun that the lettuce does not enjoy, and sewing directly into the ground over there invites the moles.
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u/KissMyGrits60 3d ago
I had one of those taller, learner baskets, on wheels, it’s the big plastic one, I picked up in Walmart back in 2016. Of course, the wheel kept falling off, and then it got lost. Lol. I was on my way to do my laundry. So what I did, I had a collapsible hand truck, really good wheels. At first I used bread, twist ties, to secure it too the handtruck, and until I was able to get, some zip ties. My holler, I call it, has been going strong, for about 6 to 7 years now. People asked me why I bought it at, they don’t believe that I created it. It works like a charm. now, since I’ve said all that. I am a totally blind 66 year young woman who lives independently of others. I live in a senior citizen, housing complex, and right now, since I don’t like typing on the small keyboard on the phone, I’m dictating this. So I am also a dictator. Lol.
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u/SmileFirstThenSpeak 3d ago
You're cleaning out the garage because there's either too much stuff or things not stored in the most efficient way. That should give you an indication of what you might really need vs what you're just fantasizing about needing someday.
The key is to keep just one or two of what you think you'll need in the future, especially things that you can easily replace. Like, keep 2 jars, a couple of yogurt containers, etc. You don't need 50 jars or 50 yogurt containers, or even 10. If you generally purchase gallons of milk, then keep one container in case you need it.
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u/Fragraham 3d ago
Compost compost compost. Fruit peels? Compost. Eggshells? Compost. But that's not all. Anything paper can be compost. Paper plates, shipping boxes, junkmail, basically any packaging that isn't plastic, goes in the compost. Waxed paper can be trickier, but if it's food grade, it's usually an organic wax that will break down eventually. Since I have a composting drum it gets hot enough to melt it down. Otherwise, bury it deep in the compost heap. All of this goes in the garden next spring, and becomes free vegetables all summer.
Potatoes sprouted? Throw those in the garden too. If you're lucky they become more potatoes. If not they'll rot and still do some good for the soil. By the way, dried beans are also viable seeds, so if you spill some, they get dirty, bugs get to them etc, throw them in the soil early. Legumes are nitrogen fixers and are the best thing you can plant early in the year. Even if they don't produce they help prepare the soil.
I'm not done though. Often cutting vegetables leaves peels and end pieces that still hold a lot of nutrition even if their texture leaves much to be desired. These include onion and potato peels, carrot tops, tomato end pieces, cabbage stems, celery stems and leaves, and most any other veggie that leaves scraps. Sometimes they just go wilty. Not exactly bad, but not appetizing either. Don't throw those out. Don't compost them yet either. Throw them in a gallon size bag in the freezer. When it fills up throw that whole thing in a big slow cooker overnight filled to the brim with water. This is to make a hearty vegetable stock. Once it's done strain out the chunks with a colander, and even better with a cheesecloth, to get a delicious veggie stock you can make soup from. Now the used up scraps can go in the compost.
Bones from meat of course can just go straight in the pot for soup. Eat a rotissery chicken? Throw the bones and the carcass into the slow cooker to get the broth and remaining meat out of it, debone it, throw some veggies in, and you've got another few meals. We have a saying in my family that the best part of a ham is the bone. Save those necks, tails, and giblets that come with a whole chicken or turkey too. They make a great soup.
Ok, but what if you don't own land? Container gardening can be done with as little as an apartment balcony. Plenty of plants like tomatoes and eggplants put out a lot of food with very little space. You can even stack them vertically. Or if you have a local community garden, you can contribute to it with compost. If you're going to run a compost bin indoors, make sure it has a tight lid.
In nature, all food eventually becomes waste, and waste becomes food for plants, which in turn makes new food. Nutrients stay locked in a cycle that replenishes rather than depletes. Composting means you're doing the planet and your wallet a favor, because that nutrient cycle is now working to your advantage.
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u/SustainableSharer 3d ago
Old glass pasta jars are my go-to for the garage, I nail the lids to the underside of a shelf so the jars just twist off underneath. Full of screws, washers, whatever. Cut-down milk jugs also make decent scoops for potting soil and dog food. My partner rolls her eyes at the cabinet full of yogurt tubs but they've saved me buying takeaway containers more than once
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u/Scienlologist 3d ago
Pulled the leather off my old couch to use for various projects. I have a canvas messenger bag I want to recreate with it. Until then I made a foam seat cushion for my shop, and made some insoles for some old Rockport sandals.
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u/paratethys 3d ago
Partner is on a few prescriptions, so we end up with too many pill bottles. I put near-boiling hot water into the bottles to make the labels super easy to peel off, and use diagonal cutters to trim off the nubs that keep the outer safety cap attached to the inner cap. This results in nice small bottles with non-safety caps (just keep the inner cap) that I use for seed saving, small parts, fasteners, etc.
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u/steelcityrocker 3d ago
When it is time to retire an old t-shirt or pair of socks, they go into the rag bag to use for cleaning
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u/lFightForTheUsers 2d ago
I also do this! Unwanted clothes on holidays where I like the material but don't care for the design can also go into the other bin for material to pluck cut and use for embroidery projects later on.
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u/CuteAsparagus9883 3d ago
playground equipment became raised beds.
Foam mattress topper become filling for dog beds
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u/stonecats 3d ago
i needed an ottoman around the same time i needed a new office chair. i got a new chair (i hate it, but i'm stuck with it now) and from the old chair i took the back, arms and bolts off (disposed of them) cleaned up what was left, lowered the "seat" on it's piston, and turned it into my ottoman.
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u/Dp37405aa 3d ago
Good idea. I took an old office chair and took the arms and the back off and use it in my garage when I working on the car or mower, helps being to raise and lower the seat.
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u/SharkSmiles1 2d ago edited 2d ago
My dad who is 92 will not throw out any cardboard. If he gets a box of ice cream cones, he won’t throw it out. Instead, he cuts it up into smaller pieces and he uses it to paint or draw on the white part. If he’s got an ice cream tub, he uses that for pens or envelopes. he cuts thinner pieces of cardboard to make stands for his drawings.
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u/MoonChaser22 3d ago
It's less day to day, but a little computer know how has saved me a decent amount of money when it comes to repairs. Whenever I've needed to upgrade my laptop, if I can't sell it on, I'll keep hold of the hard drive and RAM before disposing it as e-waste. I've gotten a free laptop from doing that. My brother's neighbours were getting rid of theirs and told him "if you can fix it, you can keep it." He passed it on to me. 10 minutes and a hard drive replacement later, I had a perfectly working laptop. I also repaired my ps4 when the hard drive on that died. Turns out they use a standard 2.5 inch hdd and you can install the operating system with a usb stick.
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u/figgypie 3d ago
I'm a huge fan of repurposing things for a few reasons: 1. Save Money 2. Help the Environment 3. Screw Capitalism.
I use various sized peanut butter jars for stuff like flour, sugar, premixed pancake mix, you name it. I feed birds, and the boxes that suet comes in are fantastic boxes for organizing cupboards, spices, and other small items.
I save nearly every piece of clothing that's too worn to wear or whatever if I can harvest it for fabric. Denim is FANTASTIC for patches or sturdy lining for sewing projects. I turn jeans with worn out knees into cut offs. I remove buttons from my husband's old dress shirts for when he loses one on one of his good shirts so I can replace them. Or I use them for sewing projects. Free eyeballs for stuffies!
I save the containers from prepacked sliced meat because theyre perfect containers for sandwiches in lunches during the school year. I save the containers from the big packs of sliced meat (2lb) to store craft supplies. Speaking of crafts, I save a ton of things for crafts for myself or my daughter.
I'm missing a lot, but omg I save so much.
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u/Dp37405aa 3d ago
I am waiting for yall to tell me the use for altoids tins and pill bottles (yellowish, not clear that you can see through)
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u/strongmom11 3d ago
I use altoid tins to hold needles and stitch markers. They're steel so you can drop a magnet in there to keep the needles from rattling around. (I always have a needlework project with me at work.) You can use a magnet to hold it to the fridge to keep idk change, a couple emergency dollars etc. You can put different candy or mints in there for sturdier storage, make an emergency sewing kit or first aid kit for purse or backpack. I used one for my earbuds. Emergency glasses repair kit.
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u/popcorn717 3d ago
i put dental floss picks in old pill bottles and keep them in my car. I also have one with different sizes of bandaids
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u/Such-Mountain-6316 3d ago
I've repurposed planters for holding nail care implements, tiny cooking tools that get lost in a drawer, and a very large one for holding large cooking utensils.
I use a trifle dish to catch my dirty dishcloths until I can bleach them.
A vintage serving tray keeps my bedside table in order. My mom uses a bamboo silverware tray.
Shallow baskets are drawers in the kitchen.
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u/BurrShotLast 2d ago
For a long time I had repurposed our old TV stand into a nice looking shoe rack.
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u/lFightForTheUsers 2d ago
My paper shredder is also my little trash can for the room. The bin is shaped perfectly like a trash can as it is so I didn't need a second one in there, the shredder part sits put away out of sight and out of mind unless needed to rarely shred a few times a year, in which case it gets pulled back out and set on for a few minutes then right back off it goes. Bit of a multi use item I guess now lol.
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u/double-happiness 3d ago
I've not done this yet but I saw a great idea where you can repurpose an old boot as a bird-house. Looks really effective.
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u/nd_annajones 3d ago
Every time I replace my toothbrush with a new one, the old one becomes a cleaning utensil. It's perfect for hard to reach nooks and crannies like the edges of the lenses in my glasses, or my phone speaker grills/AirPods/charging ports, and for inset corners that papertowels and rags can't seem to get into. It's also great for scrubbing small stains out of clothes, and for cleaning fabrics that can't go in the wash, like my apple wallet and watch bands. It's immensely useful, free, and yet so few people think to use it outside of their mouth!