Innovative Ways to Recycle

Innovative Ways To Recycle

The landfills are almost full, and there is no space to create any more of them. Some forecasts suggest that in just two years, there will be no more space for our waste in landfills, yet we will still need to dispose of our rubbish somehow.

The answer is recycling. Or rather, more recycling. Although as a nation we are getting better at recycling each year, we could do more. A lot more. And rather than leave it to the government and local authorities to deal with, we could do it ourselves. But how? Here are just a few innovative ideas.

Composting

The compost heap. It was something that everyone had in their gardens or allotments at one time, but they fell out of favour when life started to get busier and not as many people had time to wait for their compost to mature. It was easier to simply buy readymade stuff from the garden centre, and the waste that once upon a time would have been thrown onto the compost heap went into the bin instead. But now, with landfills almost at capacity, less waste should be put out for the bin men, and more can be kept at home on a compost heap.

It might seem like a bit of a lost art, but once you start it’s easy to keep up – easier, even, than putting your food and organic waste into a bin and lugging it out to the curb once a week or fortnight. 

Compost can be made out of food scraps, of course, but there are plenty of other things that can be tossed onto the heap – things which would otherwise go in the bin. These including paper, cardboard, cotton clothing, even dust! And the great thing is that the compost can then be used to help grow more trees (which make more paper and cardboard), and more cotton (to make more clothing) amongst many other things. It’s the perfect process of recycling.

Clothes Swap

The idea of a ‘clothes swap’ is extremely popular in America, and it’s gaining ground in the UK and Europe too. What do you do with your old clothes? Not the ones that are falling to pieces or are stained beyond saving (they could potentially be composted), but the ones that are in good condition but you simply don’t want to wear anymore. What happens to them? For the most part, it’s likely you toss them in the bin and send them off to landfill. But that’s not necessary when you could host a small get together with friends and swap clothes. It sounds strange, and we’re not talking the clothes off your back of course, but it actually works.

For the cost of a few cups of tea or glasses of wine and some nibbles, you can get a whole new wardrobe – and get rid of your old clothing at the same time. Invite a few friends over, ask them to bring their unwanted clothes, and swap. It’s that simple. You won’t have to pay a fortune for a new set of clothes, and the landfill will be a little less full than if you had dumped the stuff that someone else will now take home with them.

Art & Music

Not everyone is or can be an artist. Not everyone wants to be. But for those who are, waste can be a great alternative to buying new materials. Sculptors, for example, may be able to use what some people might call rubbish to create amazing artistic pieces. Musicians can also make use of some forms of rubbish – there are plenty of people looking for all sorts of unusual things that may no longer be of any use to you, but would help them immensely. Take a look online or in local newspapers or notice boards and it might turn out that you’ve got something that someone else wants.

Weird and Wonderful

No matter how you choose to recycle, the end result is a cleaner, brighter planet for everyone. With new technology and advances in techniques, as well as clever ideas from those who understand these things, so much can now be created from recycled goods. This includes flooring, clothing, paper, furniture, buildings, roads, and even coffins as well as much, much more. With all the weird and wonderful things that can be created through recycling, it’s more than likely that there are at least a few items within your home that used to be something else.

It’s the future. Be a part of it.