How can I reuse or recycle split plastic dustbins?
Philip Mitchell Graham has left quite a few comments on the Suggest an item page recently so I guess I should start making my way through his ideas!
First up:
Old split plastic rubbish bins. I used one as a liner in an old metal rubbish bin. Metal bins often loose their bottoms, whereas the plastic ones often split on the sides. Between the two, I made a perfectly serviceable bin. I expect to get a few extra years of service out of two bins that had no future at all.
Great reuse Philip.
Without a metal outer, they’re useful for storing stuff that needs to be pretty dry but doesn’t need to be bone dry. We’ve got a split plastic bin in our woodstore for kindling – it keeps it neat and in one place, and not enough water makes it through the cracks to be a problem. If we had another, I’d probably use it for my garden stuff – spare pots and other bits and bobs – that don’t need to be in the greenhouse but need to be contained so they don’t get blown around.
Do you use old bins around your garden too? Do you have any other reuses for them?
If they have splits they work awesomely for plant pots. Drainage solved – and to make it even better drill a few more holes to the bottom if it’s not split enough.
I saw somewhere in the net some awesome repairs – basically with a needle and thread to repair the split. I think those were in some poor part of the world where they simply could not afford to throw away a plastic container just because it was split.
If it’s still to be serviced in its original use, duct tape should be enought to get it waterproof for a while again (can be combined with thread). Or sugru.
I have two that I use for compost – when my compost bins are full I siphon off the stuff that is “ready” into my dustbins – I’ve drilled holes in mine to keep air moving, & for drainage. It allows me to have more compost “moving” in a very small garden.
I use my broken bin to store brooms, gardening tools and bags of fertiliser and soil in.
Our problem was that the bottoms wore out from dragging them from the house to the curb. Holes developed on the bottom and during rain or snow, water would get in. The trash would get wet, heavier, and make the holes larger.
I hated to throw away otherwise decent cans, so I scrubbed them clean and lined each w/a plastic bag. One holds soda/water bottles and cans until we are ready to take them to the redemption center. The other is filled w/styrofoam packing peanuts from my internet shopping. When I need to fill a package to send out, I have them on hand to reuse.