Cardboard | How can I recycle this?

Posts tagged "cardboard"

How can I reuse or recycle excessive Easter egg packaging?

Easter eggs Unless you’re very good and don’t eat every scrap of chocolate as soon as it passes the threshold of your home, I think we’re about a week late on this one. But anyway…

Every year we ask people likely to buy us Easter eggs not to buy us Easter eggs but we still end up with one or two, and the packaging makes us want to cry.

I have been known to wear the cardboard bit as a hat (photos available on request) so that’s that dealt with, but what can be done with all that molded yet flimsy plastic nonsense?

Best Suggestions

Reduce: Buy/make smaller solid chocolate instead of fragile eggs that need that packaging.
Reuse: The more sturdy plastic cases can be used as paint/glue dishes during kids’ art sessions or decorating.
Recycle: Check the packaging to check which type of plastic it is. Most of the plastic is PET/PETE – No 1 in a triangle – one of the most commonly recycled plastics.
See the comments below for more suggestions and ideas

(Photo by Vierdrie, c/o sxc.hu)

Tags: cardboard, Easter, egg, packaging, plastic, recycling, reusing
Posted by louisa in Easter, food, items, packaging 16 Comments →

How can I reuse or recycle toilet roll tubes?

toilet roll tubes
Oh, I know. How very Blue Peter. Except we don’t have very much need for a model of Tracy Island.

We don’t use kitchen rolls that much so mostly have the shorter toilet roll-size tubes lying around the place.

Short of just recycling them in our green bin, what are the alternatives?

Best Suggestions

Reduce: Look for toilet rolls with more sheets per rolls and if you’re really keen, swap to washable clothes for post-wee wipes :)
Reuse: Use them as pots for seedlings – put a little scrunched up newspaper in the bottom and fill with soil. The seedlings roots can grow through the wet cardboard when needed so you can just plant on the pot as is.
Recycle: Cardboard can be recycled through many local recycling schemes but can also be put on the compost heap/in wormeries – great for soaking up excess water. Alternately, fill them with scraps of paper, wood and/or pinecones and use them as firestarters.
See the comments below for more suggestions and ideas

Tags: cardboard, paper, recycling, reusing, toilet roll tube
Posted by louisa in bathroom, items, packaging 66 Comments →