We had an email from Lori the other day about the bags and things she makes out of old jeans.

You can be a “jeanius” like me, too!! RECYCLE!

As lover of both recycling and puns, how could I resist? ;)

Her range includes bags and accessories just using the fabric and items more obviously a former pair of jeans/denim skirt – ready-made pockets = win!

She also has some random fun things for sale – like this cheque book sleeve made using an old M&Ms wrapper. I think this is very cute and fun but unfortunately now have an insatiable desire for sugar-coated chocolate treats. Thanks Lori, thaaaaanks. :)

Anyway, you can find Lori’s things at http://loriforney.etsy.com

• How can I reuse or recycle old jeans?
• How can I make a bag out using recycled things?

We’ve had an email from Rebecca asking:

What can i do with green plastic berry baskets? In the US strawberries and cherry tomatoes come in these baskets; they are number 5 plastic, and I have amassed more than I have little items to hold.

Number 5 plastic isn’t usually included in the standard recycling repertoire in most places so I guess we’re looking for reuses.

Like Annie’s feta cheese basket last year, these baskets probably won’t be strong enough to hold particularly heavy things – but any suggestions?

Particularly any suggestions that will take advantage of the mostly open structure?

A couple of weeks ago, Ann posted a comment about “Bracelets with a Conscience” that she makes out of “soda can tabs”.

She sent me a few pictures of the bracelets recently and I think a great idea.

But what else can be done with those tabs? Any suggestions?

(We covered the cans themselves back in the day – over two years ago, gosh! that’s an eon in internet time!)

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’d been over to the HQ of Ruby-on-Rails ISP BrightBox and discovered a load of computer parts packaging.

As well as the plastic trays that we featured the other week, there were a number of sheets of cardboard-backed bumpy foam – which is apparently called waffle foam but, if the picture’s not clear, it’s the stuff that people usually use for soundproofing.

These sheets aren’t that big about 15cm by 45cm so you’d need a LOT to do any serious soundproofing and could be kept for future packaging purposes – but I suspect they might have so more fun reuses.

The cardboard on the back limits it to dry/non-fire related things – I guess it could be pulled off but that seems to provide it with a lot of structure.

Any suggestions?

From the subject up there, you may guess that I don’t really know how to describe what Sarah is asking about. Her email should be a bit more informative:

I have a lot of these plastic bubbles that holds those cheap toys that you get out of those quarter machines in the front of grocery stores. My local grocery store give the kids free “HEB bucks” that they then use to collect the plastic bubbles from the skill crane, inside the bubble is a sticker worth a certain amount of points…. ANYWAY, we get TONS of them.

Every once in a while the store will trade a certain amount of bubbles in for those really nifty reusable cloth grocery bags for free.

However I was trying to think of OTHER creative ways to use them as well. I think one good use would be as storage containers for your condiments when bringing your lunch to work or school. Any other ideas?

I love that the shop already has a recycling scheme for them – yay that shop – but they do seem like one of those things that would be great to reuse.

Depending on how water tight they are, I guess you could use them to make snow globes or, conversely, teeny mini-greenhouses.

Other suggestions though?

(Photo of Sarah’s pod collection by the lady herself)