The more imagination you employ, the easier it is to recycle effectively. If you’re stuck and need more ideas, here’s how you can up your sustainability game.
If you’re an environmentally focused vegan, you don’t just stop with the food you consume. You strive for eco-friendliness in everything you do, including your recycling practices. To improve this specific area of your life, check out these creative ways to recycle your belongings.
Find a New Owner
First, consider whether your belongings still belong with you. You could always find another use for clothes, tools, furniture, and other items, but other people might really benefit from receiving what you have. List your possessions online for donation and see who bites. Better yet, take time to think about the people in your life. People going through a transition such as a recent move or a college graduation may need the coffee table or vacuum you’re ready to replace.
If you can’t find any takers, turn to donation. Tons of organizations will take used goods off your hands and cheaply sell them or give them to shoppers. Just make sure you give useful pieces rather than dumping something without use in their donation box. Another benefit is that you can deduct your donation value on your taxes if you choose to itemize your deductions.
Get Creative with Repurposing
Give your old things a new place in your home by finding fun ways to upcycle them. You can easily transform items such as old doors, coffee tables, and even suitcases into “new” pieces of furniture that serve a more useful purpose. Keep reading for a few ideas.
Give Your Door a New Life
If you have a spare door lying around, you can turn it into a fine coffee table, shelf frame, or even a hanging surface with the right tools. An intrinsic comfort is built into a door because it’s the entryway into the hospitality of a home, so it will immediately brighten up your interior when repurposed into something else.
Repurpose a Coffee Table
Similarly, you can modify a coffee table so that it regains its usefulness. If it’s beyond refinishing, you can use it to create a dog bed or to serve as a kids’ art table. It can work as a dog bed if you flip it over and install a cushion. To convert it into an art table, all it really needs is a coat of chalkboard paint or other protective coating.
Revive an Ancient Suitcase
This creative way to recycle your belongings goes back a few decades: transform your old suitcase into a classy piece of furniture. If you affix legs, a suitcase can adapt to life as a side table quite well. Alternately, if it’s large enough, you can make slight modifications to use it as a tone-setting ottoman.
Whether you find new homes for your things or give them a new place in yours, taking these steps keeps you firmly on the path of sustainability. Plus, finding ways to upcycle what you have is plain fun.
