Sustain-a-ville

In last week’s post we talked about plastic and why it’s so terrible for the environment. If you make some efforts to cut plastic out of your life, chances are pretty good you’re going to end up with more of an abundance of other materials like paper, aluminum, and glass. These materials are better for the environment for a few reasons, including the fact that aluminum and glass can be recycled an infinite number of times. Since metals and glass are also sturdier than plastic, there are also more possibilities for upcycling!

Recycling is, of course, a better method of disposal than sending trash to a landfill. Whenever you can give a material a chance at a second life before it’s disposed of, you’re helping the earth. Upcycling takes this concept to another level. Upcycling is basically finding a way to reuse an item for another purpose, further delaying its trip to a recycling center and also preventing you from buying another item to serve that purpose. In the classic phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle,” we should be trying to do it in that order. When we can’t avoid creating the waste to begin with, finding a way to reuse the product is the next best thing.

1. Glass Jars

When you begin to make a conscious effort towards sustainable choices, you will start to see plastic everywhere. The good news is, there are sometimes alternatives for plastic packaging. A few grocery store items I used to buy in plastic and now purchase in glass include peanut butter, salsa, and juice. In addition to saving the plastic packaging from landfills, you are also now gaining a perfectly good glass jar once you’ve consumed that product. As I stated above, these can easily be placed in the recycling and made into a new product for someone else’s future use. But they can also be put to use in your home for a new purpose. Some of my favorite ways to upcycle glass jars include:

• Placing plant cuttings in them to propagate
• Using the jars again as a drinking glass or to store liquids
• Bringing them to bulk/refill stores as a BYO container
• Painting them to be used as a candle holder or a pot for a houseplant

2. Takeout Containers

These days, it’s impossible to avoid takeout. I love to cook and consider myself to be decent at it and also love the experience of going to a restaurant. But sometimes, you just need the convenience of takeout. Unfortunately, convenience is also often tied to single use plastics. Here are some of my favorite ways to reuse plastic takeout containers:

• Using them as a tupperware container for leftovers when you cook at home
• Storing loose items in them like change, nails, office supplies, etc
• Bringing them to bulk/refill stores as a BYO container

3. Metal Cans

Cans are a little bit trickier when it comes to upcycling. Glass jars can look nice enough to be store bought once you get the sticker off of them but there’s really no way to disguise a can (I’m talking like a can of beans here). The other complicating factor is the lid – once you remove the top from a can, it’s gone for good and can’t be replaced like the lid of a jar. But there are some ways they can serve other purposes before becoming waste. Here are a few ideas:

• Using them as a measuring cup – the label of the product will tell you exactly how much product it can hold
• Planting herbs or other small plants in them, whether you plan to transport them to a larger pot later or make the can that plant’s permanent home
• Despite what I said earlier about it being difficult to disguise tin cans, there are a number of DIY crafts you can do to make something pretty out of a plain, metal can

No matter what type of material or container you have on hand, simply giving it a second thought with a creative eye before it hits the trash or the recycling bin can save lots of waste and also prevent your wallet from having to buy a new product!