Recycle, eh

Creative Recycling - Once is not enough!

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Thoughts of spring

Posted on January 9, 2012 at 10:50 AM Comments comments (3)


I know, I know, spring is still just an idea right now but staying here in Edinburgh where I'm surrounded by green gardens and flowering plants, I can't help but look forward to some early planting. Today I spotted this innovative garden on Treehugger - recycling 2 litre plastic pop bottles into a hanging wall garden feature and have to admit that I was quite taken with it.



This 'garden' was designed in collaboration with Brazilian design studio Rosenbaum and the TV show Caldeirao to help poor families improve their homes and surroundings. I'm not sure how much time it would take to water these as container gardens always need a lot more watering than ordinary gardens. Still a good idea if you live somewhere where it rains a lot. If you go to the Rosenbaum site, you will find out how to make it. It's in Portuguese but you won't need a translation as the illustration is pretty self-explanatory.

Ta-da Idea #3 is the winner!

Posted on October 16, 2011 at 3:50 PM Comments comments (0)


Okay, I confess, I don't have a pathway from the sidewalk to my front door (stop laughing, S); or I do, but it includes going up a few staircases so I'll be putting idea # 3 from my previous post out on the balcony and around my second-story basement flat. I gotta say, I like the way putting the battery-powered tea lights look inside the jugs - spooky!!!!!!!!!! - and so cheap.

How to do it? I cut a hole in the back of the jugs with scissors and inserted a battery-powered tea-light inside after turning on the light. Please DO NOT USE real candles or the whole thing will melt and can cause a fire!!

Back to the drawing board - à toute à l'heure.

Recycling glass bottles to keep wasps away

Posted on June 23, 2011 at 11:17 AM Comments comments (0)



Trying to keep the wasps, yellow jackets (that's one trying to get into the jar) or similar insects away when dining al fresco or when you're on a picnic can be a pain so here's a solution. Twist some wire around the neck of small glass bottles and then add about an inch (2.4 cm) of sugar water or any sugary drink you have on hand into the bottles (I sometimes use flat Coke or ginger ale).  About an hour or so BEFORE putting out the food, hang the bottles from trees or your patio or porch a little ways away from where you will be eating.  You can recycle whatever coloured or clear bottles you have on hand.  The flying bug brigade will be too busy trying to get at the tasty water and will most probably ignore you and the food.

In Spain, people hang clear plastic bags full of water in the trees over their picnic or eating area to discourage wasps or other flying insects. Apparently this also works. Does anyone else have a solution that works?

Ciao

Recycling bottle idea from Ikea

Posted on June 6, 2011 at 8:54 AM Comments comments (2)


Okay, the Ikea post at Livet Hemma did not use recycled bottles - they were pushing their own glass vases for this idea but I think it would work really well using small recycled glass or plastic bottles and adding paper content labels. Good gift idea for the gardener in your life. 

Father's Day DIY project

Posted on May 30, 2011 at 3:14 PM Comments comments (0)


I've been hoarding a bunch of old wood wine boxes that I've collected (from the LCBO) over the years. A few of these are falling apart so I'm cutting them down into flower boxes for my balcony garden. The ends, with the neat lettering showing the vintage year and origins of the wines the boxes once contained, are too pretty to muck up so these are now being recycled into cutting boards. Once I've sanded these down, I will oil them with walnut oil to make them food-friendly.

I also repurposed some miniature-sized vodka bottles (I got those from a nice gentlemen when I last flew to Edinburgh) into salt and pepper shakers. I intend to give both the cutting boards and shakers to some Dads that I know who love getting new stuff for their basement bars.

Recycle plastic bottles as vases

Posted on January 13, 2011 at 5:36 PM Comments comments (0)


I seem to have flowers on the brain these days. It's been so gloomy lately that I couldn't resist buying a few bright yellow gerberas to brighten up my studio. Some recycled plastic bottles serve very well as vases all held together with a pretty bit of ribbon.

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