Recycle, eh!

I've decided to become more practical this year and offer up ideas that people have been asking me. I recently got a surge of searches for how to recycle or reuse those pesky metal wire clothes hangers that we all have. Chances are good that you have more around your house than you have clothes to hang on them.

Although they are made of steel, most metal hangers have a petroleum polymer coating on them that makes recycling the metal more of a challenge. Contact your town's environment department to check if they will accept the wire hangers. If you live in an area that accepts metal hangers as part of curbside recycling, take advantage of it. You can also drop them off at scrap metal recycling facilities.

Because of this polymer coating, I wouldn't recommend using these to roast marshmallows, hot dogs, or 'smores. Besides, metal is a great heat conductor and you could get a nasty burn.

Recycle

So for safe and useful ways to recycle them, drop them off at local dry cleaners and they will by reuse them again. While you’re there ask them to consider cutting down on their hangers. Our local dry cleaner now only folds items like sweaters, shirts, and blouses rather than put them on hangers, and packages them in paper bags that are easier to recycle.

You can give your metal hangers to any charity shop or second hand store. They use them for hanging clothes on their sale racks. You can also offer them up on Freecycle or similar web sites. Someone will want them and this will keep them out of the landfill.

Reuse

Reusing your metal clothes hangers is a great option. I use wire hangers to support my ivy topiaries. All you do is bend the hanger into a suitable form (round or heart is easiest), stick the hook end into some potted soil, and then wrap an ivy around the wire form. If you have been following this blog, you'll have seen the peanut bird feeder wreath that I made for my backyard and also the autumn maple leaf wreath. But there are loads of other, more creative, ways to repurpose these metal hangers at home. You can use them in the garden, in the house and in your arts and crafts projects. Just use your imagination!

Of course, if you are an artist, metal clothes hangers are just raw material for your latest project. Be inspired by this untitled sculpture of paper-clad wire hangers by Dan Steinhilbe.