Well, let’s just get straight into it.
Coffee filters
Rinse them out and hang them over the sink or dish rack to dry (it doesn’t take very long). Then you have some weird shaped paper with which you can write a grocery list, paint a picture, do some preliminary sketching on, create a sculpture, shred up for papier mache, or you can also use it as a little pouch in which you keep small things, like dried seeds which you also saved from landfill (see next note). The possibilities are endless. Also, apparently, you cannot recycle them in the recycling bin. But you can compost them if you have a compost set up.
2. Seeds from fruits and vegetables
Many plants produce fruit or vegetables with seeds in them. Some fruits and vegetables are seeds (such as corn or peas). If you clean up and dry out your seeds, you can plant them later. I’ve grown lots of stuff from vegetables from the grocery store. E.g. capsicum, corn, cantaloupe, maybe pumpkin (I can’t remember). You can also reuse the seeds that come from the plant from which you planted the seeds which came from the vegetable that you originally bought. All you need is dirt and water. And you can store your seeds in an old coffee filter.
3. Toilet rolls and other cardboard tubes
Everyone knows you can use these for arts and crafts. There is an even easier way to reuse them though, and it’s called giving it to your dog or cat or other pet. All you have to do is throw it on the floor, and your pet will have a great time batting it around, chewing it up, or crawling through it if your pet is a bug or a mouse.
4. Wrapping paper
If you don’t tear it off like an animal, you can re-use wrapping paper as wrapping paper. It works especially well if you glue it instead of tape it, or better yet, use no adhesive, and instead tie it up with yarn. You could also cut it up and make grocery lists. I really don’t know why anyone buys grocery list paper. What a scam.
5. Plastic bags that can’t be recycled
If they can be recycled by returning them to the store, do that. But if they have no other choice but to go to landfill, at least use them to put something gross in, like dog poop or used nappies or other trash. I’m talking about stuff like bread bags and other packaging.
6. Toothbrushes
Apparently you can recycle some toothbrushes, but it’s really complicated so no one does it. I’m sure you already know this, but you can re-use your old toothbrush to do gross jobs around the house. Like cleaning window tracks or something. Also, dogs like to chew on them. I don’t know if they should. Probably not good for them to eat plastic.
7. Old clothes or scrap fabrics
If they are too far gone to give away, you can cut them up for rags for cleaning, or you can make new clothes out of them for your dolls, or you could make dog toys out of them.
8. Tin cans
You can put dirt in these and plant some of your seeds that we mentioned earlier. Although, if it’s something that grows big, I like to put the seeds straight in the ground. Maybe just look up what seeds you are planting for advice before doing this. But an old rusty tin can makes a fine pot for a small plant.
9. Glass jars
You can freeze chicken which you have cut up in these.
10. Organs
You can donate these when you’re done with them if they’re in good shape.