April 22nd is Earth Day: Celebrate by Making Recycled Plastic Milk Jug Crafts

Earth Day is on April 22^nd. One way to celebrate Earth Day is to participate in recycled craft projects using materials found around the home. There are many items which can be transformed into useable objects such as fun toys or decoration. Here are some ideas for recycled craft projects you can try on Earth Day using plastic milk jugs.

Gallon or Half Gallon Plastic Milk Jugs Recycled Craft Project Ideas

Bird House: One recycled craft project you can make from plastic gallon or half gallon milk jugs on Earth Day is a bird house. To make your bird house you only need a few supplies including scissors, short wooden dowel, and birdseed. To make your milk jug birdhouse first wash your milk jug out with warm soapy water followed by a thorough rinsing. Next using your scissors (or an exacto knife) cut a large enough hole for birds to place their heads into to grab the seeds followed by a small hole beneath for inserting your wooden dowel. Insert your wooden dowel into your milk jug birdhouse and fill with birdseed. Poke two holes into the top of your milk jug for inserting string or twine for hanging the bird feeder on your porch. You will also want to poke small holes on the bottom to allow rain water to drain out.

Plastic Scoop: Celebrate Earth Day by creating a plastic scoop you can use for cat litter, big flour or sugar sacks, large bags of rice, as well as other things you would use a scoop for. You can easily create a scoop out of plastic gallon or half gallon milk jugs by cutting the jug at a diagonal, starting below the handle and cutting across to the opposite bottom corner. Once you've cut your jug you can wash, rinse, and then let it dry before using. The scoop could even be used to pick up your dog's mess.

Piggy Bank: Let the kids make a fun piggy bank out of those plastic gallon or half gallon milk jugs on Earth Day. The kids can use their bank to save money from allowances, birthdays, or even just change they find on the street. To make the piggy bank lay out some newspaper and set your cleaned out plastic milk jugs on top. Give the kids a paint brush and paint to paint their plastic milk jug banks with any design they choose. Kids can paint a "piggy" bank or choose their own designs. Allow the plastic milk jugs to dry completely before cutting a slit in the top for inserting money. Kids could also just insert money (especially if it will only hold change) into the milk jug opening.

While this is not a recycled craft project idea you could use plastic gallon and half gallon milk jugs to store and mix solutions such as plant food. They can also be filled with sand and used to weigh down plastic tarps on the ground.

All of these ideas would be great for your child to complete as a homework project for Earth Day. By recycling your plastic milk jugs and making one of these crafts you are putting less trash into the landfills.