Five Eco-Friendly Ways to Reuse Old CD's

Many of us have old music or computer CD's that we no longer use. What do we do with these reflective pieces of plastic? Do we toss them into the trash can which ultimately leads to them residing in the landfill, or do we find creative ways to reuse them? Here are five eco-friendly ways to reuse those CD's that we would otherwise cast away:

Use them as mirrors for your locker at school or work or for your purse.

One side of all CD's is reflective and provides you with a wonderful reflection of your face. You could hang one of those old CD's in your school or work locker or simply carry one in a paper covering in your purse. You can just whip it out whenever you need to make sure that you are not having a bad hair day or that you do not have lettuce from that salad at lunch stuck in your teeth.

Turn them into picture holders for your favorite photographs.

You can tape your precious pictures to these CD's and place pieces of twine through the center holes to enable you to hang them wherever you like. You can display them on your walls at home, hang them in your locker, or suspend them from your rearview mirror in your car.

Utilize them as coasters for your drinks.

Do not go out and buy new coasters. You can simply use your old CD's on which to set your cold drinks. By doing this, you can save yourself time and money.

Transform them into decorative refrigerator magnets.

You can decorate your old CD's with nontoxic paints and leftover art supplies from past projects (i.e. stickers, sequins, rhinestones, glitter, etc.). Then, you can attach magnetic strips onto the backs of your CD's and use your new artistic masterpieces to hold up your to-do list, children's artwork, or anything else that is worthy of being displayed on the front of your refrigerator.

Create some cool critters from them.

You can utilize non-toxic paint, markers, construction paper, and old CD's to create a whole habitat full of unique and colorful creatures. Whether you make fish, dogs, cats, horses, lions, turtles, or whatever your animals of choice are, you and your family can enjoy an easy and eco-friendly artistic adventure together.

When you find that you have old CD's with which you are ready to part, you may want to consider these five new "assignments" for them. You can give those CD's a new mission and help the environment by keeping them out of the landfill.