Recycled Craft Supplies: Crafty Uses for Trash Items

Not everything that is waste has to become trash. Recycling and repurposing some trash items for craft use is a great way to save money and tread lightly on the earth. Here are a few crafty uses for trash items.

Lids
I save lids from frosting containers, jars, frozen orange juice, soda bottles, peanut butter and more. There are a number of great uses for them. My favorite use for old lids is for holding paint or glue. I keep the flat lids (from potato chip cans, frosting, etc.) and use them to hold paint when my kids or I are doing crafts. They can be washed up and reused or thrown away if necessary.

For glue projects, I squirt some glue onto the lids so the kids don't have to pass a bottle back and forth. This also cuts down on waste. When using a glue bottle, my kids tend to believe that more is better so they heap a generous helping of glue onto their project. Using the lids helps me keep them in check. To apply the glue, I use the next item on my list. . .

Popsicle Sticks
We have an abundance of these wooden sticks, especially in the summer. My kids finish a frozen treat then toss the wooden sticks into the kitchen sink so I can rinse them for use. They can be reused for an assortment of craft projects but one simple use that they are great for is glue application.

When doing a project that requires glue, putting the glue on a lid and giving the kids wooden sticks to apply the glue helps cut down on waste and mess.

Straws
Straws are great to keep around and when you get a drink from a fast food place, you can hang onto a few straws rather than toss them in the trash. They can be cup up to create instant beads for a fun necklace (a quick and easy instant craft project for kids). Straws can be used to create a unique and fun painting project (blow air through the straw at drops of paint on a piece of paper).

Plastic Berry Containers
I'll admit - I go through a lot of blueberries around my house which brings a new question: What to do with those plastic containers that berries come in? I hate to throw them out and they are recyclable. I've found that they are the perfect, stackable size to hold small amounts of craft supplies, works-in-progress and the like.

An even better use would be to turn them into ready-to-go craft projects. Pull together all items needed to complete one kids craft item. Put everything into a berry container and put it away. Make several of these and when the kids get bored, pull them out - each one will contain everything needed for a craft project. They can be easily taken to Grandma's house or a friend's house.

Plastic Bottles
Plastic soda or water bottles can be used similarly to the lids. Cut the bottom of the bottles off and they can be used to hold paint or glue then disposed of - extending their use.