Remember to Refuse, REUSE, Recycle. Recycling should be the last thing to do, if there isn’t a way to reuse it. Here are some useful ways of reusing what you already have and giving it a second purpose.
1. Upcycle an empty candle jar into a plant pot
2. Use a tea towel to wrap a gift
3. Repurpose a large oil tin to keep kitchen utensils
4. Turn junk mail and packaging into quirky cards
5. Use empty jars as drinking glasses
6. Or use jars to store spices and dry ingredients in your pantry
7. How about using them as a reusable coffee cup too
8. Use rubber bands to seal containers
9. Keep old clothes and use them as cleaning rags (cotton t-shirts are great for this!)
10. Use empty jars to store leftovers – you can even put them in the freezer
11. Or to store your melted conditioner bars
12. Use a pillow case to store bread
13. Turn flowers and leaves into biodegradable confetti
14. Make little sachets or envelopes out of funky toilet paper wrapping or newspaper
15. Use the blank pieces of scrap paper from junk mail or letters and make your own notepad
16. Store your soaps in a plastic mesh produce bag in the shower
17. Give your pet your old blankets for their bedding
18. DIY tote bags, reusable makeup remover pads etc, out of old clothes
19. Keep warm using odd socks as a heating pads in winter (you can fill them with fruit pits and rice)
20. Use old socks to wipe furniture or use as a mop
21. Make a hair tie out of a sock (I actually made one of these and love it – I use it all the time)
22. Reuse clean takeaway containers to sort out odd bits and bobs in drawers
23. Make a funky keyring out of a plastic container
24. Upcycle old bins into plant pots
25. Turn a tea cup into a plant pot
26. Use toilet tubes as packaging material – no need for bubble wrap!
27. Turn odd socks into Christmas crackers (you can use toilet tubes for this too)
28. Make a plant box out of pallets
29. Make a coffee table out of pallets
30. Propagate seeds using empty tins or tetra pak milk bottles buy cutting them in half
31. Turn an empty milk or juice jug into a watering can
32. Turn the back of a notepad into postcards or a board
33. Dry herbs in your car on a hot day!
34. Turn a plastic bottle into a funnel
35. Keep your travel sewing kit in an old sunglasses case
36. Reuse boxes and wrapping paper to wrap gifts
37. Save the ends of soap and candles and melt them again to make new ones
38. Make your own diffuser using a spoon
39. Turn an old book into bunting or Christmas decorations
40. Reuse a wine bottle as a rolling pin
41. Keep a jar in your bathroom to compost small things (i.e. hair, nail clippings, toilet paper)
42. Use unavoidable plastic bags as a wet bag when travelling
43. Or to separate your shoes from your clean clothes
44. Use an old plastic spray bottle to store your DIY all-purpose cleaner
45. Reuse frozen berries ziplock bags to store food in the freezer (or any used packaging)
46. Scrunch up odd bits of aluminium foil and turn them into a scourer (don’t use on non-stick pans!)
47. Use newspaper to clean glass countertops and windows
48. Repurpose a wooden ladder as a shelf to store books
49. Turn an old tennis racket into a mirror
50. DIY a serving tray out of an unwanted photo frame
51. Stuff a toilet tube with fur from your pets brushing for birds to use as nesting material
52. Make a bird house or bug hotel out of pallets
53. Make a Christmas wreath out of foliage in your garden
54. Turn champagne and wine corks into a shoe holder
55. Turn small toys into door handles
56. Keep an old toothbrush to clean hard to reach areas
57. Use champagne or wine corks to make a phone or iPad stand
58. Use old toothbrushes to make a soap dish
59. Turn milk jugs into gardening tools
60. Turn an old pillowcase into a nut bag / cheese cloth (my mum made me one of these, and I use it to make labneh)
61. Make a coat rack using old pipes or fittings
62. DIY an old plastic bottle into a bird feeder
63. Empty the silica packet (those that come inside shoe boxes) into a jar and keep your razors inside it to keep them from rusting
64. Dye your clothes using avocado / onion peels (red onion and vinegar makes a green dye!)
65. Add a copper penny to your flower vase and they will last longer, you can also add some spent coffee grounds
66. Pour some beer over naked grass spots to make it green again
67. Use a frame to keep foldable board games; play using the frame and store the game pieces at the back of the frame
68. Make a board out of corks
69. Or a cork matt!
70. Turn a plastic bottle into a fly trap
71. Use wine bottles as candle holders
72. DIY an old towel into a bib or use it when cutting your hair
73. Use a tennis ball into a back massage roller
74. Cover food with a plate instead of clingfilm
75. Use the last bit of a flat coke drink to clean your kettle
76. Make a laundry basket using plastic bottle caps!
77. Place your phone inside a glass or a mug to amplify the volume
78. Use ingredients in your pantry for a DIY facemask
79. Use unavoidable plastic bags to pick up your dog’s poo
80. Turn an old cabinet into a community shelf or community library
81. Turn an old cabinet into a chicken coop or a house for your pet rabbit / guinea pig.
82. Use any bits of old timber as firewood
83. Cut up an old yoga matt into non-stick matts
84. Keep your empty Moccona coffee jars to store homemade biscuits or nuts
85. Turn a tea cup plate into a soap dish
86. Turn a picture frame into a jewellery holder
87. Use any packaging boxes from online shopping for storage
88. Make a birthbath using old / broken plates
89. Turn broken jewellery into new pieces
90. Or use them to decorate your gift wrapping
91. Make magnets out of broken jewellery
92. Make a bird feeder using a broken tea cup
93. Build a fire pit using an old washing machine drum
94. Turn old woollen jumpers into mittens or hot water bottle covers
95. Use old silverware and jewellery to make wind chimes
96. Turn an old yoga matt into a bulletin board
97. Create a surf rack using old pallets
98. Use any old maps as wrapping paper
99. Or to line drawers
100. Make Christmas stockings using an old duvet
Let me know any other ideas below!
xo
Fleur de Lailis 
Some really cool ideas!
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I’m a huge advocate of Re-use, repurpose and recycle. Thanks for sharing amazing tips!
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Loving these creative ways to repurpose creatively! The sock crackers are so colorful and fun, but I love the toilet paper tube packaging idea too. 🙂
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Right?! Such a creative way of using toilet paper tubes.
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this is such a great post thanks for all the ideas!!
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I’m glad you liked them!
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