How Can I Reuse? LESSON 2

How Can I Reuse? LESSON 2

Why Should I Reuse? When you reuse something, it means that an item is used several times before throwing it away or recycling it. Just as recycling materials help keep them out of our landfills, preserves our natural resources and helps the overall environment, reusing items is also a great way to make an impact, and it is the second most important method of reducing the amount of waste we produce and put into landfills. Reusing items also reduces our overall water and air pollution and greenhouse gases. How Can I Reuse Items? The next time you go to recycle or trash something, take a moment to think about its potential uses. Can you donate it to a school, non-profit or other organization? Could you use it in a way other than its intended purpose, or upcycle it? Be creative, and you can reduce the amount of waste you, your family and your school contribute to our landfills, while at the same time helping your community. If you have an item that you think may be of value, get online and find someone who will appreciate your donation. You can also hold a garage or yard sale, find a place to trade items you are no longer using, or sell them at a second-hand store or flea market. There are reuse centers in most communities, ranging from specialized programs for building materials or unneeded materials in schools to places that collect items for those in need. What Can Be Reused? Just about anything you can think of can be reused in one way or another. All it takes is a little time to research organizations in your community that accept specific donations. Here are just a few examples: Office and school supplies and materials desks, tables, chairs, filing cabinets, shelves, notebooks, computers, fax machines, etc. Building materials lumber, doors, light fixtures, paint, windows, fixtures, fencing, plumbing items, etc. Food boxed, canned, bagged and other prepared foods Appliances and electronics refrigerators, stoves, freezers, televisions, phones, etc. Household items furniture, dishes, glasses, toys, clothes, books, vehicles, blankets, sheets, etc. Remember, your junk may be someone else s treasure, so instead of trashing something, find a way to reuse it or donate it!

New Ways to Use Everyday Items Donate old blankets and towels to an animal shelter. Are your old books collecting dust? Sell them at a used book store or donate them to a school, hospital, daycare or senior facility. Instead of recycling those plastic or glass jars with lids, save them to store leftovers, pastas, rice, or even screws or other small pieces. Cut out the artwork and wording on greeting cards to make gift tags, new cards, postcards, ornaments and other decorations. Have your Christmas tree, or any dead tree, chipped, and use it for mulch and trail covering. Prescription changed? Donate your old glasses to an organization that replaces the lenses for those who can t afford glasses. Keep those plastic egg containers, and donate them to a school to use for a divided paint palette. Use cardboard boxes in the garden to block weeds and insulate plants during cold weather. It will eventually decompose and enhance the soil. Cut the end off your old toothpaste container, clean it out well, and use it to store scissors or knives in the drawer. It s a perfect finger protector! Take the wrappers off broken crayons, put them into a silicone Muffin or shaped pan, and bake at 250-300 degrees until melted. Now you have new, fun-shaped crayons to use or give as gifts! These are just a few ideas to get you started. The ways in which you reuse things are limited only by your imagination!

Reuse Your Plastic Bottles Here are some simple ideas that you can use to turn your plastic PET bottles into helpful items you can use at school or at home. Storage Container Have an adult cut the top off the bottle. You now have a storage container for paintbrushes, rulers, crayons, etc. Bird Feeder Poke 4 holes in the top of the bottle just below the lid, and insert two long pieces of wire the wires will form a X. Attach the ends of the wire to a plastic lid by poking holes in the rim and twisting the wire through. Poke two more holes in the bottom of the bottle on opposite sides. String another piece of wire or string through these holes to hang the feeder. Fill the bottle with the seed and hang it from a tree. Terrarium Remove the label from the bottle, discard the label, but save the cap. Wash and rinse out the bottle and cap and cut the bottle close to the bottom, near the end of the label. Lightly place dirt or potting soil in the base and plant a few seeds in the dirt. Lightly water and put the cap on the bottle. Cover the base with the top of the bottle. You may have to fiddle with it a bit for it to fit back inside of the base. Place in a sunny spot and wait for your seeds to grow. When the plants are ready, repot them or plant them in your garden. Piggy Bank Clean and air the bottle very well. The lid of the bottle becomes the snout. Use a magic marker to make round nostril holes. Poke a small hole in the bottom of the bottle near the edge and insert a piece of curled pipe cleaner for the tail. Glue four twist toothpaste caps for feet on the side of the bottle which now becomes the bottom. (The caps help your bank to stand and keep it from rolling over.) Cut a small slit on top to drop in your money. Cut pink construction ears and glue to the head.

Friendly Fireflies Follow instructions below to create your very own firefly. Materials Needed: 9 x 12-inch sheet of construction paper 16 oz. green plastic soda bottle Tape 2 chenille stems Pencil Tracing paper Scissors Crafts glue Pom-poms Fluorescent light stick Colorful construction paper Create your own firefly pattern. You can find examples in coloring books or online. This will make the whole process easier for students. Fold the construction paper in half lengthwise and tear it along the fold. Wrap one half around the bottle top for the bug s thorax and tape it in place. Wrap a chenille stem around the bottle neck and twist it to make an antennae. Cut the other chenille stem into thirds and glue the pieces onto the sides of the bottle for the legs. Trace your patterns onto tracing paper. Cut out the patterns. Trace around the patterns on construction paper, cutting one circle face and two wings. Cut out the shapes. Glue the wings to the thorax. Glue a circle on the bottle cap for a face. Add pom-poms for the eyes. Let the glue dry. Activate the light stick and place it inside the bottle.

Bottle Bowling Enjoy a fun activity reusing items before they are recycled! Have each student bring a couple of two-liter plastic bottles to class. Borrow 3-4 foam balls from the school s gym or bring them from home. Set up the bottles as bowling pins. Put about an inch of sand into the bottom of each bottle, it will help them stay up longer. Then break the class up into groups of 3-4 and enjoy a day of bowling in the classroom.

Start a Band Below are a few musical ideas you and your class can create out of recyclable material. Tambourine Here s what you ll need: 2 heavy duty paper plates Stapler or glue Hole punch String Jingle bells Crayons Staple or glue two paper plates together, facing each other. Using a hole punch, make holes around the plates and tie jingle bells to the holes with string. Decorate the tambourine with crayons. Shake to play. Drum Here s what you ll need: Empty Oatmeal box with cover Yarn Pen 2 pencils 2 pens 2 spools Construction Paper Crayons Before beginning, you can decorate the oatmeal box with construction paper and/or crayons for a colorful effect. Place the cover on the box. Use a pen to make a hole in the center of the cover and in the center of the bottom of the box. Through these holes, pull a piece of yarn long enough to hang around the child s neck and down to their waist. For the drumsticks, place the spools at the ends of the pencils, secure with glue if necessary.

Make a Plan How can you help the environment? Write three things YOU can do every day, and draw a picture to illustrate.