CRAFT ARCHIVES
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2010 GREEN IDEA
Creating Your Own
Simple Home Recycle Center
Recycling is simpler than you think.
Recycling is really more than rinsing out soup cans and saving your Sunday paper. Although even if you just start ONE type of recycling it makes a huge impact, there are really three ways to recycle. Reuse your stuff, reduce what you buy and recycle what you can. There are tons of websites to give you facts and stats, including my own page, but here I simply want to help you get started. My set up is easy and inexpensive. I use bins, trash cans and laundry baskets. You can find just about any size bins to fit your space. Before you track to the store, measure your space. Twice I bought too large of bins and had to return to the store! I bought my final bins on sale at Staples for about $4 each and the trash cans at Walmart for $1.99! I also bought three extra large trash cans for the garage for $5 each and two plastic laundry baskets for $2 each.
That's a total of $35 for my one-time total set up.
To keep your trash clean and not smelly, you can also include a kitchen tabletop compost pail if you don't have a garbage disposal for about $15 - just search "kitchen composter pail." A yard composter is more complicated and expensive for my tastes but if you feel gun-ho, do a google for that as well.
Our recycle center (shown to the right) is two-fold. We have one in our kitchen and one in the garage. In the kitchen, one trash can is actual trash and the other is for recycled cans, bottles and plastic (our county recycle center does not require that these be separated.) The bins are labeled "newspapers," "cardboards" - such as cereal boxes and "color papers" - such as My own kitchen recycle center
catalogs. I also have a wall-mounted bin for plastic grocery bags (which I return to the store) and a bag for empty cardboard paper towel and t.p. rolls (which go to the art dept. at Grace's school.) All our magazines are recycled separately during my Opus Sorority Nights. I took card stock paper and printed out the labels from my home computer and taped them on each bin so the kids could keep it all straight.
When the kitchen bins get full, we transfer the contents downstairs where I have three large trash cans, with secure lids. Make sure you get the lids to keep bugs and animals out of the cans! The recycled cans, etc go into the trash cans and the newspapers, etc go in a plastic laundry basket with handles.
We also have a "donation" box and an area for "yard sale" items.
About once a month, when the cans are full, we track it to the recycle center in our county, I take the paper stuff to the fire station drop off centers, and the donated items to the shelters.
The kids had a hard time remembering to recycle at first, but now it's a habit! Our actual trash went from an average of one full bag per day to one per WEEK! I kid you not! For a family of five!
Do your part - even if it just using BOTH sides of a sheet of paper! I'm not one to harp, chant and rave, but I do think a little goes a long way,
one family at a time.
For more great recycling tips and stats, click HERE
Remembering SEPTEMBER 11th
CARDS FOR OUR TROOPSCREATE YOUR OWN CARD TO SEND!
Soldiers love visions of home and words of thanks.
This craft is a very simple and easy way to send your thanks.
Supplies Needed:
1 Sheet Craft Paper OR Card Stock
1 Mailing Envelope
Scissors
Double Sided Tape or Glue
Scraps of colored paper, magazine cuttings, stickers Embellishments
Crayons or markers
Start by putting newspaper down on your work space to protect it from glue, glitter and other messy supplies.
Fold one sheet of construction or card stock paper in half. Measure it and cut it to your envelope's size.
Have your child look through magazines for images that represent America...flags, stars, good 'ole American hamburgers, anything that would make someone far away from home smile in remembrance. Have her cut them out and glue to the outside of the card.
Add glitter, buttons, sequins - the more creative the better!
For the inside, have your child write out a thank you or search the Internet for card sayings she can copy. There are many card services that have quotes you can use that do not have copyrights.
Once the card is complete, go to AnySoldier.com or Operation Bartow Cares and request the address of a soldier. Another good thing to do is place a picture of your child inside the card when you send it. I like to take a picture of Grace actually making or holding the card we are sending. I also write a little note on the back of the card, expressing my own thanks.
I promise you - cards made this way will make even the hardest solider weep with gratitude. If nothing else, you and your child will have a few minutes of quality time together - and maybe a little lesson in sacrifice and duty.
