Wait! Don't Toss That!

We all occasionally find ways to extend the life of household items that were bound for the trash. Call it eco-conscious or thrifty, but as waste piles up in our landfills, we need more of it. So before you toss those bread bags and banana peels, get a little eco-inspiration from these resourceful iVillagers:  and their stories of good old-fashioned frugality:

"At the end of the week, I make 'refrigerator' soup with anything leftover or veggies that are not so fresh. I have had some good combos, too!"

"My kids drink milk in sippys and/or big-kid cups. Instead of throwing any of it down the drain, I use the rest in my coffee or tea. "

"I had an avocado that was overripe, and instead of throwing it out, I cut it open, ate the best part and made a facial mask with the rest. I mixed in a little bit of honey to help with blackheads."

"Here in the South we reuse a lot of things, especially for gardening and composting. Did you know you can take the banana peel (just chop it up), dig a hole around your rose bushes (cover it back up well), and it fertilizes the bush? Egg shells too. I even save my egg shells and clean them out, bake them in the oven for about 15 minutes at 350, and you can feed this crushed back to your birds and chickens. It's a great source of calcium for them."

"I hardly get plastic bags anymore. We used to use them to dispose of dirty diapers, but one day my husband looked at me and said, 'We just can't do this anymore. Not only are we sending diapers to the landfill, but look at all the bags we're sending too.' If we do get plastic bags somehow, we try to take them to our local grocery store to recycle them. I do keep a few on hand ... [and use them if] I need to return something borrowed or send something to Goodwill."

"Nearly dried-out markers can be dipped in cool water and used like paint brushes for fun kid craft projects. Egg cartons also make for fun kid toys and craft projects. TJ has one now that is his treasure chest. They also go back to my mom's friend, who provides us with free-range eggs. (Depending on which friend has eggs at the time, I sometimes get them for free!)"

"Veggie scraps get turned into broth before composting. Aluminum foil gets washed and then used in the clothes dryer to reduce static. [I] wash and reuse plastic silverware and plates, Solo cups and baggies; compost dryer lint; use the plastic/paper stuff inside cereal boxes to roll out cookies, etc.; reuse bread bags as food storage bags; pack lunches for the kids in reusable containers (e.g. yogurt) ... [We also] Freecycle all sorts of things—it's AMAZING what folks want!"

"Back when Alka Seltzer came in tall, glass screw-cap containers, my mother used to screw the lids to the underside of cupboard shelves, fill the glass part with spools of thread, and screw them on. I plan to do the same with some [plastic jars] to hold craft stuff... utilizing otherwise wasted space."

"Rather than throw away plastic bread bags or other thin bags from food, I try to get another use out of them before disposing of them. I use them for a green beauty treatment. I rub olive oil on my feet, put a clean plastic bread bag on each, and then [put on] warm, clean socks. I leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes and have softer, moisturized skin."

Now THAT’S some good old-fashioned frugality! Send me the ways you reuse and recycle and I’ll add them to the list!