Recycled Containers

All of us need things to put small items in around our homes. One of the best ways to help ourselves, and the environment, is to use recycled containers. You can use cereal boxes as magazine or book holders. Cover them with decorative contact paper to make them fit into your decor. A 303 size tin can is just the right size to hold pens and pencils. You may want to spray paint the can, or cover it with white paper, and let children decorate it with markers, crayons, colored pencils, etc. You can cover them with used greeting cards too. This would be a great gift for a child to personalize with their own picture on it for Grandma or Grandpa's birthday!

The use of tuna or sardine cans will help you have a place for rubber bands, paper clips and other smaller items. Some of the divided plastic containers, such as old ice cube trays, make a great place to put earrings, to keep the pairs together.

The green berry and cherry tomato boxes are good places to store cotton balls, and other items, inside your bathroom drawers. Before you toss a container out...think of ways it can be reused to keep it out of a landfill a little longer. A good rule of thumb is...Unless it's falling apart, it has another use.