Creative Ways to Upcycle
Did you know that 50 million plastic bottles are thrown away each day in the United States alone? The impact on our earth and wildlife from pollution is truly devastating. But, there is something amazing that you can do to help! Upcycle; to reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original. Upcycling is a great alternative to throwing away household products or even recycling. Here’s some creative and fun ideas to get you started today!
- Create a vertical garden—Grow flowers, herbs, and veggies through this creative drip irrigating garden tower and vertical gardens. All you need are plastic, recycled liter bottles. This is a great idea for apartment or condo living, where there isn’t much space to plant a garden.
- Coffee creamer container—You likely use this container everyday as you fuel-up with your morning coffee, but, once the creamer is gone, instead of tossing it, simply wash it thoroughly and use it as a snack storage container. This is ideal especially for mom’s on the go, secure cheerios, goldfish, or YOUR favorite snack in this reusable container!
- Plastic bottle cat planter—This is the perfect gift for the cat lover in your life and it’s just a few simple steps…cut off the bottom third of a 2-liter bottle, paint the bottle white or the color of your choice, use parts of the rest of the bottle to cut out ears, draw a face and other features on the bottle, fill the bottle with seeds and soil.
- Create a DIY Watering Can—Upcycle any vertical, slender container, with a separate lid to create a watering can. Simply fill the container with water, poke large holes in the lid and turn upside down to water plants, indoor or outdoor!
- Organize your craft supplies—So many of us are guilty of having our craft supplies unorganized in a corner cabinet or drawer, which makes it difficult to even get motivated to begin future projects. Getting organized, doesn’t have to be daunting or expensive. Use half-gallon, plastic milk containers to sort your colored pencils or crayons. Simply cut out an “L” shaped portion of the bottom of the container and set your supplies inside. Easy access and great organization.
- Empty toilet paper rolls—Utilize these to organize un-used cables and cords. Instead of having a mis moshed mess of twisted electronic cords in a pile in your cabinet. Use a large box as the base/main container, and place the toilet paper rolls vertically in the box. Place the cords separately divided inside each one.
- Homemade guitar picks—Surprise the musician in your family with their very own, homemade guitar picks. Instead of shredding old credit cards or membership cards, save them and use the Pick Master to make years of usable and practical picks.
- Pancake lovers unite—This upcycle hack will be a game-changer for all homemade pancake lovers. Simple upcycle your squirt-able ketchup bottles as a pancake batter dispenser. This ensures each pancake is evenly cooked by using the same amount each time. Pancake dispensers sell online for anywhere from $12-24 dollars, this is a free and practical alternative!
At Amazing Spaces, we are committed to taking care of our environment. We hope these simple but creative tips move us all forward in reducing pollution.
