When you really break down and take apart the labels of these containers, you truly see what they are: glass, plastic, metal and paper. They are no longer a glass jar of tomato sauce or a tin can for black beans. Maybe they are now planters for your new seedlings, or a container that holds your pencils and pens. Maybe they are pieces of a new art project you are working on.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, before you throw away your “trash” into the recycling or your garbage bin, really look at it and think about how it may be useful in other ways. Maybe you can give life to it again in a whole new way.
Obviously, please do your research and always put your and others’ safety first.
Some observations I’ve had while working on upcycling projects:
- Some things really are useful in other ways. It’s silly how some of these things are sold in stores and it might already be in the house already (i.e. mason jars, rubber bands, or pieces of fabric).
- After seeing multiples of the same containers I have been accumulating, it makes me wonder if I really need the product it used to hold or is it something I can make by myself (i.e. squeezing my own orange juice, making my own tomato sauce, baking cookies, etc).
- It’s a nice exercise in creativity. These projects have allowed me to really look beyond the original packaging. And also, my stuff. It has given me new perspectives on value of items in general, their functionality and their purpose.
- Some of these projects have truly beautified my life and home that would not have otherwise existed.
So far, I’ve upcycled scrap pieces of fabric into a quilt, upcycled t-shirt fabric scraps to mend socks, made t-shirt bags, and used my extra glass jars for coin and button collecting and gardening. I have a few other crafts I’d like to try out, too.
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