My sister Jess went to Zambia this past month, and brought back a whole bunch of these bags.
Aren’t they gorgeous?
They’re made by the Chikumbuso Widows and Orphan’s Project, and they’re made from plastic bags.
That’s right. They’re made from garbage.
This is by far the best example of upcycling I’ve seen. In fact, ever since I realized that watering my plants with leftover pasta water made them extra-happy, I’ve been searching for similar substitutions: ways to use stuff that I’d otherwise throw out. None of my projects are as awesome as the Chikumbuso bags, but they still save stuff from landfill.
Here are some of the things I’ve found useful:
- Yogurt tubs and toilet-paper rolls make excellent containers for starting garden seedlings. (Toilet paper rolls are particularly useful, since they’re biodegradable — you can just plop the whole thing in your garden come spring.)
- Coffee grinds get rid of that lingering garlic smell on your hands after mincing a few cloves – put your morning brew’s leftovers into a margarine tub by the sink, and rub a little on your palms after you cook. Plus, grinds are excellent garden fertilizer, and many coffee shops (including my local Starbucks) give away the stuff for free.
- Desiccant packages (the little paper packs that come with new shoes, labeled “do not eat!”) are useful for protecting electronics from water damage while traveling. Put your cords (or camera, or small computer, or whathaveyou) in a sturdy ziplock bag, and throw in a few of these, and most disasters can be avoided.
- When I come to the end of a jar of mustard, I’ve learned to add balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and dried herbs right to the (unwashed) jar. The leftover mustard emulsifies the mixture into delicious salad dressing. (Here’s a recipe, but I generally just do it by feel.)
- Speaking of jars, it turns out that a clean, washed tomato-sauce jar is just the right size to hold the contents of a bag of chocolate chips. At this time of year, mice tend to move into our century-old house. Putting all our pantry stuff in jars and canisters prevents them from staying too long.
Apart from stuff I’ve actually done, the internet, and, it turns out, the folks sitting around the table in my mother’s kitchen, are full of other good ideas. For example:
- The canopy from a broken umbrella makes a great shopping bag
- This nifty gadget turns old gift cards into guitar picks
- Who needs silver polish? A neighbour taught me this trick: take some aluminum foil, put it in a pan, cover it with water, and stick your tarnished silver in the mixture. And wait. An hour or so will have your silver shining new. Since this list is about reusing trash, I suggest that you use once-used, washed foil for this job.
- Empty mesh onion bags, say the internet, make great potato scrubbers.
- I’d be failing family tradition if I didn’t include the last one: empty 1 lb coffee cans make great hair curlers. My mother’s instructions: Wash your locks before bed. Wrap strands of your wet hair around an empty can, secure with hair pins. And sleep. I don’t think she ever explained how one manages the last bit.
There is one thing, though, that foils my every upcycle attempt: bread tags. Seriously, there is nothing you can do with them. I thought I’d come across an answer when google turned up “bread tag earrings” – but this is what bread tag earrings look like. It’s not an improvement.