Five things you should never throw away and how to reuse them

We are always on the lookout for ways to reuse, recycle, and reduce what we throw away to help look after the planet.

Here’s some eco-friendly ideas to reuse some common items you will have in your home and usually pop in the bin or recycling bin.

Glass jars and containers: Rather than rinsing and popping in your glass recycling you can rinse and use them to store dry foods such as rice, lentils and spices. You could also transform them into charming vases for flowers or candle holders.

Old t shirts: You can cut them into squares and use them as reusable cleaning clothes or if you’re a dab hand a sewing or looking to learn a new skill you can sew the bottom shut and add handles to create a simple tote bag.

Cardboard boxes: Before you break down and pop in the recycling bin think about opportunities to reuse as organisers or storage bins for books, shoes or toys. If you have pets you could repurpose into play areas or scratching pads.

Plastic containers: These can be repurposed for many things including seed starters if you’re a keen gardener or as draw organisers for small items like office stationery or jewellery. You could even wash thoroughly and use as food storage.

Magazines and newspapers: For birthdays, or any special occasion where you need to wrap a gift old newspapers or magazine pages make great wrapping paper. Simply add twine or ribbons to create a thoughtful and unique gift wrap. 

If you feel that you have any tips that you use to improve your home or local community and would like to share with other Aster customers, please do consider completing our new case study form - we'd love to hear from you.