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© Richard G. Mills, ThinkMills.com, ThinkMills.info  All rights reserved.

[Many of these tips were first written for and published
on the Bourbonnais Township Park District website
as part of its “BTPD is going green~” promotion”]

Green tips you can use at home, at work, on vacation, just about everywhere! (page 6)

Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Now, granted, I tend to be a bit of a hoarder — "Hmmm...., this could come in handy for something!" But you don't have to hoard to find new uses for old items, rather than tossing them into the trash. For example—

I Can't Believe It's Not Meatloaf!

Comedians may make fun of their mothers for reusing plastic food containers for storage, but those moms were "green" before it was "in"! Small plastic dishes (e.g., sour cream) make great storage for leftover peas, for example. Plastic margarine tubs are great for larger leftovers. (Just label the lids with erasable markers, and you won't be trying to spread meatloaf on your biscuits!)

And make sure the containers are food-safe (previously contained edible content). You don't want plastic fumes and chemicals leaking into your edibles.

Be Creative with Those Containers!

Food storage isn't the only reuse for plastic food containers (see "I Can't Believe It's Not Meatloaf!" to the left). Three-pound plastic bowls from deli salads make great food and water dishes for your dog! The one-pound ones make great penny banks! (You could even get really creative and use the lid with a slot cut in it!) Those new plastic 39-ounce plastic coffee containers make great watering "cans" for your hanging potted plants. — Leave them outside (upside down) by the faucet; they won't rust in the weather! They also make more convenient paint cans (nice handle!) than metal coffee the cans, at least for latex paint.

Be Crafty!

If you're the artsy/craftsy type, chances are you already follow this tip; but go into Rethink mode before tossing seemingly useless items in the trash. For example, a jigsaw-cut across a plastic orange-juice cap makes a great base for a cardboard cut-out game piece figure! Molded plastic packing in all shapes and sizes can be turned into great train-set buildings! Round plastic lids from mixed-nut cans make great wind catchers for wind chimes!

...but not a hoarder:
Periodically go through your "this would make a good..." containers to recycle excess unused items!

Use Large Product Bags for Garbage!

Do you purchase dog food in 35- to 45- pound bags? Sun flower seeds (for bird feeders) in 50-pound bags? Don't wad up the empty bags and throw them in the garbage! — Throw the garbage in the empty bags! This will also save you money on garbage bags.

...and small zip-lock bags:
Put that gauze-like pad from fresh-meat packages (it's there to absorb excess blood, btw) into an empty food or dog-treat zip-lock bag and zip it tight. Maybe keep it in the refrigerator (out of kids' reach) and add chicken bones, etc., during the week. Then you can dump the air-tight bag into the trash without your trash can smelling of death!

"To Air Is Human" And More....

Want more "Reuse" tips? More to come later! Keep coming back!

And watch the "How to reuse a plastic container as an outdoor bird water dish" video on richardgmills.HubPages.com!

For now, go to the next Go Green! page, Recycle ►