Creative Ways to Repurpose and Recycle

by Merissa Alink

The average American produces 5.91 pounds of trash every single day. That’s over 2,175 pounds of waste, every single year, per person. Americans only recycle about 34 percent of that, which means the great majority of all of our waste heads to the landfill.

As a country, we produce about 44 percent of the world’s waste. This can largely be attributed to our consumerist culture as much of what we toss tends to be cardboard (187 pounds per person per year), plastic (197 pounds per person per year), clothing (90 pounds per person per year), and food (220 pounds per person per year).

“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” What can we do about our waste issue to not only help create a greener planet but to also help save money within our own budget? We can follow the saying we learned in grade school.

Reduce

There are many easy ways that you can begin to reduce the amount of waste used in your home each year.

• Stop using disposable products, look into reusable products.

• Create a meal plan, learn how to use your leftovers, and begin composting to reduce the amount of food waste in your home.

• Learn to repair broken items instead of just discarding them.

• Buy products and supplies that have the least amount of packaging possible.

• Consider making your own products such as household cleaners and body products like lotions.

• Buy products produced and sold locally to reduce the amount of packaging needed.

• Buy items in bulk or in refillable packages.

Reuse

Not only can the amount of waste be reduced by following the simple methods above, but less waste will find its way to the trash if we can also learn to reuse everyday items.

• Reuse various products and pieces for art supplies and STEM learning projects. (Example, if you have a radio that cannot be repaired, let your child take it apart to learn how it’s made!)

• Reuse plastic shopping bags as trash bags, stuffing, packaging, or you can even braid them and make them into ropes or baskets.

• Find a new purpose for old clothing; use it for kids dress up, alter it into something that can be worn, or give it to someone else who can use it.

• When you shop at the farmer’s market or if you buy directly from a farm, bring back any containers such as egg cartons for reuse.

• Use up every inch of paper. Write on both sides or tear it in half to create different notes. If possible, let the kids use it for art projects (such as paper mache) when you are done with it. You can also use this tip for junk mail that comes to your home.

• Give your old towels and sheets new life by cutting them into washcloths or rags for cleaning. Sheets can be torn, braided, and made into rugs.

Recycle

If you know where and how to recycle items that do accumulate, you are more likely to utilize the recycling resources that we already have in place.

In Rapid City, the following items can be recycled at the following drop off sites:

• Newspapers

• Corrugated Cardboard

• Plastic-Steel-Glass-Aluminum

Locations

• Entrance to the Rapid City Landfill: South Highway 79

• West Boulevard North: Anamosa Street & Service Road West I-I90

• Fitzgerald Stadium parking lot: Sheridan Lake Road across from Sioux Park

In additional to those city recycling sites for large quantities of items, you can recycle the following items in your Blue Curbside Bin for weekly pickup:

• Aluminum

• Steel

• Plastics

• Glass

There are also several places around the country that will uniquely recycle certain products that you may want to consider, including:

• The Crayon Initiative in California – The Crayon Initiative in California will recycle old crayons into new for use in children’s hospitals across the U.S.

• Cell Phones for Soldiers – Cell Phones for Soldiers will reuse your old cell phones to provide cost-free services to active duty military and veterans around the world.

• Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe – Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe recycles old sneakers to create courts for various sports around the world so children have a place to play.

• Bra Recyclers – Bra Recyclers accepts donations of bras in all shapes and sizes and distributes them to local shelters or to women in developing countries.

• St. Jude’s Ranch for Children – St. Jude's Ranch for Children recycles new and used greeting cards to create new ones. Money from the sales of these cards goes to fund programming for abused and homeless children and families.

Are you ready to begin a new outlook on that grade-school saying, “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle”? With all of the methods available for recycling and repurposing, there is no reason that you can’t start today. Try to get the whole family involved to see how you can not only make a difference in your own home,but to also lessen your waste footprint in our country and potentially help those all over the world. BHW