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Recycling what others throw out

Oily raggers are a creative bunch. There is no limit to their imagination when it comes to putting other peoples junk to good use. They have come up with millions of ways (thousands…hundreds…OK, some ways!) to turn rubbish into of uses for things that others throw away. Here are some of those creative suggestions, but send in your own ideas for the mirth and benefit of others.

Building sites

• Go though waste skips at building sites. A lot of excellent material get dumped, material that can usually be had for the price of asking. – P.S.

Calenders

• How about saving those calendar pictures. They make wonderful wrapping paper. - G.A.

Cars

• Cars get abandoned from time to time. The get dumped any where: reserves, forests, anywhere at all. They are however a treasure-chest of nuts, bolts, screws, washers, clips, pins, hinges, handles, hoses, wire, belts. Springs and so on that can be used for house repairs or modifications rather than having to go cap-in-hand to the hardware store. They can also provide seats for the porch as well as glass, steering systems, axles and diffs for larger projects. – P.S.

Cereal packets

• Use inside "plastic" bags from cereal packets to wrap left-over food instead of grease-proof paper. I use it to wrap my lunch and it keeps fresh. Just wipe and dry it each night. - J.J.

Christmas cards

• Once Christmas is over, mum cuts up her Christmas cards and uses the pictures on the front for present tags for the coming year. -2nd generation Oily Ragger, Wellington.

Computer bits and pieces

Cotton reels

• Use as broom holders. Attach two cotton reels just far enough apart for a broom to fit between. - O.R.

Cotton shirts

• Shirts with scuffed cuffs and collapsing collars can be transformed into pillow cases. - O.R.

Egg cartons

• Make excellent pots for seedlings. Fill with compost and plant seedlings in each compartment. - O.R.
  
  
• Remove the top and use the bottom as an office organiser. Place paperclips in one compartment, rubber bands, in another and so on.
  
  
• Use as an artists paint pallet. Open up the carton, place a blob of paint in each compartment and place the brushes in the lid. Toss away after use so there is no messy cleaning up.
  
  
• Empty egg cartons are excellent for draining deep fried chips etc. - D.M, Katikati.

Egg shells

A reader has asked what can be done with egg shells. We put that question to our oily rag research team and they came up with a surprisingly large number of uses and some interesting facts.

An eggs shell accounts for about 10% of its weight and is about 95% calcium carbonate? For years scientists have been looking at ways to use the calcium properties in egg shell. It has many commercial uses, including in paper making to improve brightness, opacity and strength in paper (those oily raggers making their own paper may want to try adding crushed shell to their paper making recipe). It is also used as a nutritional supplement in animal feed and more recently engineers at Ohio State University have found a way to use the high calcium content in the hydrogen fuel process.

But it also has many uses around the home and in the garden. Here are some of the more common (or interesting) uses.

• Finely crush the shells and tip a small quantity down your drain. It will sit in the elbows and scour away grease and grime and as they flow to waste, and prevent future blocking.
  
  

• As a stain remover. Place finely crushed shell into a damp tea pot or thermos. Let it sit overnight, then add water, swirl around then rinse out.
  
  

• Some people use the shell as a filter. Crack open the top of an egg, poke a small hole in the other end, and pour in whatever is to be strained. The liquid will seep from the bottom. (Big jobs may require Ostrich sized eggs!).
  
  

• Use near whole shells to plant seedlings; crack a few holes in the bottom for drainage. Place them in an old egg carton. When the seedlings are large enough to plant out crack the shells and plant. This can add a bit of fun to a children’s garden. 
  
  

• Surround plants with crashed egg shells to deter slugs and snails. It acts like a barrier because these garden pests do not like crossing over sharp objects. Add crushed shell into your compost bin or directly into the soil of plants like tomatoes and roses. You could also make a liquid fertilizer by placing crushed egg shells into a jug of warm water and leave for two days. Apply the water directly onto indoor or outdoor plants.
  
  

• For those with chickens, add crushed shell to their food. The calcium in their diet helps build strong shells and give them grit to help them digest their food. The trick here is to crush the shells up in tiny pieces. Place them in a plastic bag and run-over it with a rolling pin or something similar (like the family car!). 
  
  

• Use as a health supplement for you and your pets.  Shells are full of calcium. Crush dried egg shells (preferably in a warm over) into a powder and sprinkle over your food. Half an egg shell would provide the daily intact for most people. Add it with the dog and cat food too… they need calcium for strong bones and healthy white teeth.
  
  

• A traditional oily ragger now in her 80s recalls with humour playing practical jokes on her school mates. They would fill an empty egg shell with confetti and break them over someone’s head (and we thought kids today were bad!).
  
  

• Another oily ragger said they hide little home-made treats inside eggs and open them up at kids parties – a little like the Christmas-egg-cracker.
  
  

• Make egg candles. Remove the top from an empty shell, add a central wick then melt candle scraps into the egg. Place in an egg cup and light.
  
  

• Egg baubles are interesting decorations on a Christmas tree.
  
  

• Egg faces. Paint a happy egg face. Mom, dad, bothers and sisters… all sitting on a humpty dumpty wall. Or what about Russian eggs? Cut each egg in half… hinge and have a smaller one onside.  
  
  

• To make mosaics from egg shells, paint the shells before crushing, and gluing to a solid surface. Another method is to spread hobby glue over the surface of something sturdy or a box, can, a mat, books, etc and sprinkle the egg shell over to give texture. Paint the image when dry and spray with several coats of sealer. Small prices can be used like glitter.

General

• I get a lot of enjoyment out of using things other people class as rubbish and if I save money by doing so, it’s even better. For years I was on a small wage and I still managed to pay off a $10,000 loan in 3 years. I’m proud of myself and think I am a real “oily rag” person!  – J.O. Christchurch.
  
  
• Don't throw your old basketballs away. Simply cut the tops of and poke a few holes in the base of the ball. Fill with spagnum moss and soil, and fill with plants, Poke four holes evenly around the top and hang up with rope or what you have lying around. Makes a good hanging basket. Have fun. - Dianne MacDonald.

Groups

• This isn't an original idea but I joined my local city Freecycle online. It is excellent for picking up or giving away items that might otherwise end up in the landfill. You can give away or ask for anything within reason. No money changes hands. I've picked up a vacuum cleaner that works incredibly well, toys, bar stools, and plants for my garden. You can find you local town or city here >>> - Sande

Guttering

• I have a use for the small extra pieces of marley guttering. I buy 2 stop ends for the piece and glue into place and this makes a great feeding trough for my chooks. - B.H., Pakaraka

Jars

• To get the labels off commercial jam jars use hot water. Heat water in the kettle as the water from the hot tap isn't hot enough to soften the glue. Pour the hot water in the sink but not directly on the jars with a few drops of detergent and soak for a couple of minutes then wearing rubber gloves and a vege knife try to peel the labels off. Stubborn glue residue can sometimes be removed with cooking oil. Jar lids can be reused to seal the jars. Steralise using the same method as for preserving jar seals. - Sweetpea, North Shore.

Junk mail

• When cooking, I use junk mail, old newspapers, box of cereal opened up, to line the kitchen counter while i prepare food. Afterwards, all the rubbish just gets folded in the paper and the counter-top is as clean as, or just needs a little wipe. - Joan, Wellington.
  
  
• I use all junk mail for lighting fires, wrapping rubbish, etc - J.J. (and an excellent use for junk mail it is too! - Oily Rag Ed')

Milk cartons

• Use to freeze fish. Put the fish in a clean milk carton, add water then freeze for later use. - O.R.
  
• Wash milk cartons. Dry and use to store food in the freezer - don't forget the label. Alson good for carrying plants. - J.D.

Newspapers

• Use as wallpaper - very appropriate in rooms like a study. - A.N.
  
  Makes good carpet underlay to stop those sneaky drafts. - A.N.
  
• Use as cat litter - but be very careful which section you use. My cat gets very nervous if I include the "pets, free to a good home" section! - O.R.
  
• I have a firend who made a really attractive lamp shade from a newspaper. The old shade had worn out so ne simply pasted the pages around the frame. What made it really interesting was that he used the newspaper that reported the 1987 sharemarket crash. It is always an interesting read and it is nice to know that he has finally seen the light! - O.R.
  

Orange peel

• When dried they make excellent fire starters. - O.R.

Paper

• When planting my strawberries I have given them a mulch of wet shredded paper from my shredding machine. It matts together nicely keeping light out to prevent weeds and I should have nice clean strawberries to eat. Makes use of your old bank statements too. Or your advertising junk is very colourful when shredded. Will break down eventually and feed the worms helping the soil. - Canny Scot, Christchurch.

Paper towel cardboard rolls

• Paper towel cardboard rolls are a convenient and tidy way of storing plastic bags in your drawer. I just stuff the plastic bags in, and pull them out when needed.

Phone books

• Instead of throwing out your old phone book, a reader from Awanui suggests it be used on the kitchen bench for hot pots. Tear out the pages as required to wrap small items for the rubbish and to use under paper towels when draining fried food.

Plastic bags

• Plastic grocery bags make great small garbage bags or use them as rubbish tin or waste paper baskets.
  
  
• Paper towel cardboard rolls are a convenient and tidy way of storing plastic bags in your drawer. I just stuff the plastic bags in, and pull them out when needed.

Plastic bottles

• Rather than buy packing, a reader from Hamilton recommends cutting the tops off two plastic soft drink bottles, one slightly larger than the other. Insert the items to be posted inside one of the containers and then push the two containers together to form a cylinder. It’s then ready to wrap and post.  
  
  
• At Christmas time I always cut circles out of plastic milk bottles and use them as gift tags.  They look like bubbles and if you add a little glitter and hole punch and thread ribbon through they are fab!!!  Use a permanent marker for the name. - Angela Allan
  
  
• 2lt ones are great for cutting up and making into flash cards for little ones.  Cut down the side panels into the size you want then right on them with permanent markers , words, numbers, letters etc.  Hole punch through the corner and thread onto an old key ring. Great for in the car.  - Angela Allan

Plastic ice cream containers

Plastic milk bottles

• Use as flowerpots. - T.H.

Roof guttering

• Use off-cuts from roof guttering (plastic) for a cool sloping track four your kids cars to go down. My son loves them, and they are free! – K.C.

Rubbish

• With living nearby a rubbish tip I've become a tip scavenger. I go out and scout around after the bulldozers go. I barter articles I find such as "fur" coats, discarded stuffed toys with plastic noses/eyes to a home handicraft lady for any mending or sewing I need done. I also exchange articles with another lady in exchnage for fresh baking. With the barter system wveryone is happy. One persons junk is another persons treasure. - G.W.
  
  
• An expat oily ragger has some suggestions from across the ditch: "They have this thing called hard rubbish day over here where people throw out all their old junk. I went for a drive with my father in law (otherwise known as Mr Steptoe) and we got a big old desk with 9 drawers, hose reel, shade cloth, drip pipe and we will do another drive tomorrow for some more goodies - all free of course." - B.J., Australia.
  
  
• A reader from Gore says, "I have found that putting a handful of blood & bone with the rubbish when wrapping it up to bury will in most cases help break down bones."

Soap

• I have a lot of soap pieces that I keep during the year. I render them down in an old pot, when it's a bit cooler add petals from your garden, even pieces of orange peel,apple peel, lavender flowers,even use your old perfume. Use cookie cutters [$2 shop] stand on waxed paper, and tip the melted soap in and let it set, and wrap in sellaphane paper and tie with ribbon.

Sheets

• When double or queen size sheets are a bit worn in the middle, I cut them down & rehem the cut edges to make cot-size sheets. - A recycler from way back, New Plymouth.

Tea bags/leaves

• Used tea leaves make excellent fertiliser for pot plants. - O.R.
  
• Use used tea leaves to make a window cleaner. Simple pour boiling water on the discarded tea leaves/bags, leave for an hour, then use. - O.R.
  
• I save my tea bags and use them to clean my eye glasses. The bags do a perfect job, and then they go in the garden. - D.M.

Toilet rolls

• If planting large seeds like beans, use the inners of toilet rolls, part fill with seed mix, put in the seed and top up. You can get about 12 of these to stand up in an ice cream container. And in due course plant out the whole tube. No transplant shock. The cardboard will rot away quickly. – G.B.

Toothbrushes

• Use as a scrubbling brush in those hard to get at places like between ceramic tiles, taps, etc. - O.R.

Tubes

• Get the last drop out of tubes of anything by cutting them in half when you have finished squeezing out as much as you can.  You will be surprised how many more portions you will get out of the tube.  Slip one cut end inside the other until finished.  This works really well for cosmetics - I find I get at least another week's use out of moisturisers, etc. - A.V., Wellington.

Wallpaper

• Use old rolls or part rolls to make inexensive gift bags and wrapping paper. - A.C.