Chapter 4 Choose to Reuse

Just because you’re done using something doesn’t mean it’s garbage. Just like the old saying says, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. In the case of reusing, sometimes your own creativity can turn your trash into a new treasure – for you!

What It’s About

If you can’t reduce or avoid your use of something, try to think of ways to reuse it. It’s the next best option before recycling because it doesn’t require the resources needed to recycle something. The old-fashioned habit of sharing isn’t in vogue anymore. But just think if it became a badge of honor to share items like crayons, clothes, and toys. We would save money, energy, and landfill space.

In the Beginning, Think of the End

When you are out shopping and trying to decide which products to buy, look at them closely to see if they might be reusable. If it can’t be reused, is there a similar product that would suit your needs but could be reused? For example, bottled water is sold in plastic bottles that are meant to be thrown away after one use. As a result, people in the United States throw away 70 million bottles of water every single day. Instead of throwing it away, you could decorate and reuse the bottle as a flower vase or bath toy. Better yet, if you like having battled water, buy a reusable water bottle made from stronger material like stainless steel and just fill it with tap water. Look around your classroom. What will happen to different items when you’re done using them? Do they have to be thrown away? What else could they be used for?

E – FACT

According to studies done in California and Massachusetts, about 2 to 5 percent of the waste stream is reusable materials. Organizations like Terracycle would put that number much higher; they continuously find second lives for discarded materials like plastic bags, plastic bottles, juice pouches, wrappers, and more. Reuse is limited only by imagination.

Re-imagine, Reinvent, Rediscover

Reusing requires a little creativity. By nature, kids are some of the most creative creatures on the planet so get those innovative juices flowing and watch what happens. Either provides some of your own items or have the kids bring in things from home. You want a wide variety of things that could easily end up in the garbage, such as empty food containers, dried-up markers, broken toys, torn of stained clothing, packaging, and wrappers. Everything should be thoroughly cleaned, and nothing with sharp or pointy edges should be used.

Divide the students into several groups and give them each a pile of random junk to work with. What can they make? All of the items can be used to make one new item or several different items. The children should work together to reinvent a use of the junk. Set their imagination free by allowing them to invent things that have never been seen before.

If your school has a display case, ask if your class can exhibit its projects there for a while. Post a sign asking if people can identify what materials went into each piece. Kids for Saving Earth provided many ideas for turning trash into an eco-carnival. You can even earn money through creative thinking with trash. Put your kids to work thinking of games they can make with trash.

Essential

Reusing means give a second life to the products you’ve purchased new, but it also means buying things used. Are there items that your classroom or school purchases that you could buy used? How about chairs and tables or shelves and organization systems? Look into buying used items by doing a little research online a sites like eBay and Cragslist.

Second Homes for Second Stuff

Just because you don’t want to reuse something doesn’t mean somebody else wouldn’t want to. Some people have yard sales to get rid of things they don’t want anymore. Ask your students to tell you about their experiences with family garage sales. If they haven’t had one, suggest that they help their parents put one on. They could be making money and saving the Earth! If a yard sale isn’t your cup tea, thrift stores, secondhand stores, and antique stores all sell used items.

There also organizations that accept donations of used items for people in need. For example, homeless shelters are often looking for people to donate clothing, coats, and blankets. Some organizations help parents who don’t have very much money by collecting donations of baby blankets, clothing, toys, cribs, and strollers.

Global Picture

Around the world, people reuse things in interesting ways. With the widespread use of the Internet, people can easily share all of their great ideas for reusing materials and giving them a new life.

Toys from Trash

A group of artists in South Africa collect aluminum cans, bottle caps, plastic bottles, bits of wire, and other refuse to create functional toys like cars and radios as well as souvenirs like decorative flowers and pens. Challenge your students to make a toy out of trash. For the best results, structure it as a take-home assignment that they can work on with a parent. By having the children work independently from one another, you’ll end up with a wider variety of projects. At the end, talk about what types of trash your students used and what they made with their trash.

E – ALERT!

Reusing takes time and patience. You need to make sure that items are clean and safe. You need to put aside your “garbage goggles”. It is a long-term commitment, and you should prepare yourself for the little messes that come along with it. It may seem difficult to wash out the lam container and reuse it for leftover soup, but in the end it will save you money and help the planet.