reuse

Lately I’ve been questioning the general effort and focus regarding reusing and repurposing things into art, craft or utilitarian creations.  Is it just me, or have any of you noticed that we often re-create with items that can be recycled anyway?

©Linda Nelson 2015

Don’t get me wrong; lidded glass jars come in handy, and tin cans look fabulous when slapped with a coat of chalk paint and embellished with a sparkly bauble.  Turning an old T-shirt into a grocery tote bag is a wonderful idea.  Sure, let’s keep doing these things.  I enjoy doing them very much so.

But, shouldn’t our focus lean towards repurposing things that would never be allowed into a recycling container?  I love all those wood palette projects, I really do; but, when I obtain one, I simply return it to the vendor and get my $10 deposit fee back.

A paper towel roll whirly wig?  Really?  It’s plain cardboard, for goodness’ sake.  Compost it, don’t make something with it.  Oops……. I have quite a few blog posts about reusing corrugated cardboard.

Why aren’t we focusing more on reusing things that are not recyclable?  I want to make the effort.  It won’t be easy because those things are probably not my favorite go-to materials, but I am willing to challenge myself… with baby steps.  What about you?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.