Recycle, how do YOU help the environment by recycling, do you just toss plastic and paper products into correct bins whit the recycling sine in it or do you reuse old stuff, remake to keep up whit the time, take action yourself. What do you do? For example, I recycle old news paper... Its a whole proses, first you cut the news papers into smaller peaces, then you let it set in a special, secret concoction, then you blend them, then a secret method of removing the ink from the paper, and finally evenly distribute the sludge into a mold and let it set, dry. One day I might make an Instructables on how to recycle old newspapers. So what are your actions on helping the Earth recover?

I happen to have a lot of standard water bottles...a lot. So, I was wondering if some recycling plants will still pay for water bottles? And if so, how can I find one? Thanks!

I'm a gramdmother. I : cook, can home grown garden produce, recycle materials, sew, knit, garden, raise poultry, grammy doctor, quilt, chop stove wood,t an skins, shingle, work mortar, etc.etc.etc.................I have done pretty much anything and on top of that, raised healthy kids and grand kids. So how come I'm considered expendable? why aren't I treated as a valuable resource? Grand parents are amazing! We're here to keep the World turning..........Ask..........I will illuminate!

Saluda Shoals Park in Columbia SC is hosting its First Annual Recycled Regatta! Its a build your own boat contest. All you have to do is collect recyclables, trash or anything that would normally wind up in a landfill. Build a boat with the items and bring it to the Park May 10th! You must register no later than May 1 2008. Boats will be judged on creativity, best use of materials, best sinker and speed/agility! There will be some really sweet prizes - so start making your boat today! Boats must hold at least one person! Boats also must be human powered! No motors or trained dolphins! This is a new activity for the 2008 Earth Fair event (5th year running) We will continue to have all the normal environmental educational booths, canoe and kayak demos, mountain bike demos, fly fishing classes, bird walks and more! This is an awesome event! We hope to see you there! Email me for more info!

I would like to propose a new Contest category, if it doesn't already exist. I would love to see a contest where EVERY LAST PART of your project must be made from used recycled old junk. Anything can qualify, just as long as it came out of something that was previously used and must be at least 10 years old. Items could be grouped into sub-categories, electronics, papercrafts, automobiles, etc, etc. Maybe such a contest already exists, but it would be nice to see people using a little more of the old stuff. I'm seeing projects from 3D printers and arduino powered robots, and that is super cool, and I want to try those projects, but that kind of thing caters to only the techno-geek with half a life time of tools and knowledge. Most of the people who come to this site aren't that tech savy, and likely don't have a Raspberry Pi, or other Arduino mini-comp to program those super-cool projects. Lets Dumb it down a bit for the rest of us. I'd like to see more posts that can be done without having to go out for anything, unless it's to go to the tool shed or Garage for that old blender you were meaning to fix 20 years ago! This site rocks! I come here every day, and it inspires me even though I don`t have some of the knowledge. But if a project posted on here costs more than a retail version of it does, then I think the point of this site has been missed entirely. 

My well-meaning parents bought me a half-size acoustic guitar as I was adding to my collection. Bad news is, it's useless. It not only has no adjustable truss rod but, as far as I can tell, no neck reinforcement whatsoever, so it's slowly turning itself into a slide guitar. The intonation is so far out that, despite all the useful guides, I despair of bringing it anywhere near something playable, even if I knew what key it was intended to be tuned to (it feels close at a G or an A, but it's still so far out it's crazy). Even if I could fix all of the above, the keys are so loose that three seconds of playing loosens the string anyway. Help! What can I use an unplayable guitar for? :D Should I strip it for parts? Should I turn that lovely sound box into a drum? Turn it into a table? I need inspiration! I'm the kinda gal whose favourite guitar was rescued from a sidewalk, so I don't want it to die; but despite its shape, it's not a guitar. :(

I was looking around the other night for information on how to separate metals through smelting, electrolysis, etc. I wasn't able to find much. I'm guessing this is still somewhat out of the range for the DIYer? My neighborhood typically has a rediculous amount of scrap metal on the curb, but the scrap yards around here only offer a slight profit on pure metal. Besides selling the metal at a scrap yard, how hard would it be to seperate the metal yourself, and just use it for your own purposes. I'm going to be investing in a metal-working lathe in the near future, and I'd rather reuse metal I've got lying around than buying it brand new at a premium. What do you guys think, is this doable?

I love to do what I can to help the environment, and I love helping others reduce their impact. I found an A to Z guide to recycling on the Real Simple website.Recycling made easyFrom aerosol cans to zippered plastic bags. I definitely recommend you read this.Aerosol cans. These can usually be recycled with other cans, as long as you pull off the plastic cap and empty the canister completely. .........Zippered plastic bags. Venues that recycle plastic bags will also accept these items, as long as they are clean, dry, and the zip part has been snipped off (it is a different type of plastic). photo from Realsimple.com

Japan takes reusing materials to the next level: a 10 x 7 mural, entirely out of old Metro tickets. Just goes to show that you can always find a use for things a second time around (or maybe a third, fourth, you name it).LinkIf you like this mural, it's not the first of its kind. In 2007, employees of a Japanese department store created their own art gallery out of Metro tickets. Check it out here

Here you can look up paint recycle centers in your area and get contact info. Please recycle!http://www.managemyhome.com/mmh/bundles/paint

I need an idea for a project that could be done in a short amount of time (like a week) that uses recycled materials, but is still kinda cool.

Out of 32 items on my recycling invoice, the only one I know nothing about is listed as "litho".  I do know lithography is a printing process.  I do not know what the lithographic materials are that get recycled. Is it plates?   X-ray stuff?    What have I been missing out on? Thanks

Chair of recycled acrylic With concern for the environment, having as one of its core values actions aiming at sustainability. It is for this noble motive that some companies in Brazil, arrive annually to collect about 480 tons of plastic waste per year for recycling. The acrylic sheet recycled exhibit properties similar to the original acrylic plates and cost much less. In this project, I show the creation of a chair design with fully functional and above all sustainable.

I am looking for projects that are kid friendly (7/8 y.o.) for making things out of existing items - projects that are fun to make while teaching kids how to reuse/recycle/repurpose.  Thanks!!!

So what can we do with food tins... he standard steel can that you peaches and backed beans comes in = surley it doesnt need to go off ot the landfill with your rubbish or to the recycling plant..,.. any ideas

It has always bothered me when I disposed of spent alkaline batteries ( having 3 children , can add up to a lot of batteries per year).And there are no local or state programs for recycling these types of batteries where I live. I recently found a company that recycles all types of batteries and electronic waste by mail @ a reasonable cost. They also offer a municipal program for your town.http://www.batteryrecycling.com/new+iRecycle+kitscheck it out , it`s worth the 5 minutes that it`ll take you.

I came across this and reallised that I 'totally agree with it!What do you think about this concept, idea?For more info visit Platform 21Thanks! Comodore

A Japanese man was bothered by the fact that so much wood was being put to waste so that people could use disposable chopsticks. He, of course, did the logical thing; build a canoe out of them. To accomplish this feat, Shuhei Ogawara has spent the last two years collecting said chopsticks from the local cafeteria. His boat is constructed of 7,382 chopsticks glued together and then sealed with a resin coating. It has yet to be tested, but he is pretty confident it will float for the launch ceremony.via pink tentatacle

Is there something I can do with old bed pillows besides throw them out?  I am told to buy new pillows every 6 months, but what a waste, not to mention all those pillows going to the landfill.

It was in the waste, I recovered it. weights 34 kg (75 pounds) diameter 24 cm (9.4 inches) length 80 cm (31.5 inches) capacity 30 liters (7,9 gallons), working pressure 200 bar (2900 PSI). hemispherical ends medium hard steel Maybe I could make a crucible for melt aluminum, copper, etc, cutting 15 cm from the bottom. But for this it is a little big.  I am waiting some suggestion. Thanks in advance!

CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) are becoming increasingly popular: right from the article linked to below, "compact fluorescents use up to 75 percent less energy, last longer and cost less over time than incandescent bulbs." Plus, they come in a fun, curly-q shape.However, they contain trace amounts of mercury, which makes recycling of them difficult--until now. Home Depot (which, to my surprise, is the second-largest retail company in the United States behind Wal-Mart) is offering comprehensive recycling for CFLs: any brand, at any of the nearly 2,000 Home Depot locations. Read the article from the New York Times here

I have been looking for a way to recycle the bags i get at the supermarket.

We have (atlast) bongomats (recycling bins for plastic bottles) in town they are intended for transparent bottles made of PET and marked with the recycling icon and num 1 in it is it ok to throw there plastic stuff made of PP (recycling icon with num 5) or its better to trash it ?

 this is a likeable recycable, that will bring attention to any look.

Soon they'll be banned, but not extinct!  They're everywhere!  Lightbulb glass is no fun to get rid of, so let's get cleverer (more clever?) with the reuse ideas!

Hi guys, I wonder how to reuse the papercore or papertube. or recycle it into product. I got some papercore from the wrapping. I would very appreciate if you reply this thread :) Thanks guys.

Over at the Mouse Works, Ryan Williamson hand-makes a variety of hats with recycled Polartec fleece he gets from local factories. His designs are pretty whimsical. One of my favorites is this bear design. I'm not too into the long tail designs, but there are plenty more to choose from.It's always good to see someone who turned a passion into a small business. Linkvia treehugger

When I was packing a few parcels for my family I used some of the shredded paper from my "office" to fill some empty space in the boxes. I wondered what uses are there for shredded paper besides filling. What are your ideas?

Has anybody tried to remove batteries from this?there are a bunch of dead 9V's in there and i want to get them to make battery clips from them.but the lid is small and it is spring loaded.I was thinking a speaker magnet on the end of a string and just drop it in and you get whatever you get.are batteries magnetic...

Planning to design a 3D printer that takes plastic bottles as input, I mean long narrow pieces of plastic bottles are fed as the printing filament. What will the difficulties in realizing such a design?

Here soon, I will be out of the military. With that being said, I have no furniture (army supplies everything for us in the barracks). I am looking to build some, if not all of the furniture I will need out of recyclable materials. Now, what I would like is some is some ideas from you  all from instructables on what I should build to furnish my new place. I am also low on funds, so please nothing expensive, mostly stuff I can find anywhere. Thanks!

Hi all, I'm part of a project where we're making soft sculptures to cover a tree trunk. It's for a sustainable festival, so we have to be mindful of re-using and recycling in our artwork. The problem we're having is with stuffing. It's only a temporary artwork for 5 hours so I'm not too concerned with waterproofing, but trying to make the sculptures look good when stuffed with shredded newspaper, plastic bags or chopped up old clothes is difficult. I'd really appreciate any ideas you can suggest! Thanks.

I have a lovely old sofa that has now broken at the bottom on one side and don't want to throw it away. I was wondering if it would be possible to make it into a sofa bed? The frame is in pretty good condition and solid still. I've searched Google but not having any luck (except one small post on how it would probably be expensive)

The armour(body, arms, legs, skirts) are made of cardboard boxes with one side peeled off to reveal corrugation...origami helmet was made of old calendar...with scissors, watercolor, tape, stapler and and ounce of creativity and patience of course voila!!! winning costume!!

        One of my teachers at school used to drink a lot of Vitamin water, and she would leave the bottles on her desk.  My enviromentally concious friend took the Vitam Water bottles home, and built a side table out of them.  She made the side table so that it can varry in height.  It's pretty sweet looking, I'll post pictures if I get the chance.  I just wanted to know what you guys (and girls) think about the idea etc.

Been wondering just in what and where do they use super caps? i recycle any an all where i can and thought sum ofs ya could give me a clue as to where would a good source?i have coffee cans full of reg caps taken outta pcs an such but as far as i can tell i've never happened upon any super caps in anything yet.any info would help! thank you.

Calling all instructables utilizing millions of cubic yards of wood mulch.The city of Houston is sponsoring a nationwide contest to utilize the 5.6 million cubic yards of tree waste collected since Hurricane Ike hit the scene.The city is already considering a number of ways to use the waste, including for erosion control, boiler fuel and electric generation, but the mayor said he hopes others will come forward with large-scale possibilities.So get creative! Redesign the paradigm! Think long-term and quick to implement. All participants must submit all information on the "Participate" page by Midnight October 31, 2008Need a brain jolt to get the creative juices flowing?Whet your appetite with some simple ideas from the community:Reclaimed Wood TableSalvage Old Barn WoodExpandable Hydroponics System from JunkCheck out Make's coverage and the official site: Recycle Ike for more information.

I was laying in bed a few minutes ago thinking about my idea to change the world, as i do every night before bed. I thought why can't or hasn't anyone made a electricity recycling generator? like why can't you take say..... a car alternator and make it produce enough electricity to run a small motor to spin the alternator as well as have enough energy left over to power devices? and then why couldn't this theory be applied to large scale generators? or why couldn't you electricly power a vehicle and somehow turn the wheels into basically 4 big alternators that generate power for the vehicle? going back to the alternator idea, is there no way to make an alternator type generator to use say 25 - 50% of its generated power to power itself and the other 50% to power devices? please point out the flaws its hurting my brain

A friend of mine had some old boat sails that he was throwing away and I ended up claiming them. Now I've been thinking about a project to use them in, but I'm pretty much hitting a wall. I've considered making a teepee, bags, even clothes but none of those sound appealing so I was hoping for some inspiration.

I have a cot that i've used probably way too much... it's not the traditional kind of cot because it has springs, so the springs have been unwinding and consequently sagging, while the fabric is tearing in the midde.... so i'm going to need to either throw it away or find some way to reuse it. Any ideas? The aluminum is hollow, but sturdy...

Test 1: heat gun, "high setting"  Plastic Coke bottle SOFTENS + shrinks                                                                  -  at about 250F * Test 2: Heat gun " low setting** " Plastic coke bottle MELTS enough to  make gooey threads , and bubbles   -   at 450 to 500 F *according to a cheapy harborfreight laser thermometer. Not sure just how accurate it is in the 250  to 500F range. This device seems to read 5 degrees high at the 100F range. ** ironically, the temp is higher on the "low" setting. When the fan is moving less air, that air is hotter. One of the tricks, I imagine, might be to fully melt the plastic without burning it.   Suggestions welcome. Further results will follow.

We're situated in Tanzania on a cereals farm. Needless to say - plenty of empty plastic chemical containers, creating massive headaches when it comes to destroying it. Does anyone have some pointers as to how we can do re-cycling on the farm - keeping in mind we're about 800km (500miles) due west from Dar-es-Salaam. We'd like to make some 5-7 mm sheeting out of the stuff to be used on the farm - to replace stolen sheet-metal water gates used for regulating water flow into rice paddies. Any sparks out there to light our fire? Kind regards Hendrik Neethling Kapunga Rice Project Limited (KRPL) Tanzania Mail: hjn@krplbio.com Land: +255 752 44 5572 Cell: +255 768 299 813

I just saw this video on the BBC News site: A man in Spain has spent almost 50 years building a church entirely from scrap, after he was expelled from a monastery after he contracted tuberculosis. Justo Gallego, 85, says the construction in Mejorada del Campo is an "act of faith" but others warn it's a huge folly - and say that the building, which has never had planning permission, could be pulled down. It is an incredible undertaking.  This chap has had a bit of help - mainly from art students, by the sound of things - but most of the work is his alone, and he has taken some clever short-cuts. Who would have thought of building columns by casting concrete in stacked oil drums?  Or of covering a roof by splitting open the drums you carried the materials up in? (Images are screen-grabs from BBC video)

I love demolishing things for parts. Often a broken AC motor is left over. Usually it contains a decent amount of copper. But the copper is mostly deeply embedded in iron (a core or a ring around it made out of stacked steel plate). Since it has been put inside the iron there must be a method to take it out. Copper prices are very high. If it can be separated quickly without melting the whole thing down, I would consider doing this myself. How?

Construction is nearing completion in Taipei of a plastic bottle building. Technically a temporary structure, "the world's lightest, movable, breathable environmental miracle" (say the designers) is also strong enough to withstand typhoons and earthquakes.  The building will eventually become an exhibition space. Much is being made of the structure's "green" credentials - LED lighting, and particularly the construction material; 1,500,000 recycled PET bottles. That sounds great, and in most of the news coverage of the structure (such as the BBC and Treehugger) it sounds like the building is built directly of bottles that have been re-shaped somehow (maybe squashed in a heated mould).  The bottles even have lids, and they talk about filling them with air, water or sand to change the thermal properties of the building.. It turns out, though, that the building material is not "PET bottles", but "PET bottles chopped up, melted and re-formed into much thicker-walled bottles intended solely for building", branded as Polli-Bricks. OK, still recycled, still greener than most building materials, but it smacks of spin to just say the building is built of bottles. The Polli-Bricks are impressive - individually nice to look at, and fitting together snugly "like Lego" - but there is no indication of how much energy is spent creating them.  They are made by Hymini, but the Hymini website flashes up all sorts of alarms with my firewall and anti-virus as an "attack site".  There is more information at Miniwiz as well, but some of the links there also trigger alarms. Maybe I'm being a wet blanket. It is a nice building, after all. What do you think? GreenMuze article

Any new ideas for this cat food bag? It's too big for a wallet, and making a purse or messenger bag out of it just seems... redundant. I mean, it's already a bag, right? But my brain isn't coming up with anything else more creative. Its really too cool to throw away though. It's wonderfully shiny and colorful on the outside, and it appears to actually be woven together of some sort of tyvek material. It looks like it would survive a lot of abuse. I've got basic sewing skills, and whatever materials that I don't have around the house I can pick up from Lowes, Walmart or Joanns. :-)

Lately I've been taking my spare time and using it to sit down (or sometimes stand) and desolder stuff from circuit boards. Just from one old computer motherboard that no longer works, you can harvest quite a few fully functional capacitors. For my example I'll post a couple pictures I took a while ago, one is a pile of parts beside my keyboard from an old motherboard I nearly completely stripped except for the sockets and other things I didn't need or didn't have the patience for. Tonight I found 4 more things to strip down, 2 mini power supplies (one from an old xbox, one from a junk tv set top box) and two toasted subwoofer amplifiers (no I don't plan on harvesting the transistors from them). I find it completely wasteful to see all the electronics that go into the landfill, simply because it broke, and from experience a lot of electrical failures are usually limited to one or two parts shorted out or gone bad (although this is not always the case). So this is my little "effort" to help save the planet. Does anyone think I could sell bulk "used" capacitors/resistors/diodes in say, mystery bags with random types of capacitors/resistors/diodes? I'm also doing this for my own personal sanity as I have gone to fix several motherboards in the past that simply required a bad capacitor to be replaced, woopy do, but it does no good if I can't find any parts in my parts bins! What do you guys think!? Also, would someone be willing to help me (maybe through msn would be easiest) identify certain parts I've found that I'm not entirely sure what they do or they're lacking of any useful numbers on them????

Hello all,  I am wondering if anyone has any ideas on recycling powder from packages of incense.  When I buy incense, I buy it in half kilo or kilo increments.  There's always some powder from shipment and currently I have about 100 grams of it.  I was at my local 99 cent store and I came across these cute little molds for ice cubes.  I was thinking these could be used for what I was thinking to do!  The thing where I'm stuck is what should I use to mix with my powdered incense.