100 THINGS TO REUSE OR REPURPOSE YOU HAVE TO TRY

[@SustainablyVegan]

EDIT: Thanks for those of you who commented - I retract the tip about using newspaper for pets cages OR compost! The ink is apparently not good for soil or pets. Apologies for this, completely my mistake for not triple checking my information on that one. HEYYY friends! It's been a hot minute xxx Hope you enjoy today's video. It was supposed to be a different one but things got mixed up so that's why this video is coming at you so late in the day! WATCH NEXT: 100 Ways to reduce food waste: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bn-mnmWHZteNha8 100 zero waste swaps you have to try: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpyqZZ2Jl8uFm7M

[@heathermoriah4791]

Do you have any books (guides or normal) that you’d recommend for intentional living?

[@lucybirdsey1610]

In case anyone sees this - some newspapers are actually okay for compost, depending on what kind of ink they use. A lot of newspapers now are using ink which is biodegradable (e.g. soy or water-based ink) and don't contain heavy metals or petroleum. The best way of finding out the type of ink is through looking at the newspaper's website - quite a few newspapers do publish this info, albeit sometimes with a bit of digging :) If you do want to check whether your newspaper uses petroleum in its ink and you can't find any info on their website, I've found that the ink transfers even after a few hours of sitting out. At the end of the day (or after a few days) if the ink is still transferring it may be petroleum based, which is not compostable. Note that even soy- or water-based inks might transfer in the morning, since the papers are printed daily!

[@marybacker6743]

@@lucybirdsey1610 x

[@marybacker6743]

My error!

[@siouxgerowsays]

Some newspaper is OK, I work at a newspaper - we print with biodegradable, veg based in on recycled paper, BUT I'd still ask the vet about use. We used it below the living space in bird cages, but not in the cat boxes

[@patriciarubioreyes9011]

that is just the way people live in lots of countries. I am from Cuba and everything gets reused there. Development comes with a great toll on this planet and our heatlh

[@VivalaVidaMinimalista]

Interesante!

[@Luizam55]

I commented similarly! I'm from Brazil and we repurpose things alllll the way! Gotta make do with what you got in your hands.

[@carolinaardenghi2749]

Same in Argentina :D

[@samaitadas9772]

Same in India

[@livemoller792]

For most of the tips I was just confused about how they were being 're-used', they were just continuing being used, and thats not the same thing. Like, continuing to use boxes and jars when they're empty, is just how storing stuff works. I'm genuinly wondering, what else would you do? none of these items are single-use, in the slightest.

[@hollyuni4484]

Not to be a nay-sayer, re-use glass pump bottles for hand soap by all means but don't use them in the shower. If you slip and drop it it could smash. My friend was really unlucky and the bottle smashed and the pieces bounced back up off the shower floor cutting her leg open quite severely.

[@SustainablyVegan]

Definitely not a nay-sayer - I ALWAYS appreciate helpful advice in this comment section! Thank you for sharing

[@janetstonerook4552]

I was thinking the same thing. Still, it could be in the bath cabinet and you just transfer a little into the shower as you need it!!

[@jelkel1928]

I also keep my coins in a plastic yogurt container. Once, I dropped a glass jar full of coins. Thankfully it was in my room instead of in the grocery store on the way to the coin machine! Was still a disaster tho lol.

[@nickorange4881]

@@jelkel1928 do have a cover for it now ? i feel that i drop stuff. i like the idea of glass bottle. but sometimes i can be kinda a klutz.

[@leporid257]

@@nickorange4881 Keep it in a little sack and pull the top close around the neck, maybe? 🤔 What helped me is putting the pinky under the bottle/thing so there's a pressure point which makes me forget the thing less.

[@life_outside_the_lines]

I love that you and Shelbie are so close and just casually reference each other’s work in videos 💜

[@clara101]

Yes I love both of their channels and love their relationship 💕

[@terriestapley5475]

What is the name of Shelbies channel, i’m new to this channel and I would like to follow her also! Thank you!!

[@life_outside_the_lines]

Terrie Stapley her channel is Shelbizleee 🙂

[@life_outside_the_lines]

julia gilbreath her channel is Shelbizleee 🙂 I wish you the best on your low waste journey!!

[@rsbabiez]

i didn’t realize they were close! i love shelbie, just subscribed here too!

[@AhriOfAstora]

I feel like most eastern european countries keep jars as a habit we picked up from parents. Most people make preserves and have basements full of jars

[@CatBloom42]

Yep, I save most of my jars. My mom has a basement full of them, lol.

[@anavrinnirvana]

I'm albanian and my grandmother keeps all her jars. I live in Italy and every time I go there I bring her jars 🙏🙏❤️❤️

[@jennil7797]

None of this is new in the UK, it was normal life in my 50s/60s childhood. Unfortunately, cheap plastic junk, poor quality clothing and so on has made shopping so affordable that it is a known hobby now and most under 50s are addicted to buying things instead of repurposing. Now, videos like this one are great at reminding or people, or introducing them to old traditions.

[@OSUkicks4us]

Sometimes I feel like sustainability is a type of lifestyle that's very hard to reach, but your video made it quite clear the small steps that literally anyone can take to make 1 less waste product on our beautiful planet. Thank you for your upload!

[@marycharlebois6627]

Love your comment, what you have said is so very true.

[@lindatait5326]

I use an old bath product gift box (really fancy one with a magnetic closure on the lid) to store my medication. The box says ‘Balance Me’ on the lid which is really appropriate as one of the meds is an antidepressant. Makes me smile 😀 Great video 👍

[@marycharlebois6627]

There are some really awesome gift boxes and interesting containers out there now-a days. I have to admit... I have a container fetish... I’m always scrounging containers cuz I just can’t let them be tossed aside and not used again. I even have containers for my containers... LOL!!

[@lindatait5326]

Mary Charlebois Container containers! Excellent 😂😂😂 I’m thinking of reusing a couple of fat ball (bird food) containers to grow some peas shoots. Still being on lockdown in England (it’s being eased but I’m being careful) it’s not easy to get to the Garden Centre and I have a couple in the garage. They’re not pretty but I do love pea shoots in a salad so that may be tomorrow’s job. I hope it’s getting warmer there and you have been able to plant some stuff on the garden. Be happy xx

[@marycharlebois6627]

@@lindatait5326 The garden’s in... but it was -4 last night. Yikes!! I think everything survived. Here in northern 🇨🇦, we have to “garden between the frosts”... but our days are starting to get really long, the extra daylight helps. It’s a good thing you mentioned the ‘fat ball’ is bird food... we don’t have ‘fat ball’ here and I would have had a hard time guessing what that was. PS - I love pea shoots too.

[@lindatait5326]

Mary Charlebois I went back and added the ‘bird food’ bit in case it was just a UK thing 😂😂😂 I hope the garden survives the cold nights 🤞Take care xx

[@elliieebit]

The sleeves of old knit sweaters can be cut and re-purposed into knit boot tops that look like cute, thick knitted socks under your boots and over your jeans or leggings. I've also turned the sleeves of old knit sweaters into dog sweaters for my two small dogs in cold weather.

[@leporid257]

That's adorable 😭

[@winterzealot]

LOVE this 😁

[@monikakowalewska2433]

You can also reuse old cotton sock (clean, of course!) with a remaining piece of soap bar. Just put the soap into the sock and hang around the tap. It gets soapy when it's wet, so you can use it all until it dissolves. And then this sock can still be reused as dust cleaning cloth. No waste at all :D

[@stephaniecasper7578]

That is awesome! I have old socks that it didn’t know what to do with, and I’ve been having a really hard time figuring out how to use the tiny old soap bits. I NEED to try this the next time I take a shower. Thank you so much for sharing this idea!

[@tessalynne6778]

I bought a tulle remnant at the fabric store and cut it into squares. Some are used with old jars for sprouting seeds and some are used to hold soap shards by my sinks. I bought a square loom for kids to weave fabric loops into pot holders. Old socks cut into loops work great and make thicker pads than the new nylon loops.

[@user-oq6ol5fi2w]

that's what I do with old socks!!

[@mysustainabilityjourney9321]

My husband likes pine tar soap and washes his hair with it too. It goes slimey quickly so he puts it in a small hessian bag and it does stop it from disolving so quick so it doesnt get wasted. It's about £8 a bar but he's still got loads left and he got it for Christmas. He got a bar 2 years ago and is still using the little hessian bag it came in for the next bar. Good idea Monika.

[@annakubalska5579]

another tip for reusing egg boxes: if you have a place where you buy eggs from like a private farm, you can give it to them or ask to put your eggs inside. They often just reuse them!

[@umopepisdn.]

This is a tip for people who like to sew: You may have a lot of scrap fabric, use any peices that arent large enough to make something with as stuffing by cutting it up into tiny little scraps. This can be used in things like throw pillows and plushies which make cute thoughtful gifts. Also: for the wrapping paper idea, I would try switching to gift bags instead of paper, a lot of people who arent even zero waste will keep and reuse them. Wrapping paper will gradually get smaller and smaller, but bags can be reused over and over again. Another idea for newspapers: ask your local dollar store if they'd like them. I work at dollar tree and we always need newspaper to wrap glassware so people can get it home safely. This is not provided by the company, usually the cashiers bring in some from home, and many customers will get very angry with us if we dont have anything to wrap their glassware with. They tend to assume it's something that is standard and not just something we do ourselves to give them better service. Any newspaper would be much appreciated at my store :)

[@amberjankovsky1002]

So amazing! I'm so happy to say I was raised by my grandparents who actually do some of these things, such as using eggshells for the garden and saving plastic store bags as garbage bags for bins. I really love the beehive idea! Here are two that I do also: 1. If I buy a tea I either don't like or see that it has expired: the leaves get either composted OR I'll grind and save for a body scrub :) 2. Trying to use up all the icky skincare products I used to buy on a whim: If I really don't love them for my face, I save them and use them up for my feet instead! So they're still getting used up :)

[@drsaleemdrsaleem9680]

Our very cute baby I like ou

[@JOS-xz9gt]

I love the 100 series. I appreciate all the effort that goes into it and I thank for it. There's always things to learn on this low waste journey. Keep it up.

[@traidyvandea2867]

egg stands on markets will sometimes take old egg cartons so they can re-use them! Also, if you plan on using egg shells for your soil, make sure its actually good for the plant. Dont spend time picking out the egg shell fragments from your spiderplant, like i did

[@blueecho9792]

I'm a first gen from Mexican parents living in SoCal. This is how we still live. In fact, sometimes, I'm surprised by what some people don't reuse. However, I do understand that it may just not be part of their culture. I happen to see this more with Shelbi's videos, as I think disposables are an integral part to a lot of Americans' lives. Even other cultures living here are starting to catch on to the disposable mentality and way of life. I was too at one point, since my dad's family really assimilated, but my mother definitely taught me that that wasn't the way to go and to be grateful for everything we had, and use it to its fullest.

[@BrookeAndCoStudios]

I recently learned about Buy Nothing local Facebook groups! People post things that they don't need or want anymore, and others can comment and ask for them if they fit their needs! As a young adult getting ready to move out of my parents house, I keep finding so many things I have no use for, like containers that don't fit my space, tiny prize toys from old events, books with too much damage to donate to the library, etc. It's absolutely true that one man's trash is another man's treasure. I don't think I've ever seen someone post something in the group that no one else had use for.

[@kaylaaa6351]

I was about to start yoga when I thought you'd be a great, calming background. And here you've just uploaded. Lovely. Thank you!

[@SustainablyVegan]

❤️❤️❤️

[@mixedemotions8141]

Same! Just did some yoga 🧡

[@jenniferelyse5134]

Everyone of these that apply to me I do! This lockdown has forced me to be creative and I love it! My drill is my best friend lol I've been making planters out of everything now that the garden is taking off! I have a better idea for the soap bits. Unfortunately a lot of bar soaps and especially shampoo bars aren't meant to stay in water not only does it affect their shelf life but it creates a breeding ground for bacteria and mould. I would suggest finding/creating/buying a small sachet or organza or lace pouch to carry all the pieces in and use it like a soap bag so you can get the most use out of them. Suggestion for items you have too many of: put them up on a free sharing group, someone might have use for them!

[@mashilda7921]

Also, if your old clothes have a lot of holes or smth you can give it to animal shelter (of course, check info for local shelters). They use it as a bed for dogs and that's cool!

[@SustainablyVegan]

Oh wow that is cool, thank you so much for commenting this I really appreciate it xx

[@aline.santana]

Great video! I just want to thank you for being SO on point. I usually speed up videos, sometimes 1.25 or 1.5 (in bad cases, 2x), but you were so focused and direct I didn't have to and was really good! I really appreciate when people just simply say whatever the topic/video is about without going on and on about adjacent topics. THANK YOU.

[@amusedal]

Great video! I’m enjoying this series. How about 100 things to refuse for those easing into sustainable living? Plastic bags, produce bags, plastic straws, disposable cutlery, condiment packets, free makeup samples, receipts, napkins, tissue paper, coffee cup lids, coffee cup sleeves, rubber bands, freebies, pens, take out menus, etc! ☺️

[@marycharlebois6627]

Great idea!!!!! Freebies just accumulate into so much unnecessary waste... and they’re everywhere.

[@ginaknight495]

Hi, I’m from Florida. I’m not a vegan but there are still times when your body just doesn’t want meat. With that being said, I was raised in a country family and we were all about no being wasteful and to share with our neighbors/family/and friends. That’s why I love this site and there is so much to learn on so many subjects. And I do love to learn about healthier alternative ingredients for our cooking. Thank you♥️

[@gildahobbs8829]

I just made a cup of tea and your introduction really made me feel at home with a friend 😊

[@Beruthiel45]

It's worth mentioning that jam jars and perhaps other product jars aren't as sturdy as jars intended for home canning, like Mason jars, and can in fact break if used for freezing over and over again. I don't use jam jars for freezing any more after I had several breaks. I've actually read warnings against their reuse for that very reason, so this is an FYI. Be careful with commercial jars and buy canning jars or designated storage glass items if you prefer glass over plastic.

[@alison7758]

Was watching one of Shelbi’s vids and she recommended watching this and now I’m realizing how much I’ve already been doing and was taught as a young kid. I thought most of these were normal to do. 😅 but I’m glad this information is out there for others to incorporate. 💚

[@mm-do7ji]

I re-use a lot of things to make diys for my pet! I have a hamster and using jars, toilet paper rolls and so many more things have helped me save so much money and it's super fun!! 10/10 recommend recycling, you just need the idea and inspiration 💕

[@kwhite2598]

These are great! I turned my old ripped mesh laundry hamper into produce bags!

[@SustainablyVegan]

Ah so cool!!

[@Luizam55]

I'm brazilian and my mom comes from a poor, countryside background, so I already had many habits that were contributing to make less waste. As of now, I've been watching your videos for a few years and I'm quite happy with the stuff I've picked up! I can't apply everything but I do as best as I can, as I would. A little is better than nothing! Thank you so much for your videos!

[@as19J01]

I'm a leader in a youth group that's subdivided according to age, and the older youths created a desk top and a darts board with corks. They look amazing!

[@baddoggie101]

I repurpose old freezers and refrigerators. During the winter I grow veggies in a large pot stored in a freezer that has the door orientated toward the south. I mostly close the door at night to keep it warm but with enough of a crack to allow air to enter. I open it during the day and even repurpose old patio windows to cover the opened door turning it into a greenhouse. I repurpose a refrigerator by placing its back, rotating upward to face south, filling halfway with soil and again closing it at night to keep it warm and open during the day. Cold-tolerant leafy greens do well.

[@helenesv3354]

I love this video, and the comments! I've always found that old containers can be used for so many things, especially gifting. I also always keep bubble wrap from online shopping for when I travel and want to bring something fragile. My mum always uses newspapers when gutting and cleaning whole fish in her kitchen, as it absorbs a lot of the liquid and is easy to throw out afterwards, saves lots of cleaning. Also, socks are great for polishing silverware 😊 Also you can weave mats for the floor out of old clothes. In addition, I have handy friends who repurpose knitted wool clothes with holes by just unthreading (pull apart) the clothes and re-knit them 😊

[@Eucis93]

My hairdresser always asks for old or ripped clothes and bed sheets. She cuts strips for covering the neck line when dying hair and for wiping up any spills, and larger pieces of cotton sheets for drying hair since it’s less abrasive on wet hair than towels. She uses an old bed sheet she puts down to protect her table from dyes instead of plastic or paper. She has also reused old rain coats as barbers capes (or whatever they’re called lol). I asked her about it once, and she said she has saved thousands and thousands of dollars just because she has never bought the disposable/commercial versions, and that her solutions last longer and give the same results. She told me you can buy almost any hair dressing item in a disposable version, from combs and hair clips to dye bowls and brushes. The ”real” items, like a commercial hair dressing cape, can cost over a hundred dollars and buying rolls of plastic/paper covers or nice towels etc. is very expensive and since they’re disposable they turn into never-ending costs for her business. She is the cheapest hair dresser in my town and I’m convinced it’s only because she doesn’t buy into the otherwise very wasteful nature of hair dressing.

[@sonipitts]

I've been using toilet paper tubes to store and organize my washed/reused ziplock bags. They get rolled up tightly after they're dry and stuffed into the tubes, which are sorted and labeled by bag size, so I don't have to scrounge around looking for the right one. We still have a whole bunch of these bags from before we stopped buying them, so this makes it easy to reuse until they wear out. Plus they take up almost no storage space - we just stack up the tubes laid flat in the corner of a cabinet.

[@garygnagey3569]

Nice idea! I will try this! I also use empty toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls on the end of my sweeper hose to clean the grooves of my sliding glass doors or to extend the reach under things.

[@emiliewalker555]

Absolutely loving this "100 ways to..." series! And I kept thinking how much work must have gone into this :) I definitely picked up some ideas I could realistically put into practice, thank you so much.

[@twinklepinkpeach4853]

Stuff I can do that I learned from this video -Use glass jars from food products to store leftovers -Use glass jars for diy products or food experiments -Use jars to hold pens or makeup brushes -turn toilet roll tubes in to propagation pots -turn old t shirts into reusable face wipes -use back of notebook for postcards or a photo board -reuse glass bottle with pump -turn cans or tins into plant pot -

[@debbyduvall2325]

socks are great for cleaning Venetian blinds if you have your hand inside like mittens also washing windows you can use both hands together :)

[@SheRoamsWild]

100 things😳 I just up-cycled some old cloth to make kitchen towels and replace paper towels in my kitchen :)

[@SustainablyVegan]

That's AWESOME! xx

[@aubreymmaria]

Yah, that’s so great!💕

[@tessalynne6778]

My favorite hot pads are 6 layers of denim from old jeans and a quilt square. The patchwork was an orphan block left from a quilt I made.

[@DVaisius1206]

You can use lint as a fire starter!!? What!? I’m so excited about that, I’ve been feeling so not nice about chucking the lint but didn’t know what to do with it. That blew my mind. Also my family has had crate book cases since I was a kid. Ours are made out of fruit crates that my parents picked up years and years ago. They have a lot of character and charm and when we moved we always just moved our books in them.

[@marycharlebois6627]

If you’re interested, you can take the lint thing one step further and make amazing fire starters that travel in the outdoors really well, and each one burns for 15-20 minutes (even in the pouring rain). You stuff dryer lint into the individual sections of cardboard egg cartons, then pour melted wax over each section. I just use cheap wax or melt down old candles, but be sure to put the egg cartons on newspaper or cardboard to soak up any extra wax leakage. Once they are dry you just cut them apart and you have 12 awesome fire starters that are the best ever... they last indefinitely, are easy to light, burn in any conditions, use up waste, and cost next to nothing to make. These also make great Christmas gifts (or any gift) for the outdoorsy people in your life. Folks love ‘em, and they will be impressed with your resourcefulness!!

[@sonipitts]

If your clothes are all natural fibers, you can always compost it.

[@blubbblubb6239]

@@marycharlebois6627 wow, that's an amazing tip! Thanks a lot! I'll definitely try that and convince my landlords to throw their lint into an extra container for me :D

[@marycharlebois6627]

@@blubbblubb6239 Hi blubb blubb... this is one of the best DIY’s/repurposing projects I have ever made. You will find that it takes a fair amount of dryer lint and also a fair amount of wax, but the more you put into each egg carton section, the longer each one will burn. I hope they work well for you. We love ‘em, we use ‘em all the time, and they make really popular and unique gifts too.

[@hannahjames3398]

I keep my lint in the old egg cartons and just burn those

[@rosechristen9460]

I recently learned how to use my sewing machine and have been mending away like a mad woman! But I thought of a good way to reuse the thread scraps and small cuts of cloth that I couldn't use for anything else. I'm going to cut them even smaller and use them as stuffing for future pillows or even stuffed animals!

[@queenmidna4998]

I reuse old cotton socks as a scrubber when I was my dog, and reuse glass bottles to hold her water and toothbrush. She is always excited when she sees them lol. I have convinced my family to keep old pasta jars to keep our pasta in. It has been quite fun

[@marleenjones407]

The old sock into an ice pack is GENIUS, I would have never thought of that on my own!

[@Lily_The_Pink972]

I'm 71 and have been doing many of these things all my life. I think i inherited my dad's wartime thrift mentality!

[@novemberninth4392]

Reminds me of when I had a group project in 11th grade where we had to create new products from either fabric or plastic bottles. My group got assigned fabric and we decided on denim. I gathered many of my friends' old jeans and made 2 products: a drawstring bag and a book cover. I sew the book cover entirely by hand because I don't know how to use a sewing machine, then decorated it with buttons and even cut out my jeans's pockets for a pouch. It was difficult and a bit messy, and my friend had to tidy up the seams, but I was very proud of it! Some other groups painted their plastic bottles pink or black then decorated them with old buttons and made a piggy bank!

[@ash_tube60]

Wow! I myself have done a couple of things, recycling. Like, never learnt from anyone or anywhere, I just tend to be creative since the beginning, since I was a teen. I use my shoe box as a storage for my electronic gadgets, an icecream plastic disposal glass with a lid as my money bank, saving coins, my wrist watch box as stationary box, glass jars as storage for grains staples, plastic container without lids, like food tubs as divider in my drawers to hold and separate personal care items, Icecream tubs as storing batchcooked meals or leftovers.

[@woolypuffin392]

Great video! I am currently reusing old drawers to make a huge cat tree 😁

[@SustainablyVegan]

Woaaaah I bet your cats are going to love that!!

[@woolypuffin392]

@@SustainablyVegan I hope so 😊

[@estherloske8180]

BLOODY BRILLIANT 👏 👌 👍 I so want to make my cats happy ! Can't afford the high cost at pet stores . I thrifted a second hand one .. but the other cats scent remained ,and stressed my cats out . I live in an apt. complex .. there are always dressers with drawers being thrown out . Your brilliant , clever idea , makes me so happy !! *****☆☆☆☆☆

[@Eddie-ud4bb]

Here in Costa Rica we repurpose car tires into flower pots, step stones, & art. I also use old phone charging cords as twine.. since it seems they break so easily.

[@lyndsey268]

Our front door was a little broken, and would let air in making it too cold insides. So when we bought a new door/door frame, we decided to create a garden bed with the door frame! It was a perfect size, and we’ve used it for 3 years now 😊

[@janiefoglewohlerspantryand2102]

Save the insides of your cereal boxes or any other wax coverings inside. They're actually parchment paper you can pack a sandwich and want you can actually cut it open and bake on it

[@cd4701]

In the US the cereal comes in plastic bags within the box so dont use them for baking.

[@nephilimslayer73]

I made my own reusable produce bags from remnant curtain fabric. I purchased it from a clearance bin, for about $3, from a local store I also purchased $3 worth of cotton string. I made my bags on my trusty sewing machine for around $1 per bag, with drawstrings. Just this last week, while shopping zero waste with my local greengrocer, an Indian Australian lady stopped by my purchases. She commented what a good idea I had. We discussed it, I told her how I made them. She replied how she had a sewing machine and was inspired by my example. Manufacturing customers, especially ladies, were personally inspired by my example to reduce plastic waste.

[@marycharlebois6627]

Such a great repurposing idea here... having a sewing machine really opens up so opportunities and possibilities for making, creating, repairing, and upcycling.

[@bloomblum]

Wow! Thank you! This has got me bursting with Ideas.

[@camiscmon]

great video! since quarantine started i've been cleaning and saving a bunch of glassware (wine bottles, candle jars, kombucha bottles, etc) and this video has so many creative ideas. thanks!

[@SustainablyVegan]

So glad it was helpful!!

[@christinah5859]

I just wanted to say that I loved this video! I’ve really reduced my waste over the last year but also become very conscious of how much I recycle. I’m very aware that recycling is only really one step up and refusing and reusing is the best. One of my BIGGEST things seems to be cans! So many cans! I have been able to cut some out by swapping to bulk dried chickpeas which I soak overnight for example but my biggest canned waste is cat food. So, today, inspired by this video, I soaked and cleaned them all out and have painted them using some paints I had. I’ve also taking some cuttings from some of houseplants and ultimately I’m going to plant up my newly planted cans to make little houseplants. Some I’m going to keep and hopefully some will be used as presents when I’m reunited with some of my friends from different towns post lockdown!

[@madelyndo131]

My low-waste journey is still in its infancy. I appreciate the tips!

[@spring9193]

For the socks, old blankets and pillowcases can be used at your local vets as bedding and to help keep paws warm whilst they’re having surgery 😊 🐾

[@tinagale7840]

With my old jeans, I cut off the legs and put a ribbon handle on it to carry wine bottles home in . The top part of the jeans, I sew the bottom opening shut and use the bag for carrying groceries or whatever.

[@hon3y_b33]

My family does some of these, there are eight of us which makes being sustainable a bit harder. We use food waste as chicken food, and we rarely buy eggs. We use plastic bags as garbage bags etc. We also upcycle a lot of stuff. I am currently organizing my messy yarn collection by rolling them around toilet rolls so they stand up on a bookshelf which makes them easily accessible and makes them less likely to tangle up.

[@spoonfulsofsugar]

I love watching these types of videos, I'm always trying to find ways to reduce my waste. I'm also realising how much of this type of stuff I grew up with, my mum and grandma were always reusing stuff although they were mostly doing it for frugal reasons. Whenever there's presents I always remember my grandma very carefully opening presents so as not to rip the wrapping paper, then smoothing it out, folding it neatly, and tucking it into her wrapping paper drawer. Half of her drinking glasses were also reused mustard jars, there was a particular brand that came in a jar that was like a glass (a bit like the small nutella jars) and some of them even had a fancy looking foot! A few other good tips is that those thermal vests for children make excellent polishing cloths when they're old and worn. And for kids' christmas crafts, you can make crackers from toilet paper rolls and old wrapping paper. They won't make the noise but they're still fun! I also reuse glass bottles for watering my indoor plants.

[@2102234773]

Hi. We use to collect old newspapers and clay containers of yogurt (here in Greece we have them for some types of yogurt) for wild animal recovering shelters. You can even use newspaper for packaging fragile items for carrying. For cleaning windows are perfect as you mentioned, using a plain solution of water and vinegar. Making with kids your own handmade paper is super funny too. It is true that in compost we can add only non whitening or printed paper, along with cartons . I also use the mentioned clay containers as containers for food or water for our cats and dogs and as plates under my flower pots. After smashing the broken ones, i put the pieces on the bottom of these pots before planting for drainage. I also end up with elastic bands after groceries (can't avoid it), and we always keep them, using them around the olive oil bottle (the colorful ones) so it can't slip. Another use is for not noisy doors, wrapping one or two of them from one knob to another. I even use them to secure the non firmly closing double doors of two pantry small furnitures i have, making an 8 knot. I have replace my sponges with luffa pieces to avoid micro plastic. All of your ideas are super clever and eco friendly! Thank you.

[@SuperLovelessgirl]

I never thought of all the things I could be saving. I must say you and Shelby are very smart with your zero waste mentality. I don't know how to sew, but I definitely wanna try so I won't have to throw away so many old clothes of mine. Thanks for the wonderful tips 🖤

[@conmuchocarino]

I love this! I like to reuse glass jars to use for my meal preps! I use the larger ones for meals/beverages and the smaller ones for snacks.

[@_adrianavelez]

Amen to this! Not perfect at being sustainable but I’m working everyday to implement ecofriendly habits into my life.

[@marianaparasense]

Upcycle old tripos for other uses. I also did that with a music stand, it broke some years ago only on the top. First I used as a hanger, then for my mic, then I used as tripod for lighting with soft light (chinese balls, that I LOVE) and currently i am using it permanently on my bedroom as a luminaire. Also had a broken camera tripod and made other luminaire. I do love using it for lighting because the height can be ajusted. It's super great as a cheap lightening for close ups, for example. Old Socks. I used one as decoration on my bedroom. Inside it has hair accessories. Cork. You brought something from Portugal ;)

[@irenatheginger2491]

I saved all of my jeans that died from thigh blowout to make a quilt from them for outside use, such as picnics and other outings. Maybe a canvas backing on it. Then from leftover tee shirts from a customer order I did, I was able to make chewy necklaces for my son who has sensory issues, this has helped save his shirt collars.

[@Sophie-xh7ml]

Irena The Ginger awesome, as someone with sensory issues myself you’re an amazing mom!

[@Maria_Svetlana8847]

I tried the box organizer and it works best in my closet when my folding method is small yet not tight

[@evaviktoria90]

If you use some old cotton cloth to cover up things in the fridge, you could as well give them an upgrade and make your own bees wax wrap. You only need some organic bees wax and coconut oil. They are not vegan but they work pretty well. Love the video and all the ideas.

[@laurabaas5984]

Hi Immi, great video as always, and I absolutely love this series! However, especially this one is a little 'overwhelming' at points. Considering there were a few items where you listed several possibilities to reuse/repurpose them, maybe you could make another series, something like "10 WAYS TO REUSE X". You mentioned socks, jars, bins, but there are so many other everyday items where I find myself wondering what to do with them. Old belts? Those plastic nets oranges are packed in? Broken glassware? Would be cool to get 10 ideas on what to do with those things! This is nothing more than a suggestion of course. Looking forward to your next video!

[@SustainablyVegan]

Yes definitely! Today's video was meant to be a more in depth video but unfortunately that got pushed back. It wont be all 100 videos don't worry !!

[@astralcamisado648]

As a goth, belts can be used for chokers.

[@6hZCBpMy]

I like the idea of using old glass jars to store leftovers!

[@luisa_4120]

Oh my goodness! soooo many tips! i love it, thank you. We do not all have the luck of growing up with parents that teach us what other people consider “normal”

[@ahill4642]

Fabulous and inspiring ideas. I really appreciate your efforts passing these on to people. ❤️

[@KeikoBushnell]

Also boil your egg shells to get the calcium out a long time dilation of the soil like a really long time even if they’re ground up

[@amysallotmentadventures6675]

Great ideas! If you're growing veg, I'd recommend an old clothes horse/drying rack as a frame to net plants that are vulnerable to pests, or as a frame for climbing plants. I've found two by the bins in the last couple of months, they've been great for keeping the pigeons off my broccoli!

[@user-rm4yd2cl2k]

I don’t know if anyone posted this or not, but I really wanted to say that I Love your shirt so much, you look so pretty everyday but I had to comment that the fabric and the cut on you and the colour is just so flattering and beautiful, you look like a white flower in the spring! Thank you as always for a beautiful video.

[@sarahrosier5336]

Realizing my family has been doing all these things. Because we’re poor

[@sorayah248]

Lol Same! :)

[@siouxgerowsays]

yeah, do most of these already but no bike helmet...

[@shrubhunt]

Lol but now u can feel proud of it😎

[@debmarabito2486]

It is just how I was taught. Reuse till worn out.

[@mwilliamson3989]

Poor financially sometimes means you grow up learning to be resourceful and smart. It never means your without the most essential things in life such as love and appreciation. Those are values you can have no matter how much money you have in the bank.

[@clairewalker1800]

Here is another idea of something to reuse: once you bees wax wraps have reached the end of their lives, (usually after about a year, depending on how much you use them) you can squish them into a ball and use it at a fire starter.

[@larina023]

Just the other day I made candle holders and vases from old mason jars. I had quite a lot lying around so I thought I make some decorations from them. They turned out pretty nice and it felt so good giving a second life to something. 🙂 And it was sooo easy, I just took some colourful yarns and wrapped them around the jars. Thanks for another great video, Immy. 🙂

[@Maria_Svetlana8847]

Your contents are amazing and helpful :) even if its a little hard doing zero waste in the philippines where the items are hard to find,better to make diy , finding good alternatives and refusing plastics or reusing :)

[@roselynbalce1319]

I use kitchen water in a basin from washing veggies to water my petunias and was surprised with lots of pepper and tomato seedlings growing in the same pot, which I re planted in my vegetable patch! :> I love it, so cool!! :>

[@elisemiahh1532]

I’ve been looking for affordable reusable cotton rounds for a while , never came to the idea of making my own ! Thankyou :)

[@KeikoBushnell]

Besides using plates and T-shirts and stuff for walkers you can use shower caps and just reuse them my old lady neighbor used to do it all the time and thought it was such a great idea

[@Saforra99]

In our family my mom made fabric gift bags (with and without string/ribbon attached) to use for Christmas and birthdays. That way, when wrapping gifts, we just used the fabric bags (made from scraps, so different sizes + patterns) to wrap and could reuse them again and again! Of course this would work for gifts you're giving to others too + they could potentially (hopefully!) reuse the bag as well! (or give it back :) ) (or as Bernadette Banner suggests, just using cabbage (scrap fabric) to wrap gifts -- not having sewn it into a bag first) Thanks for making a great video! It's fun to see how many things I already do :) and to get new ideas as well!

[@marycharlebois6627]

Here’s one for all you gardeners out there... my partner made our round greenhouse out of an old-school 1980’s giant satellite dish (the kind that were cemented into the ground). It is the metal ribbing and mesh type of satellite dish (not the solid fiberglass type) and it is convexly mounted atop of 10 fence posts. It has been stabilized with a wooden base and has raised beds inside, then covered in green house plastic. The sun shines thorough the roof and the walls, perfect for growing all our hothouse veggies. It was super cheap to build, it has lasted for years, and it prevented one of those old satellite dishes from piling up in the landfill. These also work great for the roof of a gazebo.

[@effytraveler6155]

I am practicing backsitch sewing by making a utensil pouch from old stained shirts.

[@someone-xv2nq]

These videos are really helpful and there are so many ideas to choose from. It shows how much effort you’ve put into this, thank you 💗

[@CatherineRuddick]

This is such a great video! I am always using jars to hold the gifts I give to people 🥰 it’s such a cute way to present them x

[@kasia9256]

Really great inspirations, I'm buying eggs straight from farmers on way back home so I giving back "eggs pallets" so they can reus it and minimal costs of products. I had notice that is more and more farmers who sale this way there's products in uk. It is make me feel happy as it not only often cheaper than in shop but fresh and I can buy products often on may way home so no exstra car trip needed either.

[@earthling9891]

I personally use the back of a notepad as a stabilisor I glue on to images I like, I print them out or rip them out of magazines

[@SustainablyVegan]

Love that ❤️ great idea thanks for sharing x

[@tessalynne6778]

I tried your soap bits idea years ago and ended up with a nasty slime. What I do instead is use a fine tulle square, about 6" from a remnant. Use a rubberband to close. I get them off my produce. The same size works great covering a jar for sprouts.

[@christina6103]

Your voice is so calming and makes this video pleasant to watch. Thank you for helping to retrain minds on how to view the “stuff” we have. If people had to live in their houses with all the waste they produce, they would be more serious about sustainability. The oceans and soil needs to be protected. I hope I can be at your level one day! Thank you for the inspiration.

[@freakishchick182]

These are great ideas. I like the newspaper bin liner one

[@hanna_12362]

I appreciate your work on this series. It's so inspiring! ❤️

[@annseabolt6645]

Doesn’t that stink when you light it? Usually burning hair smells horrible.

[@dollydaisy7333]

I do so many of these but there were some new ones to try too. I was beyond pleased when I started using the top of squash bottle as a funnel, I came up with it as a way of getting hot soup from the pan into my flask when camping. One thing I did recently was to take the stuffing out of some old rather flat pillows (washed them first) and used it to plump up some cushions and the dogs bed, just make a little hole in the seam, stuff it in and even it out and sew up the hole.

[@c.robson9920]

Will you show us how to make a sourdough starter? :) I love your no-waffle video!

[@junekazama7]

You can also put the lint from the dryer, or the hair you take from your hairbrush, outside for the birds to use in making their nests.

[@tammynevil2422]

I have used some of these but I did learn some new things thanks

[@tess.6552]

Very good ideas, I already do a lot of them so I was pretty proud of myself :D there was a lot of new things as well, thanks for that video :)

[@emilyhart2252]

Use plastic bread tabs as scrapers when washing dishes. Put out hair for birds to use in making nests. Dry corn husks and weave into mats or braid into little wreaths. Dry corn cobs and use them to scrape mud off boots, then add to compost.

[@laurahardy9295]

My family loves useing glass jars for glassies..it doesn't matter if it smashies!❣

[@reganstandlick7520]

I love your idea for a sewing machine. I need to get one at some point. I do knit though and love making my one dish cloths and making gifts for people

[@carinecampier]

Thank you for sharing theses tips! The lint tip is great! but I am not a camper, I save them and other scraps of yarn/fabric to fill the mice dolls my daughter sews for our cat. Here are a few of mine : Takeaway containers : reuse as temporary plant pots for seedlings (the lid helps with germination). Old turtleneck sweaters : cut the turtleneck and fashion a beautiful plunging neckline + matching neck warmer or chocker (crochet borders add flair). Old sweaters : thread an elastic through the waist and wear it upside down : true fashion statement! Or turn the sleeves inside and sew them closed, then wear as a skirt with pockets : great for winter. Or turn them into winter slippers. Old socks : cut them above the heel and refashion into leg warmers or wrist warmers (crochet a fancy border) or cut them into a long strip of “teeshirt yarn” for other projects (like ties for fabric masks 😷 ). Cut and hem the cuffs to use as scrunchies Plastic bags (especially the wrappers containing rice or oats) I fold one or 2 in my purse to use as a wet bag for my umbrella in a rainy day, or help a forgetful dog owner in the street. Looking forward to the next video! 😄

[@paolaisabelmorenoceciliano9554]

I´ve sewn a couple backpacks from my old or torn jeans, they look really cool and are extremely usefull