I've used old tires to make planters and the good old standby tire swing

My creative girls see items differently and re-use things in all sorts of ways! Old baby bathtub=water play table, shoe boxes=skyscrapers, yogurt containers=hide the ball game. Now THESE are toys!

I have used old tires to start a potato garden

We use old tires around evergreen seedlings. It prevents the wildlife from stepping on them, provides shade while their roots take hold and it show the person who is mowing the lawn what to avoid. Great thing....they can be used year round and over and over again. When there is a problem with bunnies we simply place a piece of chicken wire over the tire opening.

I use shoeboxes for all our craft items!

nothing to do with tires but I wash and re-use my K-cups, filling them with my favorite coffee. costing me about .10 cent a cup and not wasting all those K-cups.

I actually just purchased a new door mat made from recycled tires. It is amazing how much recycling has increased in recent years. For the past 3 years we have traded in our old tires to a recycling plant. We try to recycle just about everything. I am famous for making 'one use' items into multi-use. I re-use aluminum foil, take out containers, store bought jars are re-used for anything left over, even old envelopes are cut to use as scrap note paper. I could go on and on but the potential for re-using just about anything is possible.

I use a permanent coffee filter instead of the paper ones. This one I can use over and over again.

I reuse all my plastic shopping bags when I sell sweet corn and produce in the summer

I reuse my OLD used Tooth Brushes for cleaning and polishing stuff other than teeth! They are great for cleaning jewelery, or shoes, bike spokes, skateboard wheels, or hard to reach areas around my home.

We turned our trampoline into a chicken coop. We took out the middle and put chicken wire around the outside round frame. We put the net from the sides over the top to keep the chickens safe inside. We built a little house with a ramp inside the coop so they could go inside at night to keep warm. My kids love the chickens and I love the fresh eggs.

I recycle old t-shirts by cutting them up and making colourful quilts !

I use coffee grind as compost/fertilizers.

We save up all our milk bags and the local youth group turns them into sleeping mats for third world countries!

I bring my old tires in for recycling at the car dealership.

I recycle oil containers to use as garden plant protectors

I re-use the plastic mesh bags that fruits & vegetables come in, they make great bags for beach toys and smaller ones make excellent pot scrubbers (just be sure to remove any metal clips from the bag before using).

I reuse Ziplock bags over and over again. I also switched to dryer clothes instead of fabric sheets.....wow....best invention ever and no chemicals on one's clothes!

I think it's a great idea to make swings out of old tires.

I reuse the plastic containers from takeout for food storage.

I've re-used the bricks from an old chimney to make edging and pathways around my house.

i re-use and wash my ziploc bags, buy the best quality and they last a long time for us!

Cutting quilting squares out of old clothes to make bed blankets is a good form of recycling and also energy saving on cold nights !

I always re-use plastic containers - yogurt containers are used to separate large packs of meat into individual meal portions, ice cream buckets are used to hold scraps to be put in compost, etc...

I re-use wine corks as mulch around my plants, shrubs and trees in the garden. They help retain moisture and decompose as well.

I have a steady job of filling steel water bottles every day !

We reuse jam jars as drinking glasses.

This probably is a bit weird but I had a back porch light fixture from the 6os that had seen its days for use but the glass was so pretty on it that I cleaned it up and ran it through the dish washer and now it holds my toothbrush and toothpaste.

I like momof2's comment about milk bags to mattresses. I would like to do this. I have a teenage son who lives on cereal and milk. As it is, I reuse my veggie bags for doggie doo.

We make a big effort to buy second-hand things, not so much for the cost-savings (although that's huge!) but because it means we give items a second chance and save them from landfill. Most of our furniture is used (and very attractive) as well as decorative items in our house and clothing.

When I changed my front and back door matts it seemed like such a waste to just throught he wearingones out. They were already made of old tire material, I placed them under the swing set to give grip (and cleanliness) from the wet muddy ground...works great ;)

We re-use plastic bags for around the house.

We wash and reuse our plastic bags, and our plastic containers. We save old jeans and cut them up to make into quilts, we use empty toilet paper rolls for crafts, we have a great big rain barrel to save water for our plants, re rake our leaves and compost them for our garden, along with all of our kitchen waste. So many different ways to recycle and find new uses for used things. Thanks

I reuse butter tubs and any other containers I get from the store for storing leftovers,crafts,etc..I never throw away a butter tub.it always comes in handy for something!

I reuse our sour cream and yogurt containers for storing stuff or to give leftovers away. I also re-use old toothbrushes for cleaning.

My daughter made a great little bag out of a old favorite pair of her own pants (she is almost 7) she loves to sew, but needed help of course! Great little bag, lots of pockets for her "stuff' so fun!

I donate anything that is still in good working order.

we reuse yogurt and cottage cheese containers for paint cups or to store craft supplies

Toilet paper rolls taped together become binoculars, a old kleenex box becomes a house for a Zhu Zhu. Everything around the house becomes a craft with my girls. I drew the line this morning when my 7 year old wanted to reuse a piece of thread she found on the playground.

I re-use plastic food containers to make pots for my plants.

I "upcycle" old sweaters (ones that are out of style, accidentally shrunken in the wash, too worn out in places) in to great crafty items, like Christmas stockings, gift bags, and plush dolls.

I recycle my egg cartons and odd bits of material to the local youth groups for craft supplies

I try to recycle any and everything that our City will take. It is amazing how much can be recycled and not be thrown into the garbage bin.

Mostly everyone eats Chinese food or any other type of Asian food! We do and we found ourselves collecting in one of the kitchen drawers loads of chopsticks! Every time we would order food, I would never throw them out! So here I was with all these chopsticks! This spring, I started a vegetable garden in our backyard and I needed to label the plants because I had started them from seed. I looked in my shed but I had nothing to do these, went to my kitchen and voila chopsticks! I took them, made labels out of paper and taped these together as to make them waterproof! This is by far one of the best reusable tricks I had this year!

I don't buy new if I don't have to...I actually prefer the price and styles of the clothes I find at thrift shops to the retail stores...ohhhh, the treasures I find!! :D

We use old rolls of tissue paper to make games, we have several already, we use the industrial heavy thick rolls as my bf works in the potty business, he watches shows on minute to winit and then makes things that we play lol. kind of weird hey , but its reusing something.

I try not to have very much garbage, prefering to reuse, recycle, compost almost anything that comes into the house. I never buy plastic garbage bags but reuse any plastic bags that come into the house for that purpose. Anything else get sent to value village or traded with friends.

I reuse bread bags and plastic yogurt containers for freezing food items.

My tip is to repair. I really love my side by side refrigerator and when the motor went I could have almost bought a cheap refrigerator for the price of repairing mine. I feel I saved it from the landfill by getting a new motor for it. Reduce, reuse and recycle and repair.

I try to use up all the food I purchase to avoid waste and I recycle all the packaging from my purchases.

I used my husband's old shirts to make a qulit for my son's bed. Great way to recycle and every time he goes to sleep he is reminded of how much his dad loves him.

my re-use tip:
i use the 'newspaper flyers' to wash windows and as bedding in my small animals cage

I've just added fabric bags for fruit and veggies to my grocery bags and have go some re-usable fabric gift bags. My family has been re-using a set since we were kids!

I make my own wine and beer and save all my bottles for reuse as well as collect bottles from friends who would dispose of them. I also have a worm farm for recycling food scraps.

My best reuse tip is to take empty large cat and dog food bags and use them as garbage bags. Not only does it eliminate a plastic bag from the landfill, but they are much stronger than plastic bags so throwing away wet or jagged items is far easier!

I wash, then use those shower caps that you get in hotel rooms to cover leftovers in the fridge.

Avoiding the landfill, if at all possible, is the key - I buy used, and my used goods are also donated or sold for others to use. If it is beyond re-use, I recycle it.

I purchase thrift store finds or take home curb furniture scores for my home and re-purpose them. Its amazing how a good sand and stain will bring an old piece of furniture back. My friends always ask where I got a certain piece of furniture and are kinda surprised they are used.

Instead of throwing out old towels, I cut them up to make perfect dish washing cloths.

I have 2 door mats made from recycled tire rubber and they look great! I get alot of comments on them too!

we use conseignement shops to sell our old clothing and we recycle everything we can reducing or garabage waste to only a half bag! That's with diapers!

Old sweaters become unique new pillow covers. The blank back side of junk mail is reused as scrap writing paper. Plastic mesh orange bags are fashioned into scouring pads.

We reuse jars (pickle jars, especially). We use them to hold craft items, sewing supplies, and small toys (like lego). We recycle cans and paper and also cardboard. Any clothing or toys I cannot sell on eBay or kijiji, I donate to Value Village. We also like to shop there - I have found so many interesting things there. We also recycle our printer cartridges. I try and purchase refill containers for my laundry supplies and dish soap whenever possible.

I reuse bottles and jars, plastic bottles I use to water my window boxes. Fill them up and stick them upside down in the soil, and my flowers are fine!

When I'm looking for a new product, like a dining room table, I check online lists first like craigslist or kijiji.

We love to re-use, we take boxes and use them for Guinea pig houses - they love them :) My youngest makes monsters from single mitens and gloves (she is six and loves to sew). I could go on for a whole page on this topic!

I use all extra empty boxes in my house to ship items for my small business. I've gotten lots of comments from customers saying they appreciate that I recycled the packaging :)

Our household uses the recycle services and drop offs for everything that's recyclable, we scan Kijiji for used items before buying something brand new, we recycle batteries through my husband's work, re-wash and use our jars, ziplock bags, plastic margarine and yogurt containers, shop at consignment stores, and my 5 year old son makes many crafty keepsakes out of items that were destined for the landfill.

We reuse little jars to store everything from coins, buttons to elastic bands so they stay organized and we can find them when we need them.

I like to "upcycle" the worn out, outgrown, out of style (or often shrunken!) sweaters in to fun crafty projects like Christmas stockings (in lieu of gift bags), gift bags or wine bags or cute little stuffed animals (some more abstract, inspired by "Ugly Dolls")

We recycle everything possible and compost for our veggie garden. shop at thrift and consignment stores and try to reduce our carbon footprint on this planet. Everything can be re-purposed from jars to egg cartons.

I like to reuse my old toothbrushes to clean dust out of the heating vents.

Pass it along.....when our kids are done with clothes, toys etc we like to pass it along to someone else that can use it. A lot of the toys/clothes our kids have were toys/clothes that were their cousins at one point (10 years older then my DKs) - of course anything that is no longer safe or has been recalled is recycled (if possible) or disposed of.

We use Freecycle (a message board where people give and ask for items they don't want or need anymore). I needed a freezer for my business and got one at no cost (as long as we picked it up!). Also, I take a long look at items before tossing them (into the recycle bin) to see if the can be used as something else (old tins that held tea make great button and rubber bands corals). NO sheet of paper gets tossed until both sides are used up. I think the little things eventually add up!

I pass on as many used items that my family no longer needs to someone else who can use it. Those things that are too beat up to pass on get used for cleaning, crafts, or however else they can be repurposed before resorting to the trash.

I recycle everything. My family used to go through so much garage, no we use only one small kitchen bag a week with 6 people. I use all my plastic comtainters as my tupperware, all my jars for recycling leftover cooking oil, donate all used clothing and toys to the neighbourhood kids who need them most and take in all my cans for money. I love recycling.

I purchase from second hand stores and I'm proud if it!! And some of the things I find are amazing!!

I buy all of my son's clothes at a second hand store, and when he grows out of them, we take them back there, so that they can be enjoyed by someone else.

use old clothing as rags

What a great concept! For reusing, we'e constantly looking at items that we have, and what other uses they may have when the original one is done. It becomes a fun game with the kids to see if we can give something a new life.

I always buy used clothing, it's ususally preshrunk, costs less, and when I want a closet update I pay it forward to the next person.

For halloween, old pillow cases to put the candy in. They are extra strong compared to plastic bags and not so bulky as a bucket. The pumpkin from halloween will go to compost, the seeds will be baked for a yummy treat. Old egg cartons are great craft projects for the kids to but and paste coloured paper onto.

We reuse jars for storing all kinds of things like coins, washers, screws, buttons, etc. We also use old clothing as rags.

we use our toliot rolls to make toys for our animals, the cats love to play with them, also I give away all my sons clothes to a family that is unable to buy clothing, so many ways, cant think of them all now lol

i take all my old electronics to the Recyle Station so they can be stripped down and recycled

My family LOVES to use the service Freecycle. We've gotten rid of many unused items in our house through the service. We even help out others by taking their items off their hands. We've even taken our friends unwanted treasures to get rid of.
:0)

I re-cycle everything, use FullCircles Ottawa (like Freecycles) to give away items that are too good for the garbage and buy or barter as much as I can for second-hand goods.

We love going to garage sales and the 2nd hand stores. You know all the envelopes you get from companies that want money? We reuse those to put our cheques and invoices in when paying for bills.

I love going to thrift stores and buying what others no longer need

My 5 year old daughter likes to use household items when making craft products instead of buying new supplies and paper at the store. Toilet paper rolls, containers, egg packages -- they all get turned into craft projects around here.

We shop at second hand places and my kids take all the cardboard boxes and make houses and cars with them.

I love to shop at Value Village and I often find things there that I can re-use at home. When I need a particular item (example- I needed a case for my Kindle reader), I will look for something suitable that isn't neccessarily what it was intended for. I found a great toiletries case that was excellent for holding my book reader. It even had a zippered compartment that could hold the recharging cord and plug! If you think outside the box, you often can find an old, unwanted item that is just what you are looking for.

we rcycle clothing,furniture,toys etc by giving it to thrift shops. Not innovative, but it all helps :)

I buy used items instead of new

My best re-use tip is to recycle the paper box from the cereal and for the waxy paper inside I cut it open and use it for baking (separating layers of christmas cookies) or many other uses.

I reduce my need to re-use, in the first place, by not purchasing products with excessive packaging. I can make the portions myself, using plastic containers.

I re-use my food...I try to cook and buy only what we need, and if there are leftovers then they get eaten and enjoyed the next day.

I am happy to see some municipalities approving backyard chicken coops. ( for the large backyard ) Without the rooster they are quiet.

While the kids were in elementary school, we collected toilet and paper towel rolls, empty egg cartons, empty jars with lids, empty cereal boxes, etc.....and took them into the kindergarten class every couple of months. The teacher and children were all thrilled.

We do clothing swaps with friends. It helps keep old clothing out of the landfill, money in our pockets, and gives us a new wardrobe!

I shop @ our hospital auxillary store for most items. The prices are low, things get recycled, can find things here you can't elsewhere in our small town and the money goes to purchase new hospital equipment like cat scans.

Go to your local dump and grab there leftover paints. Saves you money and they usually have great colours

We do a book swap at work and my children have had them at school as well. It's a great way to recirculate good reads.

I reuse old jars for holding spices, sugar, nuts etc.

I shop for hardware at the ReStore - it recycles donated stuff for charity!

I try and buy used as much as possible.One mans junk is anothers treasure. also reuse the baby wipe containers for storing craft supplies and my sewing supplies they make great shoe boxes for our little ones good shoes or mittens .

I Reuse Pickle Jars, Spagetti Jars and decorrate them in to money banks, Pencil holders and I we have the extra large Pickle Jar that we have converted into a Beta Fish Tank......

Purchasing items that are second hand - if they're in good condition, why not? Reuse means resave & that's a good thing!

Is this where we enter for the home accessories prize?..
I recycle all the drink cans,bottles,juice packs,etc..I HATE to see someone just throwing them away,when it is so easy to recycle!
I also save all the butter tubs to use for many things,such as storing leftovers,cookies,crafts,legos,rocks,lol,,all kinds of kids things! Butter tubs is a great way to reuse something for many uses!