Using rubbish to organise your home

Every year the average Australian family produces enough rubbish to fill a three-bedroom house. This fact is not surprising considering most things made today are made to be disposable or short-lived. Consider the amount of packaging items come in, including our food these days. Fruit and vegetable come pre-cut, pre-washed and pre-packaged ready for consumption.[1]

Over the past decade, the total volume of waste generated in Australia has nearly doubled from 22.7 million tonnes in 96-97 to 43.8 million tonnes in 06-07.[2]

Before you throw what you think is rubbish in the bin, have a think to see if you can come up with another use for that item. 

Here are a few I have found while searching the net:

• Empty light bulb packaging make great photo protectors – simply remove the interior cardboard and flatten the box and insert your photos for safe storage
• Label your cords by using old plastic bread fasteners
• Consider using an old shower cap to cover the soles of your shoes before packing them in a suitcase
• Store plastic bags in empty tissue boxes – it works perfectly to disperse just one bag at a time

• Use an empty lotion plastic bottle or wet one’s container (not see through) next time you are at the beach to store your keys, phone and money and to keep them hidden and safe
• Empty plastic bottles make useful funnels – cut the bottom of the bottle off, fill it from that end, remove the lid and pour
• Plastic bottles can also be used to seal packaging by cutting bottle part off – leaving the nozzle, lid and 10cm of the bottle part – threading the top of the packaging through and folding it over the bottle and reapplying the lid
• Use an old sock as a coffee sleeve – cut the foot part off the sock and slip the top of the old sock around your cup
• Old clothes can be used as dust rags around the home
• Cardboard tubes – like the ones you find at the end of glad-wrap or paper towels – can be used to wrap scarves to prevent them from wrinkling. They also take up less room for storage this way
• Wine corks make a great pin cushion!
• Empty egg containers make great drawer dividers and because they are made to keep a fragile egg from breaking they are also the best thing to store Christmas ornaments
• Empty Pringle cans can be used as spaghetti storage
• Clear plastic lids can be placed under oil jars in the cupboard or aerosols in the bathroom to prevent oil or rust marks on your shelves