This blog is to share what is going on in the world of recycling and eco living. Who's doing what, with what and where? Is it enough? Can we inspire others?
The answer is "YES" so start sharing.
Let's use this opportunity to share what is being done
currently,brainstorm and impliment future ideas.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Those of you who have community recycling centers, does anyone have photos of your site?
We are looking for photos to post on our site www.recyclewithkbkathome.com
We are also looking for news articles about reycling in your community.
7 comments:
Anonymous
said...
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I have a design Fine Soft Treatments for the Home home decor sewing business. Here is an idea others can use with the tubes that the fabric is shipped on.
1. Gather and take to Calico Corners or other local decorating fabric store so they can use them.
2. Cut them to 27"--29" and then put a piece of drapery cord through the tube and tie the ends together into a knot to act as the hanger. (I make a couple of slits in the tube and wedge the cord in there. It's easiest to put the tube into the fold of the drapery and then thread your cord through/tying off. The draperies are ready to be taken to the job site or handed off to the installer. They can be returned to you to be reused as well.
One of my favorite resources for recycling is Freecycle.
www.freecycle.org
You join the appropriate list for your geographical area, and post whatever it is you are trying to get rid of.
Since last fall, when I joined our local list, I have gotten rid of a LOT of stuff, from downright junky (an old aquarium that no longer held more than an inch of water) to valuable (one of our old cars). I have also been able to get some things I otherwise couldn't have afforded, such as a full-size business copier. Yep, a company was giving away their old one.
Freecycle is a WONDERFUL way to get rid of stuff that still has life left in it. It's not a dumping ground, but rather a way to get rid of stuff that you don't want anymore but someone else might have use for (baby stuff is very popular, as are toys, books, DVDs, clothes, appliances, furniture, you name it).
I've also given away bags of fabric scraps. People are so grateful to get this stuff, and often it will be picked up and gone within a few hours of being posted.
We separate out newspapers, cans and some plastics. They all go in blue bags and are picked up separately from the other garbage.
Yard waste is put into clear bags and picked up too. They do not recycle cardboard or telephone books.
I believe the plastic bags that fabric is shipped in is recyclable in our community. I bag them up with the rest - let them sort it out.
I try to reuse the boxes that I get hardware and workroom supplies shipped in, but you can only save and reuse just so much. The rest simply go out to the garbage for the dump.
There are no fabric stores locally, so I just end up putting all the cardboard tubes out for the garbage. I really hate to waste them.
I give all fabric scraps back to the retail clients and back to the designers for their clients. I have no wish to keep them myself. If there is an obscene amount of leftovers, I do keep those, but never know what to do with them.
I just joined a yahoo group for my area that is part of www.freecycle.org, and I get digests everyday with lists of things offered, wanted, and given - to prevent them from being thrown away. I've freecycled a cell phone and charger after I got a new one, a ton of fabric to a cute preganant beginning-sewer mom (and that box was stuff from when my kids were KIDS!), etc.
Lately I haven't had time to read the digests but I keep on the list..
At the moment I am cleaning out my storage closet in the basement so that I can empty out thejunk in the hallway OUTSIDE the closet, which is outside my studio and the guest bedroom -- which will be occupied by my mother in law when she gets here within the next 60 minutes... but I have to unload the other 2 places first, because I've been using her room for overflow storage from my studio - big stuff like pillows, foam samples, etc... !!
Maybe I'll find some stuff to freecycle.
My trash co recycles paper and cans/glass/plastic, picked up here weekly.
Habitat for Humanity has 3 stores in Northern Virginia that takes all kinds of blinds.
Builders and designers donate materials they can't use or were not accepted by a client, get a tax write off and the consumer gets a BARGAIN. The charity makes money to build homes.
I recarpeted the t.v. section of my basement (25 x 12 ft) for $90.00. I had to haul it myself and it wasn't a custom color, but what a steal. Often new homes come with standard appliances and flooring and the owners want to upgrade to something better, so the unused product goes to HH. They carry tile, cabinets, sinks, stoves, the works.
I have a van full of blinds going to them my next trip over. Worth looking into to see if they're opening a store near you!
We have a local Rescue Mission that rehabilitates drug addicts and alcoholics. then they train them for work, set them up in an apartment and give them continuing counseling. For years I have given them "recycled" window treatments for their apartments...and they use them. If you want to recycle custom window treatments, this is but one place to donate them. I have also had requests from local churches for window treatments. They use them immigrant housing and for the poor that they help.
7 comments:
I have a design Fine Soft Treatments for the Home home decor sewing business. Here is an idea others can use with the tubes that the fabric is shipped on.
1. Gather and take to Calico Corners or other local decorating fabric store so they can use them.
2. Cut them to 27"--29" and then put a piece of drapery cord through the tube and tie the ends together into a knot to act as the hanger. (I make a couple of slits in the tube and wedge the cord in there. It's easiest to put the tube into the fold of the drapery and then thread your cord through/tying off. The draperies are ready to be taken to the job site or handed off to the installer. They can be returned to you to be reused as well.
Dian in Mission Viejo, CA
8:34 AM
One of my favorite resources for recycling is Freecycle.
www.freecycle.org
You join the appropriate list for your geographical area, and post whatever it is you are trying to get rid of.
Since last fall, when I joined our local list, I have gotten rid of a LOT of stuff, from downright junky (an old aquarium that no longer held more than an inch of water) to valuable (one of our old cars). I have also been able to get some things I otherwise couldn't have afforded, such as a full-size business copier. Yep, a company was giving away their old one.
Freecycle is a WONDERFUL way to get rid of stuff that still has life left in it. It's not a dumping ground, but rather a way to get rid of stuff that you don't want anymore but someone else might have use for (baby stuff is very popular, as are toys, books, DVDs, clothes, appliances, furniture, you name it).
I've also given away bags of fabric scraps. People are so grateful to get this stuff, and often it will be picked up and gone within a few hours of being posted.
We separate out newspapers, cans and some plastics. They all go in blue bags and are picked up separately from the other garbage.
Yard waste is put
into clear bags and picked up too. They do not recycle cardboard or telephone books.
I believe the plastic bags that fabric is shipped in is recyclable in our community. I bag them up with the rest - let them sort it out.
I try to reuse the boxes that I get hardware and workroom supplies shipped in, but you can only save and reuse just so much. The rest simply go out to the garbage for the dump.
There are no fabric stores locally, so I just end up putting all the cardboard tubes out for the garbage. I really hate to waste them.
I give all fabric scraps back to the retail clients and back to the designers for their clients. I have no wish to keep them myself. If there is an obscene
amount of leftovers, I do keep those, but never know what to do with them.
I just joined a yahoo group for my area that is part of www.freecycle.org,
and I get digests everyday with lists of things offered, wanted, and given -
to prevent them from being thrown away. I've freecycled a cell phone and
charger after I got a new one, a ton of fabric to a cute preganant
beginning-sewer mom (and that box was stuff from when my kids were KIDS!),
etc.
Lately I haven't had time to read the digests but I keep on the list..
At the moment I am cleaning out my storage closet in the basement
so that I can empty out thejunk in the hallway OUTSIDE the closet, which is
outside my studio and the guest bedroom -- which will be occupied by my
mother in law when she gets here within the next 60 minutes... but I have to
unload the other 2 places first, because I've been using her room for
overflow storage from my studio - big stuff like pillows, foam samples,
etc... !!
Maybe I'll find some stuff to freecycle.
My trash co recycles paper and cans/glass/plastic, picked up here weekly.
Habitat for Humanity has 3 stores in Northern Virginia that takes all kinds of blinds.
Builders and designers donate materials they can't use or were not accepted by a client, get a tax write off and the consumer gets a BARGAIN. The charity makes money to build homes.
I recarpeted the t.v. section of my basement (25 x 12 ft) for $90.00. I had to haul it myself and it wasn't a custom color, but what a steal. Often new homes come with standard appliances and flooring and the owners want to upgrade to something better, so the unused product goes to HH. They carry tile, cabinets, sinks, stoves, the works.
I have a van full of blinds going to them my next trip over. Worth looking into to see if they're opening a store near you!
We have a local Rescue Mission that rehabilitates drug addicts and alcoholics. then they train them for work, set them up in an apartment and give them continuing counseling. For years I have given them "recycled" window treatments for their apartments...and they use them. If you want to recycle custom window treatments, this is but one place to donate them. I have also had requests from local churches for window treatments. They use them immigrant housing and for the poor that they help.
Paula
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