Recycled Crafts

Creative DIY Projects That Turn Trash Into Treasure

Giveaway- Make Garbage Great: The Terracycle Family Guide to a Zero-Waste Lifestyle

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Enter to win a copy of:

Make Garbage Great: The Terracycle Family Guide to a Zero-Waste Lifestyle

by

Tom Szaky and Albe Zakes

Leave a comment in today’s post by July 24th, 2015 and you are in the running for this awesome book on materials and products, their history and how to recycle it. There are tons of tips, facts and craft projects!

Open to U.S. Residents only please.

Make Garbage Great

Stan Amineko and I love the writing on the spine of this book!

More about the book from the publisher;

In this fun, pop culture exploration, two ecological entrepreneurs examine the materials we use in our daily lives, show how they impact the environment, and provide project ideas—from recycling to upcycling and more—to lessen our impact and protect our world.

Jam-packed with information, more than 200 photographs and illustrations, and approximately twenty DIY projects, this engaging, graphic volume shows us how we all can cut down, reuse, and repurpose the garbage we produce. With its easy hands-on design, Garbage Is Great contains information, little known facts, compelling graphics, and colorful illustrations and photos on a variety of common household waste-stream materials: Plastics, Glass and Ceramics, Paper, Wood, Textiles, Metal, Rubber, and Organics.

Tom Szaky, the founder of the award-winning nonprofit, environmental company TerraCycle, introduces each and explains what he’s learned about it in his personal life and with TerraCycle. He and Albe Zakes then provide a graphic historical timeline of each material’s use in commercial goods—from how it’s manufactured to what happens when it’s throw out—an analysis of its impact on the environment now and tomorrow; suggestions for DIY projects to save it from the trash bin, and lists of helpful resources. They also include sidebars and definitions, fun and quirky facts, lists of reuse ideas, quotes, and illuminating interviews that add depth and insight.

All of us have a responsibility to protect our environment. Informative and inspirational, Garbage Is Great shows us how to be creative custodians today—and for the rest of our lives.

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Comments

  1. WoW, another must-have book! This belongs in every crafting collection … we all have to do our part. Thanks so much for the chance to win!

  2. I am all about recycling, repurposing and making old things new again. I am always baffled by people who think nothing of throwing everything into the trash and not recycling. We must all do our part! I will and may as well be creative while doing it!

  6. I use a lot of recycling crafts in the work I do with adults who have disabilities, helping them to realize that they can have beautiful things for their apartment or room with little or no money spent!

  8. looks like a great book. I work with magazines to make beads and bowls. Love to recycle things into something new.

  10. I’m really, really interested in this book. Our summer cabin has no town garbage collection, so everything we don’t use up has to be packed up and driven out to the dump. When you actually see how much trash people create, instead of just having your bags magically whisked away before you even wake up, it’s jarring. I’d love ideas for reducing our garbage footprint.

  11. I always try to recycle everything. Send it to Terra Cycle when possible and then repurpose things into useable goods. Right now making kitty beds and condos out of old dresser parts we have found out for trash.

  12. So excited to read this book. I know there will be lots of ideas I can and will use to do my part. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.

  13. It can become a natural thing, to see what others think of as trash, as items of beauty that have a secondary purpose.

  17. What a great, timely book this looks to be! I’m SO in my element when recycling, upcycling, repurposing & I learned from the best: my mom (though it was out of necessity as we were poor). I’d be blessed beyond belief to win this book, & thanks for the giveaway! God bless! 🙂

  19. wow anyone be so happy to get this book if iwas to win it i want look at it then i like to give to my sister to use she works in a old person day care the alway need new crafts tomake and the are need of other shareing with them i love to share so if i win it have great home ty

  20. I love recycling and re-purposing things. This book looks like it has great ideas and would be very inspirational. Good luck everyone!

  21. Wow. This book would be great. We recycle, but this would move us up a notch on the “green” scale

  22. Absolutely brilliant! Could you subtitle it “Saving the Planet One Creation at a Time”?

  26. Love it! I would love to get some ideas about how to better re-use and recycle things.

  27. I would love to win this book. I need to get some ideas to make new and interesting things out of stuff that would normally be thrown out! Thank you for the opportunity to win!

  32. My husband calls me a recycling “Nazi”and I guess I am. I am becoming more and more adamant about not adding to landfills whatever can avoid sending there. Looking forward go your book to see what else we can do.

  34. Our family loves to find multiple uses for items rather than putting them in the trash. This books looks like it would be great for additional idea and projects. I hope we win this book.

  35. I need to get this book so I can show it to the elementary kids. The pictures will drive home the point that recycling is good.

  37. Amazing book! In my opinion, one should stay motivated daily If they want to keep going to a zero waste lifestyle. And that’s what this book do – simply gives you motivation to strive for a healthier and waste free environment and society!

Have you read?

Floppy Disk Crafts: Clever Ways to Upcycle Retro Tech

Floppy disk recycled crafts title

Remember floppy disks? Those square little tech relics that used to hold our precious documents and school assignments? If you’ve got a stash of them hiding in the back of a drawer—or you stumble across some at a thrift store—don’t toss them just yet. Floppy disks are surprisingly perfect for upcycled crafting, and these ideas will have you looking at old tech in a totally new way.

One of the most popular ways to breathe new life into these retro icons is by turning them into DIY wall clocks. Whether you keep it simple with one floppy as the clock face or build a larger wall piece using multiple disks, the result is a geeky, functional work of art. Check out the step-by-step guide on Instructables for building your own floppy disk wall clock—it’s a timeless craft, literally!

Want to carry your nostalgia with you? Then you’ll love the floppy disk purse or bag ideas. These functional fashion statements are made entirely from joined-up disks, forming a sturdy and super unique bag. There are tutorials on how to make a full shoulder bag, a clutch, and even a pencil case using nothing but zip ties and some creativity.

Need a conversation-starting piece of décor? A floppy disk chandelier might be just the thing. It’s bold, futuristic, and a brilliant way to show off your upcycling skills. Alternatively, you can go green and make a floppy disk planter—perfect for succulents or desk plants. Just pop out the disk’s center, line it with plastic, and add soil. It’s easy, stylish, and great for small-space gardening.

Looking for quick, crafty projects? Try turning a floppy into a notepad, a photo frame, or a cutlery holder. These smaller projects make great DIY gifts, and they’re perfect for crafters who want instant gratification. You can even make Christmas bows or flowers out of old disks for a fun and shiny holiday twist.

For those who love organizing their craft supplies or electronics, floppy disks can be transformed into component organizers or bill caddies. With a little hot glue and imagination, they make excellent mini shelving units and storage boxes.

Feeling ambitious? Dive into the more elaborate builds like a laptop desk, a lampshade, or even a quirky birdhouse made entirely from floppy disks. These projects take upcycling to the next level and are sure to impress anyone who sees them.

Make a Floppy Disk Wall Clock : 9 Steps – Instructables

Floppy Disk Bag : 12 Steps (with Pictures) – Instructables

Geeky Floppy Note Pad — CraftBits.com

Floppy Disk Chandelier : 8 Steps (with Pictures) – Instructables

DIY Floppy Disk Planters – Brit + Co /

Floppy Disk Planter  

Floppy Disk Art

How to Turn Old Floppy Disks Into Bracelets, Necklaces, or Belts – Instructables 

Upcycled Component Organizer – Make:

Floppy disk photo frame

Wall Clock 

DIY Floppy Disk Planter

Floppy Disk Art | Euromaxx

Bird house 

Cutlery Holder

Floppy Disks Into Pencil Cases • Recyclart 

Floppy Disk Bill Caddy : 3 Steps – Instructables

Make a Floppy Disk Wall Clock : 9 Steps – Instructables 

Floppy Disk Laptop Desk/Stand – Instructables

Disk Combobulation 

Floppy Disk Succulent Planter : 3 Steps (with Pictures) – Instructables 

Floppy Disk Lampshade (with Pictures) – Instructables

Recycled Flowers From DVDs, CDs, and Floppy Disks

USB Flash Diskette : 7 Steps (with Pictures) –

Christmas Bow / Flower From Floppy Disks : 7 Steps (with Pictures) 

Notebook From Old Floppy Disks : 9 Steps (with Pictures)

And of course, there’s wearable tech too. You can cut up and reshape floppy disks into bracelets, necklaces, or belts that scream ’80s nostalgia. It’s retro-futurism at its finest.

Let’s not forget about combining media: recycled flowers and art pieces that use floppy disks, CDs, and DVDs together to create dazzling pieces with texture and shine. Whether you’re decorating your craft room or making a gallery-worthy art piece, these materials are a dream to experiment with.

So next time you come across a box of floppy disks, don’t see e-waste—see endless crafting possibilities. With just a few tools and a lot of imagination, you can turn outdated tech into something totally unique and totally you.