One of the greatest blunders mom’s and dads make, specifically in the time when their household is full of young children, is to acquire more playthings than their youngsters are able to play with.

The kids just become totally overwhelmed and the toys lose any merit, as they are so easy to acquire and just as easy to replace when they get bored. (Easy come – easy go).

“Not really a great start for a greener environment.”

Soldiers – recycling for kids toys

Keep updated every time we find new tips on helping the environment, plus exciting and innovative new ways to help you and your family by liking us below.

[thrive_link color=’blue’ link=’https://www.facebook.com/DailyGreenPost’ target=’_blank’ size=’small’ align=’aligncenter’]Click here to like Daily Green post on >>> Facebook[/thrive_link]

Monkey Accordionist

When young children are in their play area, spilling over with toys they frequently retreat, not sure where to begin because of such an excessive choice.

More on recycling

So, often spend more time having fun with the box they came in.

I know I certainly did when I was a youngster.

It is necessary to purchase playthings that are durable and will last for a reasonable time.
Wood is an excellent material for toys but do make sure it’s: FSC-certified.
You won’t have to bother with harmful toxins when the youngster is teething and also the benefit is that it can last for a number of generations (enhancing that recycling for kids idea).

Fire engine – recycling for kids toys – daily green post

Fewer well-made toys will be a much better gift than more of low quality materials and workmanship.
What’s the sense in investing hard earned cash on a little something that is made so poorly it breaks down after the first time out of the box?

Bear in mind the age of the young child when acquiring a plaything.
Don’t give your children toys and games that are out of their age group. They only get frustrated at not be able to use it or end up breaking them; either way an unpleasant experience.

Remember, when you are recycling for kids, selling your children’s unwanted toys or outgrown toys on eBay, yard-sales etc, is a good way to recoup a little of your money while living a more green and eco-friendly way.

Here are a few pointers when choosing toys and games for your kids:

• Durability
• Quality
• Workmanship
• Sustainability
• Age Proof

We can all make a difference to a greener environment; let’s start by recycling for kids toys, with their toys – number one on the list.

More on recycling

I hope you have found this article – Recycling for Kids Toys – informative, and you will share your own experiences below in the comment box and please take the time to click on the share button, many thanks; see more articles on The Daily Green Post home page.

The post Recycling for Kids Toys appeared first on Environmental Design Solutions | Green Living Tips.

The commitment to go green often involves being innovative when it comes to recycling even the smallest things, and finding better ways to improve the ways you manage your resources, and even your trash!

Guest Post by: Sookie Lioncourt

Recycle Everything

With an average person generating 4 pounds of trash every day and 1.5 tons of solid waste per year, it’s reducing the amount of things we throw out and recycling whatever we can that serve as the key to a brighter tomorrow. We all know that we can recycle bottles, cans, and boxes, but is that all that you can segregate?

What about…Your roof?

Yes, everything from the wrappers of the food that you eat up to the roof over your heads can be recycled.

If your roof is made of shingles or tiles, you can use old tiles that have been replaced with various other projects around the house.

Of course, if you don’t feel like working with heavy tiles or slate, you could also bring them down to your local recycling center, as more and more centers have begun accepting them for use in other reconstruction efforts.

Schools will also serve to benefit from taking in old roofing tiles because they can be used by students when building props for their plays.

Warm up here…

Even the clothes off your back can be recycled and reused. Up-cycling has become quite a big thing nowadays, and the trend is also becoming part of bigger relief effort to help third world countries.

For the past few years, Oxfam has partnered with Marks & Spencer to resell, reuse, or recycle old clothes, making over $13.43 million, which has been used to help provide avenues of livelihood to impoverished people.

While you could very well opt to donate all your old clothes to charities like Oxfam, you could also opt to work on some up-cycling projects instead, turning old threads into new household items and giving your textiles a new lease on life.

Recycle Everything Cats Clothing

What about your make-up?

Surveys by SmartGirl.org show that almost half of all women wear makeup every day, while others prefer to wear it only on special occasions.

Whatever the case may be, it’s no secret that cosmetics don’t have an infinite shelf life, and it’s important to keep your makeup fresh.

Thousands upon thousands of makeup containers like old lipstick cases and compact powder cases are thrown out regularly, and these end up in landfills with other beauty products.

However, since most of these cases are made out of plastic, it’s entirely possible to recycle the items instead of just dumping them in the trash.

Plastic is something that is always in need in recycling plants, so your old makeup kit will surely find a good home.

Recycle Everything – Cosmetics

Your Old Paint Cans

There’s a running joke about paint cans, rollers and paint brushes…

Recycle Everything – old paint containers

This might be true, but one of the most annoying parts of doing a paint job involves the cleaning up.

More often than not, you’re left with a bucket of paint that’s dried up and can’t really be used for much of anything other than as a flower pot.

But just like plastics, cans are always in demand in recycling facilities, with many of them reusing the old metal in various projects.

However, if you really want to make the most out of your paint cans, your best bet would be to bring them to a specialist, or back to the original factory or warehouse. Most of these places have methods of heating up the dried up paint to be able to reuse it, and they would also know how to best reuse the cans without running the Teflon lining coating the inside of the cans.

Your Computers

Of course, even your computers could break down someday, and sometimes, giving them away just isn’t an option, especially when you’re still running for a decades-old operating system.

Recycle Everything Electronics

When you want to get rid of your computer, just dumping it all in the trash would be quite appealing, but this isn’t the way to go.

Most computers contain harmful chemicals that need to be disposed of properly, but luckily, most major manufacturers also provides recycling options, free of charge, to their customers.

Just call up your manufacturer’s office. Of course, many DIY projects have also involved the use of old computer cases.

Most major companies have also begun finding ways to encourage recycling and reduction of waste. Nowadays, everything from your roof tops to your old basketball shoes from high school can be given to a store for reselling, recycling or up-cycling, so there’s no reason to put anything to waste. What other items do you often find yourself recycling?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Apart from her usual blogging activities, Sookie Lioncourt also works on a new project – DIY house items to organize her cluttered space. She’s now obsessing in placing her ‘old but still working’ items in a box to be recycled in the nearest recycle center in their area, or to be made into something new for her new organized space. For more recycling and DIY tips, you can tweet Sookie.

I hope you have found this article – Recycle Everything – informative, and you will share your own experiences below in the comment box and please take the time to click on the share button, many thanks; see more articles on The Daily Green Post home page.

The post Recycle Everything appeared first on Environmental Design Solutions | Green Living Tips.

ECycling refers to the recycling of electronic items, which are becoming  a common problem in American home and throughout the world. The EPA, or Environmental Protection Agency, has actually initiated a program to help and motivate the recycling of electronics.

EPA eCycling Program

To get the program to the regional and neighborhood levels, the EPA directed “Plug-In to eCycling Partners.” These partners support electronics reusing programs in individual communities. They provide local governments, retailers, and manufacturers opportunities to reuse and recycle their items. Those who make and offer electronic devices then sponsor or instigate programs and opportunities for consumers to reuse their utilized electronic products.

One of the EPA’s goals is to enlighten customers about why the recycling of electronics is so vital. They likewise wish to make eCycling chances easily accessible to specific consumers and their families electronics.

EPA eCycling Program – batteries

According to the EPA, the eCycling Program has actually been quite successful. In 2008, the EPA collected 66.5 million pounds of electronic devices through their Plug-In Partners.

Local governments have actually likewise gotten on board and passed legislation intended to handle used electronic devices. Huge corporations have actually embraced eCycling programs at their local retail stores. One seller offers customers small, medium and big boxes for sale, which the customers then load with used electronics and go back to the store.

Typically, customers bring their recyclable electronics to a location. When the electronic items are gathered by the EPA (typically this is done by the Partners), they are reused or recycled.

Reused items are repaired and refurbished, and passed on to others as a contribution. You can repair or recondition your very own electronic devices too, extending the life of the item and conserving the energy of making new materials.

Reusing electronic devices includes utilizing the products and parts of the items. These materials and parts are then made use of to produce another item. This is more efficient than making items from new materials.

Some items that are commonly eCycled consist of:

• Televisions.
• Computer monitors/screens.
• Printers.
• Notebook computer.
• Keyboards.
• Connection cable televisions.

Less usual items include:

• Copying machines.
• CD players.
• Voice mail machines.
• Computer towers/hard drives.
• Cell/mobile telephones.
• Remote controls.
• Radios.
• Batteries.
• Telephones.
• Facsimile machine.
• Computer game.

Occasionally, electronic items such as microwaves, fans, vacuum, smoke alarm, and toasters are eCycled.

As the eCycling Program continues, you or your organization may want to get involved. Check the EPA’s internet site (www.epa.gov) for regional eCycling programs, or for details on how your company can participate. Their website has links to organizations that are taking part in the eCycling program.

I hope you have found this article – EPA eCycling Program – informative, and you will share your own experiences below in the comment box and please take the time to click on the share button, many thanks; see more articles on The Daily Green Post home page.

The post EPA eCycling Program appeared first on Environmental Design Solutions | Green Living Tips.

Unusual Products that Can Be Recycled

Recycling Tips and Ideas – Tin Can man

When you [easyazon_link cloaking=”default” keywords=”recyling” localization=”default” locale=”US” nofollow=”default” new_window=”default” tag=”glocaszon-20″]recyle [/easyazon_link]and reuse it does not always signify dropping off aluminum cans, plastic and glass containers, and paper at your local recycling center.

While such recycling is fantastic, there are some uncommon items that can be reused with a little imagination and a few different approaches for doing this.

Recycling tips and ideas – recycle triangle

Create new things

This is where [easyazon_link asin=”0615431585″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”glocaszon-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]The Best Place for Garbage: The Essential Guide to Recyling with Composting Worms[/easyazon_link] could get really enjoyable.

Old paint containers can be cleansed, covered with contact paper or paint, and used as planters, vases, or even utilized as coffee table legs. (Collectors item of the future)

Prescribed medication boxes and bottles have actually been made into artwork, clocks, lamps, and picture frames.

Unused spare paint can be utilized to develop art work, or to paint the above jobs.

There are likewise programs that collect unused latex paint, such as the National Council on Paint Disposition (NCPD).

Become innovative!

Become a Donor to Worthwhile Projects

Your old PC

An intriguing program started in California, wherein people contributed old PC’s to prisons.

The prisoners repaired the devices and, in turn, donated them back to local schools. (This is a brilliant concept in my humble opinion)

There might be such a program in your area. If there is not a regional recycling choice, some computer system manufacturers provide a mail-in recycling program.

Eyeglasses/spectacles

Get in touch with neighborhood churches and other charities in your area, and speak with your eye doctor. You will most likely discover many options for reusing your eyeglasses.

Recycling tips and ideas
Lions Club Logo

Different organizations accumulate used eyeglasses for distribution to third world countries or to other needy individuals.

The most popular of these organizations is the Lions Club International, which has visible, yellow drop-boxes on city curbs for collecting eyeglasses. They look something like postal drop-boxes.

Cellular mobile phones

Like eyeglasses, mobile phone are another preferred product for neighborhood charities to accept as donations.

If it still works and you simply wish to update, think about donating to someone who can use it.

You can additionally take the phone back to the location where you bought it, and inquire about their policy regarding recycling/re-using.

Here are a few more recycling tips and ideas

Medicines and prescribed drugs

First, get in touch with your local garbage disposal officials and see if recycling medicines is legal in your location.

If so, ask if there are any programs through which your old medicines can be recycled, such as a repository program.

Motor Engine oil

Engine oil can be re-refined and/or re-used, either as motor oil once more or burned as a fuel.

Contact your regional mechanic, car shop and/or waste collection authority and discover if there is a program readily available through which you can reuse your old motor oil.

Electric batteries 

Re-chargeable batteries require special care, but they can be recycled with special programs. Single-use alkaline batteries can be recycled too.

There are merchants who will take your old batteries and either recycle them or dispose of them correctly.

Get in touch with your neighborhood waste authority, recycling center, or hardware store, to figure out what’s available in your area.

There is more to reusing and recycling nowadays than old cardboard boxes, bottles and soda cans!

I hope you have found this article – Recycling Tips and Ideas – informative, and you will share your own experiences below in the comment box and please take the time to click on the share button, many thanks; see more articles on The Daily Green Post home page.

The post Recycling Tips and Ideas appeared first on Environmental Design Solutions | Green Living Tips.

Before you dispose of your old glass jars and bottles, old cardboard boxes, plastic bags and your old newspapers and magazines, think – “how could I make better use of these items?”

9 recycling tips at home – One way to keep fit…!

By User: Vmenkov

You will be amazed with a little forethought at how ingenious you can become at reusing and [easyazon_link asin=”B000QJEW9K” locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”glocaszon-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]recycling[/easyazon_link] your disposable waste products.

So, to get you started here are 9 recycling tips at home that will make a big difference and save you some money.

How to Reuse Recyclables
by Dawn Walls-Thumma, Demand Media

Although preferable to sending trash to the landfill or incinerator, recycling still requires energy and produces waste by-products.

Because of these effects, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers waste prevention – activities that reduce the disposal and recycling of waste materials – the best way to reduce waste.

Reusing paper, jars and bottles destined for the [easyazon_link asin=”B001C94HY8″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”glocaszon-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Rubbermaid FG295673 Blue Medium Deskside Recycling Container with Universal Recycle Symbol, 28-1/8 qt Capacity, 14.4″ Length x 10.25″ Width x 15″ Height[/easyazon_link] not only eliminates the energy expenditures needed to recycle them but also the resources needed to produce the items you would use instead.

Courtesy WikiMedia

Shifting from recycling to reuse requires some creative thinking, but ultimately saves money and cuts waste.

Step 1:
Bottle your own water. Instead of buying new bottles each time you want a drink, save old bottles and refill them from the tap for the convenience of bottled water without the waste.

Step 2:
Save glass jars and bottles and use them for storage.

Step 3:
Keep a few extra plastic bags folded up in your purse or glove compartment in case you find yourself at a store without a reusable tote.

Step 4:
Reuse cardboard boxes, gift boxes, gift bags and paper bags for storage, gift-wrapping or wrapping parcels to send in the mail.

Step 5:
Shred paper or newspaper and use the shredded piles in place of foam peanuts as packaging material.

Step 6:
Cut in half paper printed on only one side. Staple it together to make notepads.

Step 7:
Use old coffee cans as flowerpots for houseplants. Yogurt cups and other small plastic containers work well for starting seeds in the spring.

Step 8:
Compost. Many of the items that you [easyazon_link asin=”B007ZF638G” locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”glocaszon-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]recycle[/easyazon_link], such as paper and cardboard, can go into a compost pile, where they break down into a garden soil amendment rich in organic matter and nutrients.

You can also use cardboard to cover bare garden soil over the winter, preventing erosion.

Step 9:
Wash and reuse sturdy plastic cups and tableware.

Warnings

Do not reuse containers that hold hazardous products, such as pesticides or motor oil.
Follow instructions on the label to learn how to properly dispose of or recycle these containers and any leftover product.

….More at: National Geographic, Green Living

What if you could find ways to be paid for recycling, I bet your children would soon become interested.

There are companies out there that will actually pay you for your rubbish, you won’t get rich on it, but how cool is it to be able to sell your garbage for real money.

I found an interesting article in the San Francisco Chronicle that I think you may find fascinating.

6 Things You Didn’t Know You Can Recycle For Money
Linda McMaken

Recycling is great for the planet, saves resources and basically helps clean up our world. Many of us know that we can recycle things like plastic, paper, glass bottles and metals. However, there are many other items that you probably didn’t know could be turned in for cash or a tax deduction. Here’s a list of a few of them.

Trash
A company called TerraCycle will pay for your trash. This program works best with schools or other non-profit organizations that can collect a lot of trash. The company will donate money to your cause for every piece of trash you send the organization.

Wine Corks
While this may seem a bit odd, cork is a heavily used resource and recycling them won’t make you rich, but they could definitely pay for a free bottle of wine. See eBay

Gift Cards
Many of us receive gift cards for a holiday or a birthday to a place we will never shop, eat or visit. If you have a few of those lying in a drawer you might consider trading them. Gift Card Rescue will take your unused gift cards and send you a check for them.

Cooking Oil
As odd as this seems, there are many recycling centers, biodiesel firms and individuals that will pay you for used cooking oil. Scan Craigslist in your area or search online.

[easyazon_link asin=”B001Q3KUA0″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”glocaszon-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]9 Recycling Tips at Home[/easyazon_link]

Tennis Balls
There are 300 million tennis balls manufactured every year. They are made with a rubber that is not biodegradable creating over 20,000 metric tons of rubber waste a year. A small company, Rebounces, has come up with a solution. It has created a machine that “re-bounces” tennis balls, and will give you money for donated balls.

Human Hair
There is a lucrative, high-paying market for human hair. If you have long hair or the ability to grow it fast, you could be looking at some serious cash. Rates for unbleached, natural hair can range from $200 to well over $1,500 depending on shade, length and condition. Hair extension companies, wig makers, and even heirloom hair weavers will pay you for hair.

You can even find buyers of hair on eBay and Craigslist.

The Bottom Line
If you look around, almost everything we use can be recycled.

Most of it won’t bring you any cash or compensation, but if you take a few minutes to recycle it will save the planet from being overloaded with debris.

There is approximately 2.5 million pounds of e-waste created per year from our cell phones, computers and other electronic devices.

It is becoming necessary for everyone to seriously consider recycling electronics.

All of us should recycle as part of our daily routine whether it is for cash or for the sake of the environment.

More at…  San Francisco Chronicle

[easyazon_link asin=”B000QJEW9K” locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”glocaszon-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]9 Recycling Tips at Home[/easyazon_link]

So all in all, I think there is lot of ideas to fuel your imagination in this article, I hope you have found it useful and will inspire you to think of even more ways to recycle and reuse your waste items.

I hope you have found this article – 9 Recycling Tips at Home – informative, and you will share your own experiences below in the comment box and please take the time to click on the share button, many thanks; see more articles on The Daily Green Post home page.

The post 9 Recycling Tips at Home appeared first on Environmental Design Solutions | Green Living Tips.

Recycling is a way for individuals to make a contribution to the overall welfare of the environment and make a difference to the future of our planet.

Recycling

New York was responsible for establishing the first recycling facility over 100 years ago, and are you aware, the USA ranks as one of the top countries in the world for recycling rates. (Yes, really!)

Yet there is still about 55 percent of the total solid waste (250 million tons), generated in this country, ending up in our landfills.

In recent years great strides have been made to make people more and more aware of what’s going on in the world and help in how to combat this world-wide problem. Let’s hope that if we all make a little contribution to what’s happening, we can begin to turn the corner and arrest the colossal damage being done on a daily basis.

In this following video presentation by pacebutler.com
You will see 7 benefits of recycling…enjoy.

Aluminum cans are among the materials most often collected for recycling and one of the easiest to process. Aluminum also has high value in the recycling industry for its sustainability.

In fact, more than one-third of all the aluminum produced in the world is made from scrap.

Recycled aluminum also gets new life as a component in a variety of products that you use every day, from cookware to computers and automobiles.

Modern Recycling Initiatives

During the 1960s, the concept of recycling as a matter of social and environmental responsibility began to take shape.
In part, this consciousness developed as the result of the change from manufacturing soft drinks in glass bottles to aluminum cans.
By the 1970s, it was common for schools and scouting troops to organize the collection of aluminum cans left along roadways for recycling.
By the 1980s, many communities had municipal collection programs in place, which are further supported by independent waste-management companies today.

End-Use Markets

Not surprisingly, recycled aluminum cans are made into more aluminum cans.
Indeed, aluminum can be recycled repeatedly without any loss of its original properties. This means that old aluminum scrap can be recycled indefinitely and used to make anything that can be fabricated from new aluminum without compromising structure or function.

So the aluminum soda can you drop into the recycling bin today may become an electrical cable, a fitting for a door or window or even a bicycle tomorrow.
…More at What Is Made From Recycled Aluminum Cans?

Whenever we try and define recycling, we need to think of the three R’s of modern waste management:

The 3 R’s…!

1. Reduce
2. Re-use
3. Recycle

Reduce unnecessary purchases, which will result in less waste and reduce the amount of pollutants in the environment.

Re-use and re-purpose your things so they will last longer and reduce the need to keep buying more and more products that you don’t really need.

Recycle your things by giving them to charity or re-purposing them for your own purposes; there are very many ways to recycle…be creative!

Remember, if we all adopt a few more good habits with recycling;
we may all reap the benefits, over time.

I hope you have found this article – Recycling – informative, and you will share your own experiences below in the comment box and please take the time to click on the share button, many thanks; see more articles on The Daily Green Post home page.

The post Recycling and appeared first on Environmental Design Solutions | Green Living Tips.

If we want to leave our planet in a fit and habitable condition for the generations still to come, we really have no other choice but to try and save the planet from all the mindless actions that take place daily on a global basis!

Save the Planet

When you watch the news or read the newspapers, there is doom and gloom almost every where you look:

[unordered_list style=”red-x”]

• Global warming
• Acid Rain
• Landfill sites exhausted

[/unordered_list]

The list goes on and on, but why should we recycle to save the planet, will it ever make any real difference to anything?

The answer is: because green living has to become a way of life for the good of us all and the generations still to come.

So, what actually is recycling?

Basically, it means re-using the things we already have so we don’t have to keep producing more and more things to just throw them away.

Makes sense, don’t you think!

Grey Living vs. Green Living…you choose!

Serious Air Pollution

Help the environment and Save the Planet by Recycling

Obviously the first priority is to start helping the environment where you live and encourage your friends, family and neighbors to join in to make a difference.

For information on what to do, try checking out your local library or town hall; they will generally be able to give you pamphlets and leaflets with all the relevant information you need.

There are so many small things you can do that will make a difference such as:

[unordered_list style=”tick”]

• Turning off lights when you leave a room
• Lowering your heating by a degree or two
• Use friendlier modes of transport
• Buy locally grown produce
• Take showers instead of baths

[/unordered_list]

You will find a huge number of ways to improve your efforts of recycling, when you begin your drive to, green living; and start working on ideas to save the planet.

The United States of America, produces 390 billion pounds of garbage each and every year, and the job of finding places to dispose of it, is a serious environmental and economic challenge.

See the video below for an insight into the challenges involved
in our quest to save the planet.

To see the video in full screen, click on the arrrows in the bottom right corner.

Start your recycling efforts at home.

We can all play our part in the endeavors to save our planet for future generations.
However small the part you play in recycling, when combined with the efforts of everybody else playing their part: it makes a huge difference on a global scale.

[unordered_list style=”tick”]

• A good place to begin, is to get the family actively involved
• Rewards for the younger ones maybe, to get things underway
• It’s about adopting good sound practices, until they become second nature

[/unordered_list]

Remember, good habits are the same as bad habits, they are something you did habitually until they became second nature, so start working on building up green habits.

I understand most schools these days have programs to teach the benefits of recycling so it would be a good idea to check on their advice.

Many people believe that it’s a hard undertaking to coordinate a recycling center at home; but with some creativity and planning it can be fairly easy to do.

Just think how much better you will feel about yourself, playing your part to take care of the environment and maybe helping to save the planet for the future generations still to come.

I hope you have found this article – Save the Planet – informative, and you will share your own experiences below in the comment box and please take the time to click on the share button, many thanks; see more articles on The Daily Green Post home page.

<center><a href=”http://mykesworld.forsurveys.hop.clickbank.net” target=”_blank”><img alt=”” src=”http://d2geju3h8qicv6.cloudfront.net/468x60_ani_1.gif” border=”0″ /></a></center>

The post Save the Planet appeared first on Environmental Design Solutions | Green Living Tips.

Homemade cat toys are so easy to make from products you ‘d generally throw away, so here are some novel ideas on – How you can Make Cat’s Toys From Recycled Materials.

Homemade cat toys

Make sure you like > Daily Green Post  on Facebook < to be updated every time we find new tips on helping the environment, plus exciting and innovative new ways to help you and your family.

Recommended >> Cat Behavior And Training <<

A cat’s natural curiosity to explore areas and their love of anything that crinkles or wiggles makes them easy to please with regard to toys.

Below are some ideas on the best ways to make your own cat toys.

[unordered_list style=”star”]

• Plastic bottle tops are fun for cats to bat at and chase after, my cat thinks he’s David Beckham. There’s nothing elaborate you should do; just put the plastic bottle top on the floor and make believe like you’re not watching.

• Cardboard boxes are kitty favorites. Cats can keep themselves amused for a long time with a cardboard box. Simply set it in the middle of the floor or on a preferred furniture piece. If you have more than one cat, it can be extremely entertaining to enjoy them cram together into the box or chase each other in and out of it.

•  Old socks that you want to get rid of can be have some catnip put in them and tied shut. Catnip is pretty wonderful stuff to cats. The catnip in the sock makes it certain to be a favorite plaything.

Homemade cat toys – boxer

• Take all that good, crinkly mail from advertisers and make cat toys from it. You can just ball up the waste paper into little balls, or you can tie a piece of crinkled-up paper to the end of a string.

• Keep all those bows from gift wrapping, particularly lots of that curly ribbon, it makes for fun cat toys.

• Toilet tissue tubes can be fun, too. Some cats like them as they are; others prefer them with ribbons connected to either end, and yet another method is to use a bathroom tube to put some beans into and cover both ends with wax paper, and elastic band them in place. The beans will make an attractive rattling noise when your cat bats the tube around the room.

• Save the cork from your wine bottle. Corks are porous and light, the best thing for cats to swipe and chase. You can also affix the cork to a string and dangle it.

• Paper bags of all types make fascinating cat toys. Cats cannot keep away from an open bag lying on its side. If you spray some catnip in the bag, it’s even more enticing.

• Make a tunnel with tall cardboard boxes, open-end-down. Lay them end-to-end, cutting the brief sides out to make them open. Cats enjoy passages, however you can make them even more fun by adding a dangling toy (made from recycled materials obviously!) at either end.

[/unordered_list]

Recommended >> Build a Superior Cat Tree <<

Homemade Cat Toys

Of course this is to entertain your loving cats, but you never know; you may just get some fun from it.

I am sure everybody can come up with ideas for homemade cat toys, so please feel free to leave them in the box below or go to our Facebook page and leave your ideas there. 

Make sure you like > Daily Green Post  on Facebook < to be updated every time we find new tips on helping the environment, plus exciting and innovative new ways to help you and your family.

I hope you have found this article – homemade cat toys – informative, and you will share your own experiences below in the comment box and please take the time to click on the share button, many thanks; see more articles on The Daily Green Post home page.

The post Homemade Cat Toys appeared first on Environmental Design Solutions | Green Living Tips.

I found this article in the Earth Times and I think you will find it quite enlightening, check it out and leave your comments in the box at the bottom of the post.

Landfill compactor

If you you enjoy it please give it a thumbs up on facebook or send a tweet; be sociable.

The hitchhiker’s guide to recycling! (recycling parts that you can’t reach)
By Dave Armstrong

When we used to use an object for something else, it was called, “multi-purpose,” or old technology.

A really old thing became an antique or vintage object and may have added-value, if it were rare.

At the moment, we try and recycle or down-cycle many materials (such as electronics) that are environmentally distasteful or downright toxic.

After the invention of farming, we usefully recycled some less profitable crops by green manuring, often using leguminous clovers, rye and the like.

What is the future for your recyclable materials list?

Well, we may be able to rely on more automatic disposal and recycling technology if our science keeps developing apace.

When an ancient wanted a new axe, he went and sharpened the old one. When the head wore out, he recycled the same handle and bought or exchanged for a nice new one.

Neolithic axes
By Remi Mathis (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

In such times recycling an animal was about our limit, with skins and horn to use for clothing or tools, as well as the meat content.We deal in recycling now with huge amounts of almost unknown materials, some of which are simply turned around and some that find their way into awkward situations such as mercury.Being dumped from so many small batteries, metals such as mercury (along with lithium and cadmium) can’t be tracked into our environment.Fish have long been avoided as food in some regions because too much mercury found its way from industry into the local ecosystem.

Even better the schemes whereby cars and other industrial products are sold back to the manufacturer for recycling pose an even more efficient solution to the problem of relocating lost materials in the industrial environment.

Glass is a well-cycled product, with even the bottles being recycled in early history.

The saving in the down-cycling of course is in the energy required to make glass, and of course many other materials especially the metals.

On another organic area, wood recycling (of whole forests) has been the trend ever since we realised there would be no wood!

Scandinavian enterprise quickly converted use all, to replanting everything we had harvested, so that in years to come, people could re-harvest the same crop of timber.

Unfortunately oaks and many others have a complaint, as they never achieve their full dominant place in the community and the ecosystem unless they are given a few hundred years.

Who is prepared to wait that long for a profit motive.

More at… earthtimes.org

So, what do you think of the recyclable materials list post, can you add any ideas of your own?

The debate over what should be on the  recyclable materials list has been raging for as long as I can remember and I don’t think it will be going away any time soon.

The post Recyclable Materials List appeared first on Environmental Design Solutions | Green Living Tips.

Recycling, downcycling and upcycling! What do they all mean?

No, it’s nothing to do with bikes (not quite true, bikes can be recycled too); they are all words used in recycling your waste products. – I think there is a pun in there somewhere, unintended.

Read this report for the full picture, it’s quite fascinating, really!

Recycling

Recycling Tips of the Month

Recycling is Great But Upcycling is Even Better

You know what recycling is, but have you ever heard of downcycling?

No? Don’t worry, that’s a trick question.

Downcycling is just another name for recycling, taking used materials and products out of the waste stream and converting them into new materials. The “down-” prefix is used sometimes just to make the point that many recycled products are of lesser quality than the original.

A Better Way – recycling tips
This brings us to upcycling, which is exactly the opposite.
Upcycling is the process of converting waste into new materials or products of better quality.

As most of us work hard to reduce the amount of waste we create, it should be no surprise that upcycling has shown significant growth across the United States.

Recycling truck, China.

By Paul Louis (Own work) CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Upcycling is all around us.
One way to see the numbers is to take a look at www.Etsy.com, the site where artists and artisans can sell their handmade goods.

Etsy offers a mind-boggling variety of imaginative, beautiful and sometimes downright weird items.

Major Retailers Are on Board
Many outdoor companies, including REI, The North Face, Marmot and Patagonia, work hard to reduce their environmental impact.

Many of them sell fleece products made from recycled plastic bottles. (Why not? Fleece is made from polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, which is the same plastic from which the bottles are commonly made.)

A completely different kind of retailer, the French luxury-goods firm Hermès, also upcycles.

They use leftover material and damaged goods for a new line of specialty items.

For example, drawers are upholstered with damaged scarves, a defective handbag is turned into a clock and a flawed glass vase is cut in half to become a set of bookends.

The “Amazing” Possibilities of Upcycling
The biggest upcycler in the world is TerraCycle, (www.terracycle.com) which creates national recycling systems for previously non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle waste.

They convert the collected waste into a wide variety of products and materials. For example, they are devising ways to make textiles and plastic lumber from Capri Sun drink pouches, jackets from Doritos bags and luggage from energy bar wrappers.

When it comes to collecting recyclable and upcyclable materials, the business opportunities are “amazing,” said Gal Raz, associate professor at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

More at… The Examiner

Recycling tips and sustainability, what are your thoughts on the subject, do you have some amazing recycling tips you would like to share with our readers, if so please leave them in the comment section below and remember to click the share button, many thanks.

The post Recycling Tips appeared first on Environmental Design Solutions | Green Living Tips.