Trash to Treasure Crafts

From Sherri Osborn,
Your Guide to Family Crafts.
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Creative and fun ideas for recycling trash into crafts!

Not only is recycling good for the environment, it can help save you money, and, with the projects posted here, you can find out how to recycle creatively! Using the ideas presented here, you can transform baby food jars, paper bags, orphaned socks, and several other items into crafty masterpieces.

Make sure any items you recycle into crafts are clean and dry - most can be washed in hot soapy water. You should also make sure there are no sharp edges or small parts which may pose a choking hazard for younger kids. Simply make sure you use common sense before you use your imagination!

Please enjoy this ever-growing list of great ideas for recycling items you might normally throw away to create great craft projects, games, and more. Click on the desired item below to find a collection of great recycling ideas.

Bags
There are some wonderful crafts you can make using old paper or plastic bags.

All shapes and sizes of bags can be used.

Beans and Seeds
Crafts are a great way to use up old and/or expired beans and seeds. Not only can you use up old beans, but also stale sunflower seeds and clean watermelon seeds.
- Bean and Seed Crafts

Cans
Cans are not only available in a variety of shapes and sizes, but also in a variety of materials. You can craft using sturdy tin cans, flexible aluminum cans, and also round cardboard cans like those that hold juice, oatmeal, and even potato chips.

Cardboard and Boxes
I think boxes have been a craft staple since they were invented - the creative possibilities for re-using shoe boxes and large, corrugated boxes are almost endless. Cardboard pieces can also be very useful in your crafts.

Cardboard Tubes
While you might think this listing should be included in the cardboard listing because, well, they are cardboard, the popularity of crafting with empty toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls is so popular I thought it deserved it's own listing!
- Cardboard Tube Crafts

Compact Disks
Some of us have large collections of these crafting gems, although they don't seem to send as many in the mail as they used to - at least to some of us! Don't throw them away, same the CDs and the cases they come in and you can make some beautiful crafts.
- CD Crafts
- CD Case Crafts

Film Containers and Pill Bottles
As the popularity of digital cameras is growing, most people's stick-pile of empty film containers is shrinking; however, you can usually substitute prescription pill bottles for use in crafts in place of film containers.
- Film Container and Pill Bottle Crafts

Greeting Cards
Who can stand to toss out beautiful greeting cards after an occasion has passed? Not me! Instead, you can transform them using craft techniques and your imagination.
- Greeting Card Crafts

Jars and Bottles
While you will want to be careful while working with glass jars, you will enjoy the variety of projects you can make. You can also recycle plastic bottles and jars using creative techniques.

Kitchen and Tableware
There are many ways you can recycle old paper, plastic, styrofoam, and other tableware. Check out all the ideas below!.

Laundry Scoops
Here are some inspiring ideas for using the little plastic scoops that come along with powdered laundry soap.
- Laundry Scoop Crafts

Lids and Caps
Bottle caps, jar lids, frozen-juice can covers, and plastic tub lids can all be used to make crafts. You can make everything from simple matching games to fancy jewelry and useful refrigerator magnets.

Light Bulbs
A trash can is not a good place for burned out light bulbs so why not incorporate them into your crafts?
- Light Bulb Crafts

Packing Peanuts
I don't know about you, but I do not like the thought of simply throwing away those little, styrofoam peanuts that are sometimes used to fill the gaps in packed boxes. Besides reusing them when mailing a package, you can try to make fun crafts out of them.
- Packing Peanut Crafts

Puzzle and Game Pieces
Whenever you come across an orphaned puzzle or game piece, set it aside because they can make fun embellishment items or even the base of some unique craft projects.
- Puzzle and Game Piece Crafts

Reading Material
Whether you purchase the reading material, such as newspaper and magazines, or you receive them unsolicited in the mail, such as catalogs and flyers, you should start saving them for use in a variety of projects.
- Magazine - Catalog Crafts
- Newspaper Crafts

Wearables
Here are some fun ways you can recycle old items you can't or won't wear anymore. A perfect way to reuse outgrown clothing or orphaned gloves and socks.

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