What is recycling?
As energy resources are depleted worldwide, the sustainable use of resources is becoming increasingly important. The production material for furniture, small items and packaging for fast-moving consumer goods should not consume energy resources and should not involve human exploitation.
Another major problem is environmental pollution. The world population is increasing. Even though the level of education is increasing in various societies and in our society, awareness cannot be completely reduced to zero. Recycling awareness is an awareness that needs to be spread into society.
Proper management of the waste recycling and reuse process facilitates waste disposal and also streamlines the use of raw material resources.
Raising public awareness should begin at the primary education level. Sorting, recycling and sustainability training should be offered regularly in work areas such as factories and offices, and people should be educated about the topics and encouraged to put them into practice. There may not be adequate facilities for large-scale recycling efforts in all cases, but even waste separation is a good start.
What can you do as recycling?
The topic of recycling, for which social awareness is increasing, is becoming more and more on the agenda every day. Recycling not only requires recycling products into raw material form and setting up large facilities. Everyone can recycle within their individual possibilities. Areas such as schools, factories and offices are places where mass consumption takes place and the amount of waste increases in direct proportion.
In public areas such as schools and offices, there should be recycling stands that separate glass waste, plastic waste, household waste and paper waste. In the home environment, the products consumed should be categorized and separated according to their raw materials. For example, while used plastic water bottles are collected in a box, products made from glass raw material, such as soda bottles, should be stored in a separate box. These accumulated recyclables should be taken to collection points and recycled under appropriate conditions.
On a typical day, you use a lot of recyclable materials. However, because the concept of recycling is not sufficiently on your agenda, you fail to see the interesting transformations that are possible. We have put together very simple recycling ideas for you so that you can see how valuable a product is that you have made yourself and to protect the environment on an individual level.
Shipping packages are not garbage
If the products you purchased for your home were delivered to you in boxes by the freight company, do not throw away your boxes. Cardboard boxes are materials that are easy to shape and remain intact when not in contact with water. If you are using your boxes as a recycling project, the only material you will need is glue.
If your child enjoys playing with small racing cars, you can build a race track for their cars. You can have fun with your child by building some obstacles and ramp paths out of cardboard. You can also prepare an organizer for yourself using the folding method.
Safes as storage rooms
When you go shopping, walk carefully and look at your surroundings. Sturdy wooden fruit boxes can be waiting for you in front of greengrocers. Wooden boxes are the most useful and long-lasting recycled material. If you have a bed instead of a slatted frame in your bedroom, you may have storage space issues.
After cleaning and sanding the boxes you bought at the grocery store, you can use them to store items that you don’t use every day and don’t need to have on hand all the time. If you have a bed box and still need additional storage space for your belongings, you can also place the safes on your wardrobes.
Deep cleaning with a toothbrush
Toothbrushes, generally made from plastic materials, are, except in exceptional cases, recyclable items that everyone uses. Dental hygiene is very delicate; The mouth is the starting point of many bacterial diseases and viral infections. For this reason, you should use your toothbrush to clean your teeth, tongue and mouth for a maximum of three months.
When the three-month period you allot for your oral care routine is up, you can prepare a mixture of baking soda and water, leave your brush in it, and then use it in hard-to-reach corners when cleaning your bathroom. It is an ideal cleaner, especially for the shower cabin rolling mechanism.
Make candle holders with recycling
Using the materials you find in your daily life and the packaging of the products you routinely use and process, you can create aesthetically decorative recycled products. If you use a tin candlestick, which is considered packaging waste, it will surprise and delight you with its appearance.
Materials needed to make decorative candle holders:
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Can of tomato paste
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Rustproof waste wire
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A medium thick nail
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Lighter than a heat source
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Optional gouache paint and brush
Steps to Make a Decorative Candle Holder:
Stage 1: After the tomato paste inside is ready, the tin can is washed so that no residue remains. After washing, the sharp-edged and dangerous areas of the metal surfaces are smoothed out using a hammer.
Stage 2: With the help of a lighter, the medium-sized nail is heated, paying attention to the hand, and the heated nail is used to open holes in the can so that the light can spread. In addition, two opposite holes are opened at the top of the box for the wire to pass through.
Stage 3: The wire is cut to the desired length as a hanger and passed through two opposite holes in the top of the can.
Stage 4: Optionally, the tin surface can be painted with gouache paint in the desired color.
By following the steps above, a tomato paste can that is considered trash can be transformed into a functional can and flavored with a creative design.
Recently, adults also prefer the Montessori bed design for themselves. Wooden pallets, which are generally used to transport large packages in markets, are separated as waste after the goods transport process is completed.
You can fit as many wooden pallets in your living space as the size of your bed at home. By placing the pallets next to each other and among each other, the height from the ground is quite low, as recommended in the Montessori system.
If the pallets are in poor condition, you may need to sand and paint them. If the wood look doesn’t match the decoration of your room, you can also paint it in the color you want. Pallets are often used to make balcony and garden furniture with the same processing steps.
Recycling ideas that can generate income
The advance of technology and the gradual improvement of conditions, as well as the increasing practicality of society in various issues, have accelerated consumption rather than production. Recycling also allows the conversion of a consumed product into production. A product made from recycled materials can take a commercial form. The best example of this is making wedding invitations and brochures from paper waste.
We have listed the steps of this process for you.
1) A durable perforated screen is attached to a wooden frame of the desired size with nails. This prepared sieve mechanism is used for the filtration process. To ensure long-term use, it is recommended to prepare a sieve made of durable materials.
2) Take a rectangular bucket of warm water, the size of which is proportional to the prepared wooden sieve, and put small torn waste papers into it. If you want to color it, you can add dye at this time.
3) Continue the process by hand mixing the added waste paper until a doughy consistency is achieved. A stir stick can also be used; However, it is easier to see by hand whether the pulp has reached the right consistency.
4) The dough-like paper waste is placed on the sieve by squeezing it and the excess water is drained off. 5. Allow the stuck layer dough to dry on a suitable surface. It’s that easy to prepare invitations that resemble old stationery. When you make recycling a lifestyle, it is a concept that is expressed in all your daily activities and hobbies.
