Living on a budget is no easy feat; as such; it is common to look for opportunities to earn an extra dollar. It’s already mid-year, a time when you may be doing the first big house cleaning of the year. While at it, take a moment to think carefully before deciding to get rid of your “trash”. From unworn clothes and unwanted gifts to old CDs and broken gadgets, your home probably abounds with items just sitting around unused and taking up valuable cupboard space. It’s time to change your perspective! Items that may seem worthless, may with the small act of reusing or upcycling, save valuable landfill space, reduce pollution, conserve resources and help to make your world clean and livable.

In this week’s article, let’s look at some great tips and ideas to turn your trash into treasure with the technique of “upcycling” – a term that simply means reusing (discarded objects or material) to create a product of higher quality or value. It is also a way to save you some cash. Do you have any old tires lying around the yard or in storage? Reuse or upcycle them! Tires can be used in many ways to make beautiful patio furniture which can save you big, just by adding a coat of paint.

Another great idea is collect and reuse old wooden pallets. These can be transformed in to great furniture in and around the home. Besides furniture, possibilities for upcycling are endless. Do you have lots of books and hardly any space to store them? Try collecting heavy duty cable spools and transform them into a great store space. Moving on to all those unwanted glass and plastic bottles sitting under the kitchen sink. Did you know? It takes several litres of water to produce just one 1-liter bottle! By reusing plastic bottles you can start an excellent hobby. Cut and use plastic bottles as hanging baskets for flowers and pots for other plants around the home and the office. Pockets from those old jeans can be removed and used as storage for those small items that you always seem to misplace; they can also be used as racks to hang shoes and tools in the home.
One man’s trash is certainly another man’s treasure. There are great step-by-step videos and other media on the internet to get you started on these ideas. Your first attempt might not be that perfect or look as good as the ones you see in the picture but practice makes perfect. Here at the EPA, we would be happy to help you with some more tips or advice on how to perfect your skill. Feel free to share you upcycling projects with us at our Facebook page at Environmental Protection Agency, Guyana.

ACTIVITY OF THE WEEK
Soda bottle plant hangers
A hanging bottle planter is a great way to reuse an empty plastic bottle. Not only does it prevent bottles from ending up in garbage cans, it is also an easy project that can help you hang plants all around your house in creative ways. Moreover, it takes less than 15-minutes to convert an ordinary bottle into a hanging planter!
Materials: An empty plastic bottle; a permanent marker; a blade/craft knife/scissors; rope/string; soil and seedling.

Steps:
1. Remove the bottom of the bottle by cutting.
2. Rough edges can be masked with insulation tape for added colour and style.
3. Make 4 holes (at an equal distance apart) near the mouth of the bottle. Now pass the rope through these holes to make two loops to hang the planter.
4. Gently push the roots of the plant (celery, lettuce, tomato, basil are examples of suitable plants) into the drinking spout (neck) of the bottle.
5. Fill the bottle with soil, gently packing it around the roots of the plant.
6. Hand the bottle-planter so that the plant’s shoots are upside down.
7. Think of ways you can personalize your planter e.g. painting it; gluing scrap cloth onto it etc.
8. Hang your planter where it can get sunlight and try to water regularly or as needed.

Share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O EIT Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com or you can contact the Agency on 225-5467-9.

Source: http://inhabitat.com/how-to-make-a-hanging-planter-with-a-recycled-plastic-pop-bottle/
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/craft-ideas/how-to/g139/genius-upcycling-ideas/