Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle

I have to admit -- I save stuff. I always have. Rarely do I throw out a gift bag, piece of ribbon, bubble wrap, or piece of furniture. I even save rubber bands and twist ties! For awhile I tried to break myself of this habit. I thought perhaps I was a hoarder -- and on several occasions have forced myself to throw things out.

We're in a different environment now. The troubled economy has us all thinking twice about what we purchase and, at the same time, what we throw away. Perhaps we will re-upholster the sofa rather than get a new one. Or maybe exhaust the local thrift shops and second-hand stores for clothes before buying new.

Reusing and repurposing items is eco-friendly. The Internet makes this easier than ever to do! We're no longer limited to yard sales, thrift stores and vintage clothing shops. We now have Craigslist, Ebay and FreeCycle. Some communities even have a "put and take" section at the dump. I know many treasures have been found at the transfer station in my town!

In housing we can take this even further. When taking on a renovation project think hard about what can be reused, recycled, repurposed and, finally, thrown out. In New England we have a perfect example of repurposing in the form of the beautiful stone walls that line the countryside. Anyone who has ever gardened in Massachusetts knows the raw material for these walls comes directly from the act of digging in the soil! If you're remodeling a kitchen why not post your old appliances and cabinets on Craigslist or Freecycle? You may not like your old white appliances, but for someone without a working stove, color is not as important. Finally, many of the materials removed in demolition, such as carpet and drywall, can be recycled.

So the next time you go to throw something out, think about it's potential for reuse. One man's trash is definitely another man's treasure!