Reuse household items over and over again

Malaysians are producing 38,000 tonnes of daily wastes to the landfill nationwide, according to the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp). That amount is equivalent to seven Olympic-size swimming pools! Landfills produce a lot of Methane gases, which contributes to global warming. Reuse most household items to keep them out of landfills.

Shopping Bags

Bring your shopping bags when going shopping and start living with less plastic. You can wash and reuse them for future trips.

Glass Jars

In America, more than 12 million tonnes of glass is thrown away to landfills. We can use glass jars to store dry foods and spices. You can also store food leftovers in glass jars.

Old Clothing

Instead of throwing the old clothing, you can cut the fabric into small pieces to make a pet’s cushion. You can also reuse them as cleaning towels or dusters. With a simple sewing skill, you may make kids’ trousers.

Plastic Food Containers

It is wise to bring your food containers to buy takeaways. However, when you order food delivery, you don’t have the option. You can reuse those plastic food containers to store herbs and stationery.

Plastic Soda Bottles

I collect plastic soda bottles to make a DIY watering system for my plants. One 1.5L soda bottle can water the plant for three days. It saves my time to do daily watering.

Gift Bags

Reuse the gift bag for future occasions if you receive a gift in a gift bag. Hands up for Furoshiki, the Japanese method of fabric wrapping! You can reuse that piece of fabric more than a hundred times. My former neighbour used the fabric passed down by her mother.

Reuse the wrapping paper to line kitchen drawers and study tables. You can also save it for next year.

Used Toothbrush

Reuse the old toothbrush to clean hard-to-reach areas like the sink corner, the drain, faucets and grout.

Newspapers

Reuse newspapers to wrap glasses. They are excellent helpers to prevent mould in cabinets. They are great food for worms. Shred them into pieces and mix in the compost pile will do the job.

Next time, before you trash something out of your house, think twice about whether you can use it for other purposes.

Oh, yea. There are many creative ways you can reuse plastic bags. Carry a reusable water bottle when travelling, so you don’t need to buy water at destinations. Bring your cutlery from home to stop using disposable cutlery.