The kitchen is where most of the waste we create happens. These 15 recycling hacks can help you save money and reduce your waste by making something new out of things you were going to throw away.

I grew up in Oregon where recycling was part of the everyday routine. We always did it. When I moved, it was a lot harder to do because of the special rules and separate facilities. No glass, no plastic bags, and on and on. So, I had to get a little creative.

That’s why I was so excited to see the new Energizer EcoAdvanced batteries at Walmart. It is the first battery on the market to use recycled batteries/materials and is Energizer’s longest lasting alkaline ever!

It makes it easy to reduce, recycle and reuse everyday without even thinking about it. Learn more about this new technology at BringingInnovation.net.

15 Ways to Reuse Your Trash in the Kitchen

I love making new things out of something old or that you are just going to throw away. That’s why these ideas are genius because they don’t just help you reuse things, they make your life better, more organized, more convenient!

Glass

1. Store spices in baby food jars. They are easier to measure out of and you can easily make labels for them with dot stickers or paint the lids with chalk paint.

2. Buy bulk spices which are cheaper and store them in larger glass jars like mason jars.

3. You can also use small jars to help you peel lots of garlic easily.

4. Mason Jars can be used with your blender. Just fill it with whatever you want blended and screw the blade right on the jar for individual sized drinks, small portions of dip, even baby food.

5. You could get really fancy and rent a glass cutter to make drinking glasses out of empty glass bottles and vases out of wine bottles. Maybe go in with a friend or the neighbors and do everyone’s glass all at once.

Plastic Bottles

6. Milk jugs can be turned into so many things. How about a watering can for the kids or maybe a scoop for pet food?

7. Make a sprinkler out of a 2 liter of soda. The kids will love it in the summer time!

8. Cut plastic water bottles in half and use the top to seal open bags of food and snacks.

9. Cut out a hole in the side and fill with birdseed for an easy bird feeder.

10. All sorts of planters can be made with all different shapes and sizes of plastic bottles; hanging planters, outdoor, and indoor.

Misc. Trash

11. Save those containers from yogurt, sour cream, and others. You can easily remove the label with some nail polish remover or peanut butter and wash them out to store food or anything else.

12. Speaking of containers, cans from coffee or nuts are great to store odds and ends in.

13. I like to reuse peanut butter jars for extra craft supplies. The clear plastic helps me see exactly what I have.

14. If I had a dime for every pair of rubber gloves I went through, well I wouldn’t be rich, but I go through a lot. Now, I turn those into big rubber bands.

A photo posted by Janine LaTulippe (@trueaimedu) on Aug 29, 2014 at 3:56pm PDT

15. Plastic bags are the worst! Save those for craft projects. You can make so many things by turning them into yarn and weaving them into bags, mats, even a jump rope.

Is there anything that you reuse in the kitchen? Share with #BringingInnovation, I’d love to hear about it!

The post 15 Recycling Hacks for the Kitchen: Make Old Things New first appeared on True Aim.