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Recycle cycle - collecting recyclables for crafts

by Jummy

When I was a child, there was a television show that had a segment where a crafty man would go around the neighbourhood on his bicycle and rescue things put in the garbage and turn them into interesting crafts.

Snippets of the jingle that accompanied his segment went something like this:

There was an artist one day
Who said “We all throw away
so much trash it will soon reach the sky!”
He thought ‘Now I’ll do my part
recycle junk into art, and maybe then the garbage won’t be so high’

The artist jumped on his bike–
you’ll try it too if you like!
And maybe then the garbage won’t be too high

Recycle cycle
Coming down the road
Recycle cycle
Your recyle code’s
To find a treasure
Thrown into a bin
Recycle cycle
And use it over again!

While I can’t say I used many recyclables for crafts back when I was young (I stuck to mostly paper crafts), I can say that I was made more aware of the need to think of alternate uses of things before throwing them away. If you have children especially, the following items are worth washing out and keeping for crafts:

  • empty tin cans (perfect for decorating to make a pencil cup/holder, a container to wrap gifts in, a musical instrument)
  • single serving yogurt cups (can be painted and decorated and used as mini planting pots, or filled with lentils, sealed securely and voila: homemade maracas!)
  • popsicle sticks (why buy them when you can save them! These are handy for spreading glue or stirring paint, or can be used along with glue to create structures)
  • empty kleenex boxes (one of the main faces of the box can be cut out and a diorama can be created within, or the box can be decorated on the outside and used as a piggy bank)
  • store catalogues (great for collages)
  • fabric scraps (can be used to make doll clothing, to decorate cards or scrapbooks, be sewn to make small bean bags for games).

What household recyclables do you collect for crafting?

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One Response to “Recycle cycle - collecting recyclables for crafts”

  1. Linsee Says:

    I used to LOVE that show!!

    Do you remember what it was called?

    Thanks!!

Leave a Reply


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