Finds From the Recycle Center

More Great Gleanings

If you're lucky enough to have a recycle or freecycle system in your town, cherish it. We had one, but people abused the privilege, and it was closed down.

The amount of stuff people would drop off was astounding, from perfectly good furniture (although I draw the line at mattresses) to household goods, plant pots and all kinds of unexpected things.

I looked there for plastic bowls or anything else that would work as a mold for hypertufa, including glass lamp shades to make globes or spheres with. Baskets are also something to look for, to use as molds.

One funny experience I had was when I spotted a great little night stand, and had to sit on it to keep someone else from dragging it away!

I was extremely disappointed to hear that our recycle center would be closing. The city's solution? Take your recyclable furniture and building materials to the Habitat For Humanity Re Store in town.

Not quite the same, as they charge money for anything that you want - the beauty of the recycle center was that it was free, both to drop off and take.

It kept all that stuff out of the landfill, and gave us the opportunity to make something useful out of trash.

Here are a few of the treasures that I saved from the Recycle Center;

One item that always catches my eye is a hand made tool caddy. Add a twig and a custom paint job, and you've got something totally unique.

This table wasn't painted when I found it, but it was fun to dabble and decorate it.

Screens in various sizes intended for sifting soil or compost - what a find! Someone spent a lot of time constructing these.

A completely metal wheelbarrow is perfect for a moveable fire pit - just make sure that there are no wooden or rubber parts to melt or burn.

Galvanized metal fire buckets, presumably used for ashes from the fireplace - they're beautiful as-is, or you could plant them with annual flowers for a seasonal display.

Root or twig baskets - these are often found in the recycle center, I assume because no-one knows what to do with them, and they're too beautiful to throw away. I use them for molds when I make hypertufa (among other things).

Flower pots that absolutely insist on a paint job.

Rusty antique foot from a bathtub - with only one, it makes a great door stop.

Bed frames make great gates.

Stripped down to bare bones, this Imperial Loyalist chair is ready for a makeover.

Wooden trivet makes a great decorative element on the Eggporeum.

Wire bicycle basket - hmm. Wonder how it would look with some beads and wire made into handles?

So if you're lucky enough to live in a progressive community that gives items like this the possibility of a new life, utilize it!

The one in my town stopped the service as it got abused by people trying to avoid the tipping fee associated with recycling things like washing machines.

It was also being used by nefarious types to obtain items there that were subsequently sold on street corners, with the proceeds going to a sketchy lifestyle.

If there isn't such a thing, try the free Facebook pages to start something with things to trade, or support the thrift stores in your area, especially if they donate to a good cause like Hospital Auxilliary Thrift Stores, Salvation Army, or others.

The few cents you pay for a basket goes to feeding a hungry person, or to buy important machines for health care.

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