Go Green And Be Crafty With These 6 Ideas For Recycling This Holiday Season

Having a green household saves money and resources while reducing waste. These projects can get the whole family involved.

1) Newspapers. Photo Courtesy of Penny’s Daybook. Everyone enjoys a good chuckle, so reuse your local Sunday newspaper's comics section to wrap your presents this year. Wrapping a gift for a puzzle fanatic? Use the crossword pages. Add a pretty touch by tieing it up a with a reusable bow.

2) Milk Cartons. Snip off the tops of paper milk cartons and use them to plant pine tree seedlings. The carton will protect your seedlings, withstand the weather and degrade as the tree grows. You can even have your kids decorate them to make them more appealing.

3) Glass Jars & Take-out Containers. Photo Courtesy of Natural Baby. These holders have 1,001 uses around your home, from storing ingredients like loose grains or leftovers, or small items like twist-ties and votive candles—all lined up they make for pretty decorations. For other organizing tips, read our kitchen article, 5 ways to organize your kitchen.

4) Bottle Tops & Jar Lids. Taking out your extra chairs for company but want to protect your floors from scuffs? Simply place saved bottle tops and jar lids under the legs.

5) CDs. Photo Courtesy of Crafts by Amanda. After guests get their holiday drinks from

your new bar cart, they'll start looking for a place to set them down. Prevent water rings on your coffee table with CD coasters. Recycle your old CDs by stenciling them with festive designs.

6) Crayons. Photo Courtesy of Brit Co. When cleaning out your child’s playroom, broken crayons are one of the first items to go. But wait! Instead, melt the crayon bits to create holiday candles as centerpieces for your dinner party. Use a recycled glass container as your base, melt the crayons and then pour around a wick, tilting the holder as you add different colors. These homemade candles also make great gifts.

Inspired to be more green? Our Green Home FAQs will show you how to get started.

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