Repurposing Your Glass Recyclables

Before you toss your glass recyclables in the curbside recycle bin, you may want to consider whether or not you can put some of them to good use yourself. There are a lot of creative ways you can use them for something else, and this article will give you a couple ideas on just some of the different things you can do with them.

Make glass piggy banks

If you have small glass bottles like the type that many cold coffee drinks come in, then you can use them to make some adorable looking piggy banks. The first thing you want to do is wash and dry the bottle and the lid. Then, paint the outside of the bottle and the lid a light pink color and allow it to dry.

You can use a screwdriver to pound a slot big enough for coins to fit into the lid with the lid setting on a piece of wood. Use a file to file away sharp edges left on it after the process. Use a black permanent marker to draw eyes and a pig nose and mouth onto the center of the bottle. Once you put the lid on, your piggy bank is complete.

Make night lights for your bathroom

You can take your medium- to large-sized glass jars and turn them into beautiful night lights for your bathroom. Remove the label, wash and dry the jar and the lid. Fill the jar with glass beads or decorative glass stones that are a mixture of clear ones and another color of your choosing. Take a small battery operated candle and set it in the glass rocks upside down, so the plastic flame is actually going down into the rocks a little bit.

Paint the lid a color that matches the color of some of the glass stones. Take a piece of ribbon in this same color and tie it around the center of the glass jar. Once the lid is dry, you can turn the switch on the bottom of the candle (which can be easily done since it is upside down) and put the lid on the jar. Now you can enjoy the soft light that bounces off the glass stones.

After you have a good time making these items, you may find that you are able to come up with other ideas that you can do with your glass recyclables. After you have made sure you set enough aside for your projects, you can put the rest in the curbside recycle bin.

For curbside recycling, contact a company such as Industrial Services Inc.

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