Save the planet, Save pennies - Recycle, Upcycle, Repurpose

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(Edited)

Growing up in a family where there was more love and laughter than pennies, I remember my Ouma carefully unpicking Oupa's worn-out pants, cutting a pattern to make smaller pants for my four brothers. The discarded worn-out pieces by the bum were used to apply Nugget and shine up shoes, or used to apply Brasso to the treasured brass or silver ornaments.

My Ouma was recycling out of necessity without even knowing she was actually helping save the planet, like plastic, tin, and glass containers were all kept and re-used for many purposes.

That is how I remember the years of growing up; my Mom and Dad did the same with my Dad inventing all kinds of useful items out of scrap.

I believe there was way more respect for the earth back in those days as one would never dream of simply discarding useful waste into the bin, nor dream of tossing stuff out the car, bus or train windows!

Fast forward to today

Despite the knowledge we have now, we hear of whales starving to death because of consuming plastic and fishing lines which become like a large hard ball inside their stomachs; all because of man discarding refuse on the beaches and from ships as well! This naturally affects marine life in general!

I did not realize just how much stuff I recycle until I opened up my pantry cupboard, and started looking at old photos, some from old Hive posts. Ordinary food cans make quaint loaves of bread perfect for bunny chow, a Durban specialty which is a hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with a spicy curry. It can also be sliced into perfectly round slices while still hot with loads of butter melting into the bread.

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Food cans, as well as beverage cans, are accepted at recycling depots nowadays, with many people selling them to help them buy their daily bread. Aluminum, and steel, can be recycled over and over.

We have a really good refuse dumping site with different areas for garden refuse, glass, paper, plastic, electronic goods, and more, so I collect all of those. I was surprised to see that our domestic worker was collecting the beverage cans that she sells, obviously helping fill the gaps just before payday, or to buy little treats!
As we run a BnB, there are many cans that most guests place in a specially marked bin, but of course, some still toss them into the waste bin!

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I keep most glass bottles, remove the labels and use them for making marmalade or lemon curd which I often pass on to friends; they're also perfect for making one's own sprouts.

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The ones I don't use, are stored in the store room and taken to the refuse dump when the store room is overflowing with recyclable waste.

Plastic bottles are perfect for dry pantry staples.

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Pretty wine bottles can be re-used to make herbal wines and other concoctions to give away as gifts; you can make your own label and laminate it so the ink doesn't run.
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Smaller plastic containers are perfect shakers for whipping eggs for a quick omelette or in this instance, for my crumbed chicken to be dipped before they're coated in crumbs.

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The tops of 5 litre plastic bottles are cut off and the base is ideal for repotting herbs or other plants, one just needs to poke a few holes in the base for drainage; this is thyme and rosemary I'm nurturing for a friend to take home.

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I even have uses for the 500ml plastic beverage bottles, top cut off to make a funnel so I don't mess the strained oil I re-use a couple of times, and the bottom piece makes a cute plastic juice glass, LOL!

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If you have a gym or health fanatic in the home, those large plastic protein shake containers are perfect for rusks and cookies. As you can see here, I only have smaller containers left so it will soon be time to bake. Anyone for tea and cookies, or want to join me and dunk a rusk in a good cup of coffee?
I even keep the small plastic containers that come with takeaway food. These are especially good for storing small quantities of leftover dips, etc. I use them when we take short breakaways for condiments, saves on packaging space.

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The plastic containers for sweeteners are great for cookies and also for making shields which I did when Covid was at its worst and we had to clean the bnb units. Masks & the plastic shields were part of our covid armour ;)

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Plastic bags have many uses; here I used them for crushing cornflakes as I make my own crumbs for crumbed chicken.

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Here in South Africa we collect bread tags which are collected and sold by an organization to buy wheelchairs, but of course many tags are needed. They have recently started collecting plastic bottle tops as well for this purpose.

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We recycle rainwater by collecting all the roof water in our two JoJo tanks and use it in the garden, to wash the car and also used it for washing clothes immediately after the awful storm that destroyed much of our infrastructure in April. The tanks were full and we had more than enough to share with friends and neighbours.
Some people install filters and connect them to their waterpipes for use in the house, but that is a costly exercise. This tank is next to our bnb cottage so that kind of system could be installed here, but our other tank catches rainwater from the garage. Unfortunately our garden layout is such that we cannot install another one next to the house.

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Empty cardboard boxes like this tea box make ideal gift boxes by covering it in gift wrap.

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Heavy-duty paper bags from my favourite online store that deliver groceries within 60 minutes, can be returned to them for recycling, but I find it way too useful for many things, although the pile is growing, so I guess it will also have to go to the paper waste at our local dump! No, I don't have to, I can simply give it back to them next time they deliver as they will recycle it!

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A gift from my friend @artywink, a beautiful macrame made with recycled cloth, makes the perfect home for a pot containing dried proteas.

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Our gardener made this for us as a gift one Christmas, it's an art that our Zulu people are known for; they use coloured telephone wire to weave beautiful patterns on bottles.

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I still recycle clothes, not like my Ouma did; they're either outdated or I've outgrown them, much to my horror! I pass it on to our domestic worker who gives it away to people who really need it.

I'll end off with a beautiful gift from one of our regular guests. She used an old enamel bowl and made a pretty succulent garden.

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I hope my ineligible entry has given you some recycling ideas, but I look forward to see what you do with your recyclable waste in our Blog of the Month - June 2022!

Remember the deadline, so there's still time:

The contest closes at midnight GMT (also known as UTC) on Monday 13 June and the winners will be announced later the following week.


Original Content by @lizelle
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84 comments
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Each photo that I'm looking at left me in awe my friend. It's just so heartwarming to note that you are very resourceful at home. They're not just simple crafts, they're truly astounding. Might try the first one, the one in can, I mean the bread. Thankss for these wonderful ideas of yours.

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Thank you for reading my blog @leticiafelize, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Those tins are great for baking.

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I couldn't help but giggle when I saw the penis bread!

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Oh my God oh my God oh my God I totally wasn't going to say anything but your comment is the funniest one and on top of it I seen this first so I got to throw you a vote for making me crack up...

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Blame it on @meesterboom, my poor loaves of bread! At least they rose nicely🤣🤣
I never made that last comment 🙈

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Lalalalalala I didn't hear anything...

I'm gonna go giggle and smoke weed...

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LOL, enjoy😊

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Of course!!! It's going to be an amazing day. Wild yesterday I'll write about it soon.

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Once you see it you can't unsee it!!! 😀😀

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Yep & now I even imagine those pennies in my title is implying something else😅
Thank you for the chuckle @meesterboom, I hope my team don't dethrone me after this😉

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LoL bet everyone is loving this post. It's awesome... Keep it up! Comedy gold right here...

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Yeah man!!! Some lucky girl is really going to smile when she gets those...

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🤣🤣🤣 I've never looked at them like that @meesterboom, I'll never look at those loaves with the same eyes again...blush blush blush...I'll have to mute my own post in Silver Bloggers or else🙈 Trust a man to see that!
Looks like they've been circumcised as well! My poor bread😅

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It did look like they have been circumcised!! I was thinking, ooer, Lizelle is getting a bit racey!!! 🤣🤣

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LOL. I've never expected someone with rich imagination would think of the bread like that.
Indeed, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 😁

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Yes indeed, the beholder has a lot to answer for at times!

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(Edited)

I never, in my wildest dreams saw them like that! Now that it's been given that name, I don't know if I'll ever bake in those tins again, without cracking up. My family will think I've lost all my marbles if I burst out in crazy laughter at my gorgeous little loaves.
@meesterboom has a vivid imagination for sure!👀

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:O)

I think I am going to bake some in that tin! Lol

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We want to see your pics, but don't forget the cans need loads of cooking spray or your bread will get stuck, don't want them to break up now!
Oh dear, I must say your wild imagination had me chuckling today, I needed that!
Enjoy the coming week😉

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Hehe, I will oil them well!!

Lol, it made me chuckle q lot this weekend too and the Missus when I showed her!

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I'm sure you could write up a hilarious comic skit around these breads! Glad your wife also had a good chuckle😅

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Thank you for your witness vote!
Have a !BEER on me!
To Opt-Out of my witness beer program just comment STOP below

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Wow this post is awesome. I love reusing as much as I can. I had one cupboard full of jars and it was almost annoying but I don't have to buy containers to store things.

I almost always buy used clothing and items but I think I know what to do with some of it. I need a hanging plant so if I can figure out the macrame thing I'm doing it. Also love the telephone wire bottles. They're so cool!

And your can bread is over the top amazing. Never would have crossed my mind but I love it!!!!!😊

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I'm so glad you enjoyed it Carolyn! I honestly thought I was not going to have much to talk about so was very surprised to discover all these things.
I made those little loaves for the old steemit sandwich contest a long while back. Now @meesterboom who has a wicked sense of humour is making me envision all kinds of stuff, my poor bread😅

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I love all these ideas.

I am always hesitant to let any glass jar go. I do not like how many companies have changed their products to be sold in plastic through the years, even the acidic products. I sometimes keep the jars and when I get something like vinegar or the such that now comes in plastic, I transfer it to a glass container.

I have seen the idea to use the bottle tops for funnels, but I had forgotten about it.

I enjoyed this post.

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I was surprised ro see just how many things I've been recycling!
Yes, I'm also reluctant to let go of those glass bottles & totally agree about plastic not being good containers for stuff like vinegar.
Thank you so much for your nice comments Jacey🤗

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Wow that's impressive way too reuse so much of all of the stuff that you have currently.

Absolutely phenomenal job thank you very much for your post.

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Thank you @ganjafarmer...and for adding to the chuckles 🤣

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oh my word, you are a recycling warrior!!!

And I was going to say what a good idea it is to bake bread in tins and I might try it myself. Then I saw @meesterboom's comment. I'm having second thoughts now 😄

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Lol, it's worth it for the novelty factor!! :0D

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LOL, my beautiful little loaves of bread have been desecrated by @meesterboom! Hubby thinks I'm crazy as I'm killing myself laughing at my phone as I have a vivid imagination 😅 🤣.
Thank you for popping in & adding to the fun! I'd never seen those loaves like that🙈
As for recycling, I honestly thought I was not going to have too much to say till I started looking around.
Maybe you have some good ideas to share @livinguktaiwan?
Just no funny stuff! My team may just mute my comments😅

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Don't do it!!! @livinguktaiwan Boom will be over to XRate your post too! On second thought, let's see if yours looks... circumcized. That will be interesting to see if you get the same results.

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They made me laugh about the bread.

It's amazing all the things you have and that help you to recycle, I like everything but more the flower pots pendant made with macrame. how beautiful it is,

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LOL, my beautiful bread got mocked, but at least @meesterboom gave me a good chuckle.
That macrame is lovely, they were very popular when I young and are making a comeback now again🤗 Thank you Carolina xxx

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Wow, I knew it was possible to reuse some things, but I never imagined such a number and variety of things! Very cool!
Came from Listnerds.
!ALIVE

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Thank you @stdd, I was also surprised once I started looking around the house I need to hop over to Listnerds some time

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🙌🧡💙💜💚🙌

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Some cracking recycling tips there @lizelle. Love the tins for making bread with. Think i'll be definitely putting that into practice as it looks just the size for one person. Thanks for sharing.

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They a perfect for single people, can freeze them as well!

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You have lots of great ideas for recycling. I would never have thought to use recycle cans for baking. Thanks for sharing.

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My granny used to bake small Christmas cakes in them, it bakes beautifully!
Thank you for your nice comments @rcaine

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Wow my friend, those bread cans look like circumcised ....um....bread, very innovative indeed. Lol, love it.
I've never tried that before, will have to give it a try.
Lovely post, thanks for sharing.
Gave me a whole new look on recycling. Hehe!!

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Oh boy, my poor bread, I'd never seen them like that, so if I make bread in those cans again, I don't know if I'll be able to have a bite let alone slice it ever again.🤣
They did rise beautifully though!
LOL I likely will think twice about taking photos next time I bake anything in it! It's great for baking little Christmas cakes to give away to friends.
Thank you for popping in my friend😉

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OMG! Now you are X rated!! 🤣

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I love all your recycling ideas. Many of them are ones that I make myself.
And I've never seen bunny chow before, but it looks delicious, despite all the funny comments you got 🤣🤣🤣

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I think once we look around the home, we find many items that are recycled, like the patchwork quilt @devania showed us!
Oh dear, I'd never looked at my tin breads like that but I had such a good laugh, will never be able to look at them and not have those visions again🤣
Our bunny chows usually is a quarter loaf of normal bread that is hollowed out and filled with a spicy curry, the scooped out section is used as a 'lid' and also to mop up all the gravy. It's really delicious, my tin breads were just the right size and I thought they were beautiful...till yesterday...my family will think I've lost all my marbles if I burst out laughing next time I make them🤣🤣🤣
Thanks for stopping by @coquicoin 🤗

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We are indeed surrounded by recycled stuff. At least in my house, it's like that too.
Haha! Next time you make those bread for your family and friends, the topic of the day will be your post on the "penis bread" 🤣🤣.
Have a lovely week, Lizzie! 🤗

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(Edited)

I've not laughed so much at my phone as I did when my beautiful bread got a new name. My imagination started taking off right there, I think one could write a real comedy skit.
I mean, once I saw the circumcision, then thought of how the dough has to be lovingly kneaded, left to rise in a warm place, needs to be put into a well-oiled pan, left to rise again before putting it into the oven and make sure that oven is hot ;)
Hubby thought I had lost all my marbles as the story grew in my head ;) Anyway, I needed a good old laugh; glad you enjoyed it as well and not reported me to SBC for improper behaviour ;)
I've never ever thought of those little loaves like that, but now that I see what @meesterboom saw, that image will stay forever, so like you say, I'll have to tell the family why that special bread makes me laugh so much, or else they will definitely think this old gal has lost it ;)
Even my post title caught my eye - pennies could be...you know what...

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Yep, you can make a whole story with them, haha. And I assure you that if you make a video explaining how you make them it will go viral, lol. And you're right down to the title, with no intention you have done a pun.
It's been really funny your post with the string of comments, so thank you so much for the laughs🤣🤣.

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Oh now you've got me giggling again; can you just imagine saving 'you know what' and recycling, upcycling and repurposing them...I'm going to stop right there LOL!

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You have some great ideas for reusing things that would be thrown away. I can remember my mum reusing old jam jars when we made her own jams and chutney. My dad used jam jars for keeping screws in. And us kids used them for collecting bugs!

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LOL, the bugs in a bottle reminds me of my brothers, they used to poke holes in the lids so the bugs could breathe😉
I'd forgotten about all the recycled storage stuff that's come in handy in hubby's garage as well!
Thank you for stopping by @kaazoom 🤗

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Brought up in a era when there were no pennies to spare, learning to use everything similar to what you have been brought up to do.

Nice full list given, so many things people are able to do in saving the planet from wasteful abundance of waste.

What local residents down our way prepare coffee bottles as picture reflects, feeding scheme which really costs little to nothing when many join in.

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Waste not want not in a throw away world of today, I have found huge pieces of plastic in uncleaned tripe I purchase for the dogs, very healthy for them raw! Stinky cutting into bite size pieces 🙃

!LUV

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That's a great idea Joan! Have you written a #bom, need not be a long one? These are the kind if ideas we're looking for.😉👌

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Not got around to writing as much as I would love, have some bookkeeping matters to get under control. Popping in and out every so often.

Have a wonderful evening, Oh do take a look at the moon!

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Thank you for telling me to look at the moon last night, I love seeing those rings around it! Did you see the stunning sunrise this morning? The colours were amazing!

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Tried to capture the halo effect, sure enough the cool weather greeted us this morning. A glimpse of sunrise yesterday morning through the trees, ground heavy with dew, we do not have a great sunrise view.

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OMG! I cannot get past the penis bread! I was doing fine and then Boom @meesterboom went ahead and stated the obvious! blushes Okay, not so obvious, but there it is, staring at you... and well. I am just going to vote and run before I say any more.

(I do love the post!)

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That's all I see every time I look at it but I hope he makes a sourdough version! LOL

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Haha! I hope so too!!!! :))

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Love this @lizelle And many of these things I do and teach to others.

I have told my son many times, about how my childhood in the uk was not 'disposable'. We returned everything and received money back as an incentive.

Thank you for sharing these great idea.

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Great stuff, you're so right as the future generation are the ones who need to be taught to think before they just toss stuff into the garbage bin!
So many still simply do not think about the consequences of their actions!

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