The EPA says that the most effective way to reduce waste is to not create it in the first place. Making a new product requires raw materials from the earth, consuming energy and creating greenhouse gases to fabricate the product and transport it to wherever it is to be sold.
Recycling is defined as waste material set aside to be reused or the action of converting waste into
reusable material (Oxford Languages). The first part of this definition requires material to be heated,
melted, and reconstituted. The second part of this definition requires reusing the item over and over.
Recycling works when we reduce the amount that goes to our landfills such as reusing bags, buying in bulk or looking for packages that are not double wrapped or bagged. Recycling is effective if we are not buying the same packaging repeatedly such as glass.
Reusing is defined as using more than once (Oxford Languages). We could reuse glass jars for
refrigerator pickling and making ginger beer or giving all glassware to local artists. Reusing bags, paper, wrapping paper, boxes, shipping peanuts and Styrofoam conserves our resources by cutting down landfill and preventing us from buying new. Think about cutting up holiday cards to reuse as gift tags. Using something multiple times shrinks our carbon footprint. When we buy items that we want to last, we create a culture of passing things down rather than one of disposable products. We pass down and exchange items rather than sending then to the landfill.
Repurposing takes an existing item and uses it in a new way. This is where recycling meets creativity.
Furniture makeovers are a great way to curate an original home. Did you inherit an old secretary or
Hoosier? How about using it as a linen closet or bar. Have an old rickety ladder? Cut it into sections and lay it flat against a wall for a book/DVD case or turn it horizontally for a bridge across two bookcases in hanging outdoor gear. An old piano bench makes a great sewing bench with essentials tucked inside. Chances are that you used an old trunk at one time for a coffee table, but have you thought of turning it into an office storage file? Just add a hanging folder frame at the bottom and sliding drawer organizers inside and then all you have to do is open the trunk when you work.
Rockridge furniture in California even repurposed a piano into a bookcase (https://rockridgefurniture.com/30-creative-ways-to-repurpose-reuse-old-stuff/)
Other ideas for repurposing furniture include
Use a door as a headboard
Hang an antique rug on the wall
Use a picture frame to display antique ribbon chokers or collars
How about an antique bookcase or armoire as a bar
Suitcases into a nightstand
Old vanity or nightstand as a sink or an island
A wide chest of drawers as a credenza, a nightstand as a printer stand
It is encouraging to see new generations shifting toward long lasting products. Millennials are obsessed with preserving old furniture, citing originality of the pieces and the “built to last” construction of 50+ year old furniture. Many Millennials move often and need the furniture to last. Also, they don’t care about matching sets, instead striving toward artisan spaces with conversations over the latest DIY piece. Generation Z is now repurposing furniture turning them into entirely new creations.
There are so many great benefits from recycling, reusing, or repurposing furniture. It minimizes the use of natural resources, it reduces landfill waste, and it inspires creativity and saves money by using already owned products instead of buying new. WHEN YOU’RE IN NEED FOR FURNITURE OR DECOR, WE RECOMMEND YOU STOP BY YOUR FAVORITE LOCAL ANTIQUE SHOPS AND THRIFT
STORES BEFORE BUYING NEW. Be a part of the stewardship ethos.