How to Creatively Recycle Plastic (VIDEO)

The invasiveness and damage of the plastic bags We all know them. Where do we start? From those 12 million tons of plastic, and microplastics, that pollute our oceans every year? Or from the 1,5 million animals that die after ingesting plastic? Or from the statistics linking the birth of children with disabilities or cancers linked precisely to traces of plastic in their mothers' bodies?

We also know that the Sustainable Development Goals (UN Agenda 2030) call for a significant reduction in plastic and its production. But the road to this goal is still long, and as we write, we are dealing with an annual plastic production of 380 million tons. The interesting fact about this gigantic production is its commercial use: 40 percent ends up being transformed into packaging.

All this means that our small daily gestures, a few good practices, a few new habits, can do much more than some stereotypical cliché from the politician of the moment chasing a green license. We are the ones who can waste less by reducing our plastic consumption, disposing of it properly, according to the rules of separate waste collection, thus allowing its recycling and reuse.

Among many disadvantages, in fact, plastic has an enormous advantage: it is one of the most recyclable materials, and its reuse includes entire categories, from clothing to furniture, just to stick to the domestic economy. Furthermore, we keep in mind that the plastic bags It is produced from crude oil, a limited resource, whose processing involves the emission of harmful pollutants. Here's why It is essential to recycle plastic correctly once its use is finished, not only to reduce the amount of waste but also to save non-renewable raw materials.

Photo credit | Facebook Dante Alighieri Middle School of Biadene

Plastic caps

I plastic caps can be reused to create an original DIY necklace, a bracelet for children or a magnet To personalize your refrigerator. But they can also be used to create original place cards, games for the little ones, or even actual "paintings" to display at home by simply gluing them carefully to a canvas. And, finally, they make lovely Christmas decorations.

Photo credit | Facebook Creative Recycling

Plastic bottles

Le plastic bottles Empty ones that you no longer need can instead become a curious placeholder, an ecological waste bin to place in the garden or in a bird feeder They can also be used to create a useful DIY shoe rack, vases, colorful pinwheels, and flowers perfect for decorating little corners of the house. And even maracas for the little ones to play with. Even nativity scenes.

Photo credit | Facebook Parish of San Castrese – Marano di Napoli

Yogurt pots

Have you ever thought that even such a simple waste can have a second use and not only in the kitchen? For example, yogurt pots they are perfect as measuring cups for flour or sugar They're essential for baking desserts, and in the garden they can be reused as seedling beds. They can be useful as containers for leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer, for tempera paints, or as pen holders. They can even be used to make a miniature nativity scene. And reuse liquid yogurt bottles to build a "recycler." DIY jump rope.

Photo credit | Facebook Creative recycling of “Marina” objects

Plastic cutlery

Le plastic cutlery can be reused instead to create a mirror or photo frame. Or to get labels to put in the garden to indicate the name of the various plants, place cards for the table and even a flower arrangement one of a kind. All this by unleashing imagination and creativity.

Bye Bye Plastic Book

In general, can you live without plastic? Giving up this material isn't impossible, as journalist Sophie Noucer, an environmentalist and mother of three, explains in a truly extraordinary book: Bye Bye Plastic (Il Punto d'Incontro editions).

Noucer's choice is at once radical and lighthearted, even ironic and self-deprecating. And it affects the entire sphere of our daily consumption: from food to cosmetics, from clothing to furniture, including toys and electrical and electronic products. It couldn't be otherwise, given that, as we've said, 40 percent of plastic is used for packaging. This is what we should eliminate. Or replace with a few simple and effective ideas, as Noucer suggests in her book.

Read also:

• South Africa: The waves are made of plastic and the ocean is overrun with waste (video)
• Plastic in the sea: soon we will have more waste than fish
• Fish dying because of plastic