It is so important to recycle. One of my personal goals this year is to recycle. Yes, this may seem like a minor goal, but it’s an important one. It’s also a more than attainable goal because recycle centers are not hard to find. Obviously, this will take a little more effort of consciousness on my part, but it’s an effort which helps our planet and will teach my children to do the same. When we moved into our house on base we never received a cycle bin. They had apparently ran out of recycle bins for any new residents moving in. Long story short, recycle bins are an easy way to keep recycling items organized. I thought to myself “why not make your own recycle bins?”

I wish I could say there was a lot of thought that went into this project but I was honestly going for easy and simple. Easy because the bins need to be functional for easy transportation to and from the recycle center. Simple because the bins need to not be an eye sore in my dining room/kitchen area. Oh, and I forgot to mention I wanted something frugal which means I naturally thought of the clear storage bins at Wal-Mart. They cost less than $5 each and can be reused for storage purposes when we move. (Being a military family means you’re always thinking about the future a.k.a. moving)

First, I looked up what categories recycling centers separate their items by. This helped me figure out how many containers I needed to buy and how they would fit into my kitchen area. My recycle bins are for: glass, metal, paper, and plastic. My glass recycle bin container is the smallest because we don’t use many glass products to recycle. To create my recycle bins I bought my 4 containers, a large black poster board paper, and a pack of metallic sharpie markers. I already had both tape and a hot glue gun at home to paste the designs on the containers. I took my items home and got to work! To create your own recycle bins you will need:

                                                                                                      – Four 58 quart containers

– One 22×28 poster board

– tape and/or glue gun

– 2-3 marker colors

Once you have you necessary items for your project you will:

1) Measure and cut your poster board paper into what ever design or shape you want displayed on the front of your bins.

2) Write your recycle bin category on each of the poster board cut outs using your bold marker colors. (Try using marker colors that will stand out on whatever color poster board you are using)

3) Using your hot glue gun and/or tape, individually attach your poster board cut out label to the front of each of your containers.

4) Place your containers in whatever section of your home you want them and you’re finished!

If you would like to take the project up a notch: line your containers with a plastic or paper that can be recycled as well for easy clean up. You can also decorate the containers themselves with additional colors and designs if they are too plain for your personal liking.

I told you guys this is an easy project! Not only is it easy to do, but we get to help play an important role in saving the planet too. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.  If you make your own DIY recycle bins please drop a picture in the comment section below!

Brie <3