I try to put as little as possible in the bin that will end up as landfill. I'm always looking for ways to reuse, repair or repurpose items that might otherwise be thrown away. Even things that will eventually go into the recycling bin I'll try and find uses for before they are eventually discarded.
My husband loves his fizzy drinks so we tend to end up with a collection of empty plastic drink bottles. I've been looking for a way to make use of them and while standing in the greenhouse looking at some seedlings that were obviously feeling the cold I had a brainwave. Why not use those bottles to give each seedling its own mini propagater to keep it warm and help it along.
I took several clean, empty bottles and removed all the labelling but didn't worry about the bits of glue left on the sides. Then very carefully, starting with a craft knife but moving over to scissors as soon as I had made a slit in the plastic, I cut the bottles about a third of the way up from the bottom. I made some drainage holes in the base and cut a slit up the side of the top piece to help it fit back into place.
Then I filled the bases with some compost. Transplanted my seedlings into their new homes. Put the tops back on and returned them to the greenhouse where they are thriving.
As these seedlings grow on and eventually get planted out in the garden I hope to continue to reuse these mini propagaters many times and when they eventually fall apart on me they will still be suitable for recycling.