Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, is a slogan we all must have heard at least once. It means trying and reducing the waste generated, reusing something that we think may not be of any further use but can still serve some purpose, and recycling waste items to obtain something from them. We will inform you about some of the innovative best out of waste ideas in this article.
24 Innovative Best Out of Waste Ideas
We have all seen people on social media posting photos of fairy lights in their room or some homemade tool that helps them with some common purpose, etc. Once we are through with our list of innovative best out of waste ideas you too will see a lot of potential items lying around in your homes that can be turned into something great.
1. Lamp
Showpieces can be costly and getting multiple such items to decorate the house can cost you a handsome amount of money. If you are low on budget or want to avoid this spending you can get yourself a homemade lamp by using cardboard egg cartons, spray paint, chicken wire, LED light string, floral wire, and scissors.
Almost all these items can be found lying around your home. You need to cut individual egg holders and stick them up in the shape you like. The LED light goes inside the structure, and then place the light bulbs in the gaps in the egg carton structure using chicken wire, and tie them up with floral wire. And there you have your lamp made out of waste.
2. Egg Carton and Spoon Lamp
If you can get your hands on an old tire, a sharp knife, and a wooden dowel then you can get yourself an umbrella stand or rather a tire umbrella stand.
Find a place for the tire stand in your home where your new umbrella stand can sit like the unique piece of decoration that it is. Put the wooden dowels through the tire and from these holes you can now put your umbrellas in your new stand.
Make as many holes as required and make sure to have holes that are not too wide or narrow for the umbrellas to fit. You can also opt to go for spoons instead of egg cartons.
You would need large plastic spoons, a bulb with a holder, a knife, and glue. Just as you created a structure from the egg carton you now do the same with plastic spoons and put the light in the center. Spray paint or leave the spoons as they are as per your wish. While an egg carton gives you a table lamp with spoons you can go for a hanging lamp or a low-budget chandelier.
3. Storage Box
All of us at one point have found ourselves being short of space to store things well, all that can change with one of the top innovative best out of waste ideas which is to use a shoe box to make a storage box.
Get yourself a shoebox cover it up with decorative sheets and you can also attach a leather strip if you want to. Label these boxes by the purpose you will use them for.
The final result will look like a hand purse or an elegant bag that you can stack or keep on a shelf to add to the beauty of your room.
4. Candle Holder and Glass Lights
If you are looking to light up your room with candles or fairy lights then the best thing to do would be to put them in a glass jar and hang them or place them on a shelf in your room.
All you have to do is get yourself a used jar or a few of them. Then you decorate them with leaves, colorful translucent paper, or other such decorative material. Once you are done decorating the jar, place the light or candle in the jar and let it light up your room.
5. Stationary Holder and Kitchen Stand
We spoke about storage issues which can be solved by shoe boxes and glass jars that can be used to decorate your room. But now we use jars to make up a storage container or rather a stationary holder. If you are looking for the best out of waste ideas, try this one out.
Get yourself Mason jars and decorate them as per your wish using paints, spray cans, or any other material you like. Once done you can now start putting in things like pens, pencils, and all the other stationery items in it. You have now not just got a stationary holder but also a cute little showpiece that can add to the look of your room or desk.
You can also opt to have a kitchen supply holder where all your spoons and knives can go. Get yourself a cardboard box and cardboard roles. Stick the rolls to each other with the glue gun then stick them to the cardboard sheet.
Paint or decorate as per your wish. Now you have a two-sided crockery holder to take care of your kitchen supplies. An easier alternative would be to get a can of olive oil or a cold drink which you cut open and decorate as per your wish. You can simply start storing items in it.
6. Hanging Spice Box
We have all seen a cold drink crate and there are quite a few ways that one can be used. By using a driller, nails, and a picture hanger a cold drink crate can be turned into a hanging spice holder.
Just as you would have a cabinet or a photo hanging on a kitchen wall you hand up the crate and then you start putting in bottles of spice in each section. Not only do you end up saving space in your kitchen drawers but also end up decorating your kitchen if you go with some decoration work on the crate.
7. Fridge Magnet
Almost everyone is guilty of getting fridge magnets as a souvenir for friends and family when out of town or country on a trip. But why waste money on them when one of the best innovative best out of waste ideas can help you make such stuff at home? All you need is small magnets, caps of glass-bottle cold drinks, fevicol, and decoration items.
Paint, spray paint, or decorate the caps as per your wish and then stick the magnet on their inside part with the fevicol and then place them on the fridge. Just like that, you have got yourself a homemade souvenir which is even more inexpensive than before.
8. Jewelry Hanger
Get a metal or plastic hanger, spray paints, screws, a drilling machine, and twine. Now drill a hole in an empty wall and fit a screw in there. Leave some space for the hanger to hang on it.
Now place your necklaces, earrings, and other accessories on the hanger. Tie the twine in the center by tying the loose ends on both sides of the hanger and use this extra space for smaller jewelry items.
This can now be your jewelry organizer and you can get rid of the box where you had to stuff away all these pretty items. You can also have such an arrangement in the washroom next to the mirror for accessibility purposes. Now, let us cover some easy best out of waste ideas.
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Easy Best Out of Waste
We saw quite a few innovative ideas above to make the best out of waste, however, DIY might not be the easiest task for anyone and everyone and so we will now look at some of the easy best out of waste ideas that will make life easier for everyone interested.
1. Bottle Art
There are a few ways a bottle can be used to decorate the home but the easiest way would be to get a nicely shaped alcohol or cold drink bottle.
This bottle then can be painted or decorated with craft paper and whatnot and can be left to sit on a rack or something. If you are not good with art and craft, then you could get magic balls.
Fill the bottle with water and put the magic balls inside and let them grow, once they have grown this bottle of yours will now boast a nice decorative look.
2. Make a Bookmark
Not only is it easy but also one of the best innovative best out of waste ideas that we have to offer. We all have old magazines, marriage invites, papers, etc. lying around the home.
Use these and cut them up in any shape you want. Now paint it or stick colorful decorative items on it to give it a nicer appearance. Maybe go ahead and even write a quote or two on it.
Feel free to go overboard with decorations, add a ribbon if you want to, or cut the paper in the shape of a fruit, animal, or some other object.
3. Bangle Holder
DIY can’t get any easier than this. You have seen above the idea to make holders with jars, cans, and cardboard but none might be as easy as making one out of bangles.
You simply get the same-sized bangles and cut a piece of cardboard as per its side. This will form your base. Next up glue all the bangles together and stack them.
You can use bangles made of plastic, glass, metal, etc. but make sure to use bangles of the same size. Once it has dried your holder is ready. This idea belongs on this list of the best out of waste ideas.
4. Saree Tablecloths
Old clothes can be used for more purposes than serving just as dusting cloth. Sarees have beautiful decorative work done on them like embroidery or brocading or more.
This makes them ideal for being used as a tablecloth, mat, or even cover. Imagine a table cover with a Zari border, how beautiful would that look? So you don’t just make the best out of waste here, but you also end up decorating your dining table and giving it a classy look.
5. Teacup Candleholder and Mirror Candleholder
In many instances, a teacup can go bad on the inside while the exterior can remain the same. Such a cup can be used for better purposes rather than being disposed of.
One of the things you could do with such a cup is to convert them into a teacup candle holder. Fill the cup with wax and add your favorite fragrance to it.
Don’t forget to insert a wick in the center. You don’t have to stop at one; you could create a set of such holders using all the cups from your china set and then you can place these holders on your dining table, at your doorstep, or in other places where you wish to add something decorative.
You can also use a mirror as a base for a candle. Mirrors come in a lot of shapes and sizes choose the one you like the most, smoothen the edges and fit them in a frame and place a candle in the center. The showpiece cum candleholder is now ready.
6. Jean Utility Cabinet
One of the best innovative best out of waste ideas that would also be easy to proceed with would be to use jeans and convert them into a cupboard organizer.
Just because old jeans don’t fit you anymore doesn’t mean it needs to be thrown off, they can be used to fit other things. Men’s jeans have so many pockets these pockets can now hold stationery items, accessories, crockery items, etc.
You can add more pockets if you want to store more items. All you need to do is pass a small rope from the belt holder and tie up the jeans or you could place it on a hanger and go about using your newfound utility cabinet.
7. Glass Jar Photo Frame
Spending money on something like a photo frame may feel like a waste of money, especially once we tell you how you can make one at home from waste items. Get an old jar and now cut the photo to the size of the jar.
Using glue to stick the photo inside the jar. Add one photo or multiple photos to cover the whole jar. Now feel free to hang the jar or just place it on a nightstand. If the frame feels plain then go crazy with some art and craft bits and paint it or stick decorative items to add to its look.
8. Bottle Piggy Bank
You don’t need to spend on a piggy bank ever again because you can simply craft one at home. You just need an old plastic bottle that you can cut into. Make a good that is big enough for coins and notes to pass through. It is one of the most innovative best out of waste ideas.
The next part would be to get creative with your imagination and think about what you want your piggy bank to look like. You can stick four bottle caps below it to make them animal legs or vehicle tires.
Then paint them accordingly and add ears, eyes, and nose or side mirrors and lights to give it a more complete look. Let us now check out some best out of waste ideas for competitions.
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Best Out of Waste Ideas for Competitions
So now that we are past looking at innovative ideas and easy ideas it is now time for the more serious stuff. We will now look at the very serious category of best out of waste ideas for competitions that usually your kid’s school might organize now and then.
1. Bag from an Old T-shirt
This is a simple idea with an even simpler approach. Get an old t-shirt and tie it up or staple up all the open ends in such a way that things can’t fall off it but leave the headspace untouched.
Also, leave a little space in both hand holes from where you can pass a small rope that becomes the carry string of your backpack. Tie the rope after having passed it from both ends and now this bag is ready to wear and store stuff. This is a classic idea and deserves a spot on this list of best out of waste ideas.
2. CD Fish
CDs aren’t of much use these days and so you could find a lot of them lying around your home serving their retirement days, you can bring those out of retirement by turning them into a CD fish.
Cover up the CD in glitter and then cut craft paper in the shapes of its tall, fin, and lips and stick them accordingly. Stick a poppy eye or paint one. Now show it off at the competition and then later you can also put a thread through the CD and hang it in the home as a decorative item.
3. Tin Can Chime
An idea that is not just easy or competitive but also happens to be one of the best innovative best out of waste ideas is a tin can chime. The idea is simple to execute and you can start by collecting a few cans of different sizes and shapes.
Make a small hole at one end and then pass a small rope through it and tie it up in such a way that the rope doesn’t come back out. Now do these with all the cans and tie their loose ends to a common point or different points but make sure to keep the cans close to each other. Now let the wind do its work. To make the cans attractive you can even paint or decorate them.
4. Milk Carton Vehicle
Take a milk carton and turn it into a vehicle, sounds fun? Decide what kind of vehicle you want to create and paint the carton accordingly. Take four bottle caps and fit them beneath the carton as vehicle tires would be.
Now add details such as windows, drivers, doors, etc. by painting them or by sticking stickers of the same. This is not just an idea for competition but can later on also be used as a showpiece in the kitchen or hallway.
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5. Shoebox Maze
Shoe boxes seem to have multiple uses even after no longer being used to store shoes. You could create storage bags using them as mentioned above or you could simply create a maze or pinball game inside it.
To create a maze, you would need to stick popsicles to create a path through which the ball can pass. As for pinball, it would be a bit more complicated as you would have to use rubber bands and stuff.
However, you can paint the box and give the game a theme just as they have one on computers and mobiles. This creation is no longer just for competition you can play with it as well in your spare time. If you are looking for creative best out of waste ideas, you should definitely give this one a try.
6. Recycled Paper from Wastepaper
The article started with the mention of reducing, reusing, and recycling and so what better than using wastepaper and reusing it once it has been recycled? All you have to do is collect lots of wastepaper and then soak it in water till they have gotten very pulpy.
Now take this pulpy paper out of the water and press it to be as thin as possible and let it rest on the drain overnight. Next morning, Voila – you can see the recycled paper that you toiled for.
Using this idea, you don’t just impress the judges of the competition but also come up with a really good practical idea that you can use in your day-to-day life over and over again.
7. Milk Carton Bird House
Milk carton also seems to have several uses once it has been drained of milk. One of the best innovative best out of waste ideas involving a milk carton is to make a birdhouse from them.
You might not be able to give a crow or piston a house but you can surely help out sparrows. Cut an opening in the carton to make an entry place for the bird. Pass a string through the roof of the birdhouse or on top of the carton so that it can be hung on a tree.
Pass a spoon through the carton just below the entry point so that you can place food or water on it for the bird. You can also decorate the carton by giving it a nice paint job.
8. Beach Bottle
Empty bottles can be used for a lot of things once they have served their primary purpose. One of the best innovative ideas involving a bottle would be to put lots of sand in it.
Then add a few other beach elements to it like seashells, tiny pebbles, or maybe even a small boat or ship model if you have one and can fit it in. Not close the cork and place the bottle on a stand. Impress the judges in the competition and later let it pose as a real showpiece at your home.
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And with that, the long list of innovative best out of waste ideas comes to an end. These ideas might be some of the easiest that you will come across. You can always think out of the box to do something with waste stuff and make the best out of it. You might end up creating something that can end up being of use in your daily life.
