Our recycling bin disappeared last month. We'd put it out with our recycling, as we do about once a month or so, and when we came out in the morning, it was gone. (So was the recycling).
What on earth happened? Multiple theories abound:
- A giant wind blew it away. (Contradictory evidence: there was no wind, and all of the other recycling bins up and down the street were still present and accounted for.)
- Someone stole it. (Contradictory evidence: it's very easy to get recycling bins for free, and this recycling bin in particular was beaten up and starting to fall apart, so probably not high on people's wish lists.)
- The recycling people took it, because it was so beaten up, it was easier to toss in the truck as-is than to empty and replace. (This is our pet theory.)
My neighbors pointed out that we could get a replacement from the county waste management system, but since I don't like bringing new plastic into my life when I can find more eco-friendly alternatives, of course I opted for Plan B: make my own.
I haven't done a painting project in for–effer, and even though it would be perfectly fine to have a regular old cardboard box as a recycling bin, I decided to make a recycling bin that would be beautiful. Well, at least, beautiful to me.
I began with a large box rescued from work. I think it had been used to ship masks to our campus. Prewash and I brought it home one hot and muggy day, and I set to work on transforming it.
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| A handle!!! It's very . . . handy. |
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| Heat guns help to remove stickers. (Probably not necessary, since I painted the box, but fun). |
Not shown: cutting recycling stencils out of newspaper.
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| Newspaper stencil in three pieces, stuck on with (magic) water!! |
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| Paint the box green, over the stencil. |
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| Remove the newspaper stencil. ooh! looks good! |
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| Adding cow spots, so that the recycling bin matches the house. Very important to be "matchy matchy". |
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| Add a ferocious guard dog to protect the recycling bin. (Anyone who comes close gets covered in dog hair.) |
Now we're ready to put out recycling again, when we eventually need to. Phew!
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