Global Recycling Day is celebrated every year on March 18. It is a recycling initiative that inspires us to look at our waste from the other side. There are several ways to recycle, allowing some materials to be reused multiple times. Recycling is good for us and the environment because it reduces the energy we use, improves the quality of the water and air we breathe and combats climate change.
To give this day a little extra spice, we have three creative DIY’s to transform your garden or balcony into a beautiful green oasis.
DIY 1: Recycle residual waste into a nutritious compost pile
Pay due attention to the compost pile or bin. Then you will avoid creating greenhouse gases.
- Ensure good ventilation. Provide enough air throughout the compost pile. You do this by turning the compost pile over every six weeks.
- Provide plenty of variety. A compost pile should be as varied as possible: moist and dry material, limp and firm, coarse and fine, carbon-rich (sawdust, prunings, straw, tree leaves) and nitrogen-rich (grass, manure, yard waste). If you have a lot of yard waste, add it to the compost pile in portions rather than all at once.
- Provide enough moisture. The compost pile should not get too wet or too dry. A little water now and then is fine, but too much rain washes out nutrients or creates a lack of air in the compost pile. So do not place the compost pile under a shelter, or in an open field. Under a tree, half sheltered from the sun and rain is a really good place.
DIY 2: Recycle your plastic bottles into planters or mini vegetable garden
Plants not only look beautiful but also provide clean air and a better state of mind. Moreover, you can concentrate better and work more productively in an environment with plants. Having plants in your room increases your focus span during an exhausting task, such as studying or working from home. Here’s how to create such a green wall.
- Collect as many PET bottles as possible.
- Clean the bottles and remove the label if necessary.
- Cut a 10 cm rectangle in the side of the bottles
- Fill the bottles with potting soil
- Put seeds of your favourite plants and flowers under the soil
- Secure hooks or tie a rope to the bottles
- Hang them in a semi-sunny spot
- Check the plants daily and water them as needed
DIY 3: Creative with cork
Can’t you see the forest for the trees in your herb garden? No problem, we have found the perfect sustainable solution. The idea is simple: collect as many corks as you need. Write the name of the plant or herb on them and stick a stick in the middle. Now all you have to do is stick the pricker in the right pot, and you’ll never sprinkle mint on your pizza again. 😉
Het Faire Oosten recycles with you!
We also think it is very important that the brands we sell are also concerned with recycling. For example, we have sunglasses from Parafina. They produce their eyewear with 100% recycled materials that would otherwise have ended up in the ocean, such as PET bottles, rubber tires, soda cans and cork stoppers.
Susan Bijl does not stay behind in this list either. Since the end of 2019, all fabrics used are made from recycled materials. The nylon is mostly made from fishing nets, but also from pre-consumer textile waste and computer chips. The modern designs are timeless and of beautiful quality.
Lastly, we are very proud to sell MAIUM’s beautiful sustainable clothing. MAIUM is known for its contemporary and innovative timeless design. Best of all, their rainwear is made from used plastic bottles and is produced without harmful substances.
