Although you should recycle plastic milk jugs by taking them to the recycling center or placing them on the curb for recycling pick-up, not everyone does. One way to recycle these gallon plastic milk jugs is to reuse them for other handy purposes.

Here are 10 tips for reusing plastic milk jugs:

Scooper

For an easy way to scoop up kitty litter, dirt or anything else, cut off the top of milk jug right above the handle. You can then hold onto the handle and scoop up whatever you need to.

Bird Feeder

Instead of buying an expensive bird feeder try making your own! After rinsing out the container, cut two holes on the two sides that are away from the handle. Remove the cap and wrap wire around the top, and then replace the cap. Hang the container from a tree and fill it with bird seed.

Piggy Bank

With the lid on the top of the milk jug, cut a small slit opposite of the handle and drop in your change. You can even use markers, paint or stickers to decorate your piggy bank.

Meat Separator

It’s never good to see your hamburger patties sticking together once they’ve been in the freezer. To prevent this from happening you can cut the milk container into small circles or squares and place them between the patties.

Yarn Dispenser

Cut the top of the milk container off just enough so a ball of yarn and your hand can fit into the hole. Once the ball of yarn is in take the end of the yarn and bring it through the handle of the milk jug. This is a great way to keep the yarn from getting tangled together!

Dustpan

With the lid still on, turn the milk jug container upside down and cut the top off at an angle. This is a great alternative to traditional dustpans.

Funnel

This is one of the easiest homemade funnels to make. All that you need to do is to cut off the bottom of the milk jug right below the handle, turn it upside down and pour.

Plant Base

Instead of buying a potted plant base or saucer you can just off the bottom of the milk jug and place the pot inside.

Plastic Bag Dispenser

Cut a small hole across from the handle and then put in your plastic bags. You can take the bags out one by one from the hole whenever you need one.

Toilet Bowl Brush/Plunger Holder

Cut a hole across from the handle that’s big enough for the toilet bowl cleaner or plunger to fit through.

Here are my top 3 strategies for being prepared for surviving such disasters:

Gain more knowledge and skills for disaster preparedness

Becoming prepared starts with becoming aware of the risks. What risks are the most prominent in your area? Is it in an earthquake zone? Is your home nearby a forest, which might be prone to a forest fire? Is there a Nuclear Power Plant nearby? First, you need to be aware of the risks.

Then, you need to learn more about managing those risks. How can you build a shelter if you have a risk of radioactive fallout? How do you deal with a small fire which started in your home? How can you apply first aid techniques if you -or someone you love- gets injured? What do you do if an earthquake happens? You should all the relevant information and training, relevant to your situation.

Get proper equipment for disaster preparedness

Think about all the equipment you will need in case of emergency. Think about 3-day storage of food and water, sanitation supplies, first aid, basic camping equipment for all your family along with maps and compass, whistle and signal mirror etc. Depending on your situation, your survival kit contents will vary. But you need to be able to survive at least for 3 days, if you cannot stay in your home for any kind of disaster.

Build a secondary shelter for long-term preparedness

Many disaster scenarios also exist, where surviving for 3 days is not enough. For example, if there is a threat of a contagious deadly disease in your city, your best option would be to leave your home for 3-6 months. Therefore, you need a secondary place which you can live for that time if need be. The best option would be some simple cabin in the country, where you can grow your own food and store it in a root cellar. If you like gardening and natural living, you can do it as a hobby during weekends. And if anything wrong happens, you know where to stay.

Ozer Tayiz is a modern renaissance man, who has multiple interests and expertise, including disaster preparedness, ecological living, permaculture and ecovillage design, civil engineering, building natural buildings, and self-sufficiency. He made it his mission to promote self-reliant, natural, ecological lifestyles, and the knowledge that supports such lifestyles.

For people who want to stop using plastic bags, a green solution is now available. A group of researchers from the Malaysian Universiti Teknologi Petronas have invented an alternative to plastic that is soluble in water. The award winning material is called Greenphyllic Water-Soluble Degradable Plastic.

The project, which has been dubbed “Eco-Plast”, short for “eco-friendly plastic-like material”, has already received a number of awards and accolades, including the Gold Medal at the prestigious Belgian Trade Fair for Technological Innovation. According to Prof. Ramiah, who headed the team of researchers, winning the award has increased the project’s potential for commercialization.

Eco-Plast is a synthetic polymer made from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a colourless, flammable resin which is soluble in water. The resin is used as a component in emulsifiers and adhesives. It is also the raw material for the preparation of several other resins. In addition to being water-soluble, PVA also has other qualities desirable of a plastic. It has good tensile strength, flexibility and a high aroma and oxygen barrier.

Eco-Plast can be dissolved in water at room temperature. The water which is used will contain no toxic waste or other harmful or hazardous elements. The material is well suited to make carrier bags, pack medical pills and a number of other purposes for which plastic is currently used.

Another alternative is cotton bags, woven into an attractive design that is 100% bio-degradable and earth friendly. – By Tom V Powell