15+ Gifted People Who Gave a Second Life to Things They Didn’t Want Anymore

If you have old stuff you don’t want in your home anymore, don’t rush to throw it away. When we looked through the r/ZeroWaste group on Reddit, we realized that old junk can be turned into really cool, useful things instead of ending up in a landfill. Cat beds, shopping bags, hats, shorts, and even curtains — the participants of this group made these and other beautiful things from scraps, and we are truly impressed.

We at Bright Side love the idea of recycling, and we selected 16 recycling projects that we hope can inspire you to give new life to unwanted things you have at home.

1. “I turned my dad’s old jeans into a bucket hat and shorts.”

2. “A reusable shopping bag I crocheted out of plastic bags”

3. “I started saving old fabrics/textiles that didn’t seem nice enough for resale. Finally used them to make this pet bed!”

4. “A zero-waste soap dish from a coconut I ate”

5. “I made a rug! 6 flat and 3 fitted sheets were kept from ending up in a landfill.”

6. “Here’s my rice bag. I love using this since it’s heavy-duty and waterproof too (which means it’s easy to clean).”

7. “I made a fox from old clothes, and the filling is shredded fabric scraps.”

8. “From ruined jeans to an area rug”

9. “I made a quilt using old T-shirts.”

10. “Grapefruit netting turned into a scrubber!”

11. “Empty Amazon boxes from Christmas — saved myself $6 and useless packaging.”

12. “Worn jeans turned into scrunchies”

13. “An old duvet cover repurposed into curtains”

14. “I repurposed a fleece jacket to make a snuffle mat for the pup.”

15. “Fabric samples were turned into a funky grocery bag.”

16. “I turned a used cardigan back to yarn and crocheted the yarn into a cat bed.”

Do you recycle old things into something new? Share your recycling projects and ideas in the comments!