Share with Tetra Pak your top tips for creative and original environmentally - friendly things in the home: you could win a £250 voucher! NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

We have been asked by the team at Tetra Pak, (the world's leading supplier of food processing and packaging systems) to find out your top tips for reducing the impact your home and life has on the environment. They would love to hear the creative things you do to recycle and reduce the amount of waste your family produce.

Tetra Pak says, "you may know that our company was founded upon the principle that 'a package should save more than it costs'. Our cartons are found on shop shelves and in kitchen cupboards all over the country. They hold everyday items we all depend on, from fruit juice and milk to chopped tomatoes.

"As well as this, our cartons offer a number of environmental benefits; not only are they made primarily from wood - which is a renewable resource - they are also widely recyclable across the UK. With over 90% of UK local authorities now offering a carton recycling service, and 57% of local authorities helping people to recycle their cartons from home, recycling Tetra Pak cartons has never been more straightforward.

“In addition, the special layers in our cartons mean that they protect the goodness of contents inside for longer, reducing waste without any need for added preservatives. They also don't need to be kept in the fridge until opened, meaning they can be stored in your cupboards for added convenience".

You may also know that Tetra Pak has launched a new interactive recycling map to help you find out more about carton recycling in your area.

Find out more: www.tetrapakrecycling.co.uk/locator.asp

To help promote the recycling of its own cartons - Tetra Pak would now love to hear about your most creative and inventive tips and tricks for being 'green' at home.

Maybe you learnt an amazing tip from Mumsnet, or came up with your very own way of, for example, reducing food waste in your home? What’s the most creative way you've found to recycle your household waste? What family activities have you done to make recycling fun for your children? What would you recommend to other families to make recycling even easier? What everyday household objects were you surprised to find that you could recycle?

Whatever it is, please share it on this thread – add your comment and you’ll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £250 voucher for John Lewis/Waitrose.

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

[TheHouseatWhoCorner]

My DD(6) did a recycling project for school last week.
Her idea was to turn a drink bottle into a megaphone.
I suspect that her idea won't be winning us this prize.

[IncaAztec]

Maybe you learnt an amazing tip from Mumsnet, or came up with your very own way of, for example, reducing food waste in your home? What’s the most creative way you've found to recycle your household waste? What family activities have you done to make recycling fun for your children? What would you recommend to other families to make recycling even easier? What everyday household objects were you surprised to find that you could recycle?

Best way of recycling formula tins was taught to us by DD's nursery, they make them into photo albums with photos on the sides and inside. Kids love to look at them. To make recycling easier I would suggest buying those green sacks and a proper indoor compost bin. I was suprised to find out that you can recycle whole t.v.s (as told to me by the man at the tip!). I've yet to involve my children in recycling as they are too young (yet!)

[PurpleCrazyHorse]

I've re-used beer bottles into small vases but wrapping PVA glue soaked yarn around them. I've even made little flowers out of wire and left over bits of felt plus a button in the middle. Makes a cute and low maintenance display ideal for our boring and hardly used downstairs loo. Actual plants don't stand a chance as I forget they're there.

We also re-use baby food jars for spices, buttons, screws, goggly eyes and other small items.

I've never tried re-using a tetrapak though but Cardiff council do include them in the kerbside recycling, so they're recycled via that.

[RhinosAreFatUnicorns]

We menu plan so have reduced our food wastage massively. Plus we have a Labrador who of course eats anything :)

My husband uses the laundry tablet containers for all his screws, bolts etc.

I never use bags when buying veg, preferring to buy them loose.

Glass jam jars are given to the lady in the village who makes marmalade.

I reuse cardboard boxes and padded envelopes when I'm selling on eBay. All clothes are either sold, ebayed or donated to the charity shop.

Other bits are used for junk modelling. Cardboard tubes are given to the dog as they are the best toy ever!

[JarOfDaffs]

My old / odd socks are recycled to make mittens and shoe-to-ankle snow covers for the baby / toddler in winter.

[CathBookworm]

We have reduced food waste by shopping online, no more impulse buys and we plan exactly what we will eat each day. We have recently had a big clean out at home, meaning several trips to the local waste/recycling centre with our toddler , who even at his young age seemed fascinated that we can reuse things instead of just throwing them away!

[manfalou]

Use empty squeezey tomato ketchup etc bottles to store paint in if you use powder paint.... you can mix it and keep it in an easily accessible pot.

We only cook for what we need and have little food waste.

We do seem to get ALOT of recycle but we have two bins in the kitchen, red for food waste, black for recyclable products. Our eldest now know that plastic, paper etc go in the black bin and food plus some packets in the red, if he's unsure he always asks which to put it in.

[lozster]

Happily my council collects practically everything I can think of for recycling. In addition I do try to get an extra use out of things. Loads of good ideas on here already but in addition I keep bottles of Marmite or tomato sauce that I can't squeeze anything more out of, and rinse them out with hot water to add to a stew or casserole. Also in the kitchen, I reuse cereal pack liners as sandwich bags or as bags to mix and shake marinade in.

[Mojito100]

I send my unused food scraps and cartons home with one of the girls from work, she has a mini farm and feeds the food scraps to her chickens, the rest is compost and she uses the containers for a whole range of activities.

I also merge all the ends of my lipsticks Into one little jar that then becomes my new colour for the season. I apply with a lipstick brush. Easy.

[DoctorGilbertson]

OUr local recycling is really good - moving to the area was great, as they take almost everything (except nappies but we have just got rid of night nappies so all good there too)

But the hint I read on Mumsnet which was really good was about freezing mushy bananas and then using them in cakes.

[AnnMumsnet]

Thanks for all the tips etc!
Am pleased to say Lemoncakeuk has been picked as the winner of the £250 JL voucher - well done!

[CointreauVersial]

Clothes recycling is my thing. I buy a lot from charity shops, from eBay, or car boot sales, and am happy to adjust/take in/mend so that it suits me. I also send my second hand clothing to charity to continue the cycle.

Also, most of my "Tupperware" is recycled food packaging - ice cream tubs, pasta sauce pots etc. I have a whole drawerfull for storage of leftovers.