As the Municipal trash program transitions to a cart-based automated system, we wanted to share 5 low-effort ways to reuse and re-home your old trash cans so they don’t end up in the landfill.
1. List it on FreeCycle.org or Craigslist.org —we’ve heard from a few community members who have already listed their spare bins that contractors and landscapers have a big demand for them. Often, folks on these websites are happy to come and pick up the items. (You can list other free items there too).
2. Offer it to your landscaper. Offer a landscaper your bin or cart. Since many landscapers have a truck, they may have space to take it with them that day.
3. Ask your local school if they have a teacher who can use them. Some teachers want them but can’t drive around picking up bins.
3. Offer to a local animal shelter. Bins with lids store bulk bags of pet food/cat litter/animal bedding and keep mice out.
4. Use it for your leaf and brush.
5. Keep it and sign up for the composter or rain barrel upcycling workshop at Sustainable Princeton’s Earth Day celebration this year! (More details to come)Or, don’t wait and try these tutorials right now:
DIY backyard leaf composter. You can use this
DIY tutorial to make your backyard composter, and if you’re worried about animals coming to your yard,
you don’t have to compost food; start by just composting some garden clippings and leaves.Maybe you’ll choose to toss in some coffee grounds and eggshells, but that’s not a requirement.
DIY rain barrel. It’s even easier than making a composter; you can water your plants for free. Be sure to add a screen to keep mosquitos out.
