Decorating and Baking the Recycling Way

What do you think of when you hear the word recycle? Do you think about recycling bins? Aluminum cans? Plastic bottles, glass jars, and newspapers? If so, you’re not alone; those are the kinds of things most people think about when they hear the word. But as we’ve mentioned before, recycling isn’t just for common household items. It’s for larger things as well. 

One of those larger things is the wooden pallet. With almost 2 billion in use, they consume almost half the nation’s hardwood harvest each year. Combine that with the fact that the majority of them are discarded and wind up in landfills after only one use, and one could make the argument that recycling them is almost as important as recycling those smaller, everyday items.

So just how can all of those wooden pallets be recycled? The number of ways is limited only by the imagination. For instance, they can be used as ….

Home Furnishings: 

Home decor may not be the first thing that comes to mind when brainstorming ways to recycle wooden pallets, but it can be an easy way to keep them from cluttering up a landfill. They can be used to define a space, accent a room, or reduce clutter. They can be slept on, sat upon, and eaten on. They can even be used to go from one area to another.

Outdoor Comforts: 

Don’t like the idea of using wooden pallets to decorate the inside of your house? Then how about using them on the outside? Lounging by the pool, swinging in the shade, and relaxing on the patio can all be done more comfortably if you utilize a pallet or two. Playing in the yard and growing plants can be a lot more fun, and they can even make it easier to sit outside and read after the sun has gone down.

Going Visiting: 

Utilizing them on the outside of your house isn’t your thing either? Then how about putting them on wheels and using them to meet people? That’s the idea behind the Mobile Bread-House – a tiny bakery made out of wooden pallets and a boat trailer. With a table for kneading and an oven for baking, its purpose is to bring people together and strengthen communities.

Decorating a house, sprucing up a backyard, and giving neighbors a reason to talk – those are just a few of the things a wooden pallet can be used for; there are many more. Not bad for something that was headed for a landfill.