In collaboration with Wheelie Bin Solutions
Household waste is a headache when the bins are full, it’s not recyclable or you’d just prefer to reuse it rather than throwing it away.
Out in the garden though, there’s plenty of space and it’s often much easier to be creative in your use of materials than it is in the house.
Here are some ideas of how you can use house waste for the benefit of your garden, from the way you lay it out and use it, to helping your plants and flowers to grow.
1. Pots and pans
Pots and pans can instantly become flowerpots and planters, just fill them with soil and add some seeds or saplings.
Anything hollow will do – old watering cans and wellington boots are common to see in quirky gardens too.
This is a great way to directly reuse anything container-shaped that would not be easy to recycle, and which you don’t want to send to landfill.
2. Compost wheelie bins
If the council doesn’t provide you with a wheelie bin for garden waste – or even if they do – you could consider starting a compost bin of your own to use on the garden.
You can buy a variety of sizes and colours of garden waste bins from websites like Wheelie Bin Solutions and use them as a starting point.
There’s plenty of online guides to starting a compost bin, but the main things to remember are that you shouldn’t put meat or dairy in there, just kitchen waste like vegetables, egg shells and so on.
Keep it aerated and drain off excess fluid, and you should soon be left with rich fertiliser for your garden, without any unpleasant smells.
3. DIY leftovers
If you’ve been doing DIY in the house, think about whether your leftovers could be useful outside.
Remnants of paint could be just enough to give a garden bench or chair a fresh coat, while leaving the paint pot empty so it can be safely recycled.
Offcuts of wood could also be useful as stakes to support climbing plants, or to build nesting boxes for bats and birds, or insect houses for creepy crawlies.
4. Old furniture
If it won’t pollute the garden, old furniture can often find a new lease of life outside.
Mirrors make an interesting focal point and work especially well near moving water where they can catch the shifting light.
Even chairs and sofas can find a purpose outdoors – if they’re upholstered, consider recovering them with weatherproof fabric for a comfy year-round place to sit outside.
5. Old carpet
Even old carpets can be useful outdoors, as they provide effective insulation for flowerbeds and around shrub and tree roots on frosty winter days.
Make sure the carpet is not foam-backed – again to avoid pollution – but if it’s hessian or other natural materials, it could be a welcome ally against bad weather this winter.
All sorts of indoor materials can be safe to use outside for all kinds of purposes in the garden, with just a small amount of vigilance to make sure they won’t cause any harm along the way.
Header image by Arno Smit.
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