4 ways to recycle or reuse cottage stuff

From "Take-action tips for cottaging more lightly"

By Steve Stockton

1. Unload your cap collection 

You know those beer caps you’ve been saving for decades? Well, you can recycle them at the same place as the bottles: The Beer Store.

2. Reduce your hoard of old runners 

Nike will take any brand of used running shoes and grind them up into Nike Grind, a material used for sports tracks. Mail them to Nike Recycling Center, c/o Reuse-A-Shoe 26755 SW 95th Ave., Wilsonville, OR 97070.

3. Make your leftover paint last longer 

Tip cans of unused paint upside down (make sure the lids are on tight) and it will keep for years; the paint creates an inner seal around the lids, so air can’t seep in and dry it up. When you’ve finally used up your latex paint, don’t toss the cans; just leave their lids off, let the paint dry completely, and use them as storage containers in your shed.

4. Bear-free composting 

If you’re at your cottage at least every other weekend, you can compost your food scraps indoors, using worms. They create beautiful compost in special “vermicomposting” containers that emit little or no smell, so they aren’t a wildlife attractant. However, the hardworking worms need to be fed a minimum of once every two weeks.

More tips for lighter cottaging:

5 ways to reduce water use (and save your septic)

8 ways to cut down & clean up your runoff

9 ways to shrink your cottage energy bill

4 tips for a healthier shoreline

6 ways to save cottage wildlife

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