50 Garden Recycling Solutions

Are you looking for ideas to reuse those wine bottles or old sponges? Then you landed on the right page. We’ve put together a list of ideas for you to find a second life for your trash items.

We’ll focus on recycling solutions that will help you with your gardening routine. We’ve categorized them, so it’s easier to navigate. All these items link to fantastic blogs where you can find all the crafty details. Let’s start with milk jugs!

Milk Jugs

Milk Jug Mini Greenhouses
Milk Jug Mini Greenhouses by Kevin Lee Jacobs

1. Milk Jug Cloches: You can use milk jugs to protect seedlings from marauding animals, like rabbits.

2. Milk Jug Scoop: You can also cut the bottom piece and make easy scoops.

3. Milk Jug Mini Greenhouses: The milk containers are perfect for creating mini-greenhouses, so long as light can penetrate their walls.

Bike Wheels

4. Bike Wheel Trellis: Bike wheel trellises are simply amazing. There’s only one concern if you live in a hotter climate, the rims might get too hot in the sun and burn the plant, so heads up.

Drawers

Drawer Seeding Starter
Drawer Seeding Starter by Upcyclista

5. Drawer Seedling Starter: Drawers and even musical instruments like guitars and violins can be perfect for planting new seeds. Simple, easy, and beautiful.

Plastic Bottles

6. Plastic Bottle Cloche: Create small houses for your cuttings with half of a plastic bottle. They’ll have plenty of sun and air circulation, yet will be protected from strong winds and other unnecessary disturbances.

7. Plastic Bottle Mosquito Trap: Are you tired of those itchy bites? Well, there’s a solution that’ll help you reduce the number of mosquitoes in your garden! 🙂

8. Plastic Bottle Drip Irrigation System: There are quite a few ways to make a drip irrigation system out of a plastic bottle. Which one is your favorite?

9. Plastic Bottle Self-Watering Seed Starters: Just cut the plastic bottles in half and insert one side inside the other — super simple.

10. Plastic Bottle House: Yes, that’s right! If you have access to a lot of plastic bottles (by a lot we mean hundreds, maybe even thousands, depends on a project), then you can totally check out for these wonderful ideas and build your own house from plastic bottles.

Clear Plastic Containers

Plastic Container Mini Greenhouse

11. Plastic Container Mini Greenhouse: Perfect solution to give you a head start on your spring planting.

Cereal Boxes & Cracker Boxes

12. Cardboard Weed Block: Recycle old newspapers and cereal boxes to block the weed.

DVDs/CDs

13. DVD/CD Bird Scaring Trick: Are you tired of birds messing up with your plants? Well, there’s a solution. Birds are not big fans of reflective stuff. In fact, it scares them off. Just place a few DVDs around your berries for the best results.

Mailboxes

14. Mailbox Garden Tool Cache: Use an old mailbox to create a great water-proof place to store hand tools, gloves, and your gardening notes.

Rain Boots

15. Rain Boot Planters: You can use rain boots as planters. Save those cute kids boots for whimsical planters.

OJ Cans

OJ Can Plant Labels
OJ Can Plant Labels by Melinda White

16. OJ Can Plant Labels: Make cute signs to label the plants in your garden.

Trash Cans

17. Trash Can Root Cellar: Store your vegetables in a cellar from trash cans. Simple yet super-efficient solution. All you need is to dig a deep hole.

Tupperware Tubs

18. Tupperware Worm Farm: A detailed guide to creating and maintaining an indoor worm composting bin.

Plastic Plant Pots

19. Plastic Plant Pot Flowers: These bright plant pots will definitely add a little flair to your outdoor space.

Styrofoam

20. Styrofoam Planter Filler: You can use the styrofoam to fill the bottom of your large plant pots. Although, we’d cautious with that one because styrofoam is made of 57 chemicals and it releases them when the material is heated. So heads-up.

Garden Hoses

21. Garden Hose Flowers: Decorate the walls of your garden with creative flowery art from old hoses.

Glassware

22. Glassware Flowers: Another interesting way to give your glassware a second chance.

Soda Cans

Soda Can Planters
Soda Can Planters by Balcony Decoration

23. Soda Can Planters: They’re so colorful and cute, absolutely fantastic as planters and seed starters.

24. Pop Can Plant Markers: With a little effort, you can make some pretty markers for your garden.

Twist Ties

25. Twist Tie Plant Trainers: You can use twist ties to tie plants to stakes and fences to make sure they grow in the right direction.

Broken Ceramics

26. Broken Ceramics Pot Drainage: Another way to add drainage to your plants’ pots is by putting broken ceramic pieces in the bottom of the pots.

27. Plant Your Broken Dishes: You can totally use broken dishes as garden decor and habitat.

Plastic Bottle Caps

28. Plastic Bottle Cap Garden Murals: Save those bottle caps and create some fun murals.

Coaxial Cables

29. Coaxial Cable Fence: Use coaxial cables to put together bamboo in a nice fence.

PVC

30. PVC Garden Tower: Are you looking for a strawberry planter? Just make some holes in a PVC tube and voala!

Clementine Boxes

31. Clementine Box Planters: Clementine boxes are perfect for seeds planting.

Plastic Mesh Produce Basket

32. Plastic Mesh Seedling Saver: If you’re looking to protect your seedlings make sure to use baskets. They help a lot to prevent slugs and birds from destroying our newly planted seeds.

Windows

33. Windows Greenhouse: That’s right, you can build a greenhouse from windows.

34. Window Frame Trellis: Turn your old window frames into a rustic trellis for vines.

Blue Jeans

Blue Jeans Garden Apron
Blue Jeans Garden Apron by Deborah Schlegel

35. Blue Jeans Garden Apron: Got a pair of old jeans? You can make a simple garden apron that can even hold your garden tools!

Wine Bottles

36. Wine Bottle Waterer: A step-by-step guide how to make a wine bottle plant waterer for your plants.

37. Wine Bottle Garden Edging: Add a colorful border for your flower garden.

38. Wine Bottle Hose Guard: Just place a wine bottle in a corner of your garden and it’ll protect your garden from unnecessary damage.

Headboards

39. Headboard Trellis: With a headboard you can create a wonderful trellis for more fragile plants.

Paint Cans

40. Paint Can Planters: Just like drawers or soda cans, you can use paint cans as planters as well.

Skis

41. Ski Fence: Because why not?

Laundry Hampers

42. Laundry Hamper Potato Planter: Sometimes if you just look around, you’ll find many planters around.

Window Blinds

43. Mini Blind Plant Markers: Mark your plants with mini blinds. Super easy to make.

Newspaper

44. Newspaper Garden Uses: Check out this 9 ways to reuse newspaper in your garden.

Kiddie Pools

45. Kiddie Pool Raised Bed Garden: Another beautiful idea to plant new seeds.

Panty Hose

46. Panty Hose Deer Repellant: Stop deer from eating your outdoor plants with panty hose repellant.

Toilet Paper Tubes

47. TP Tube Seedling Starters: Perfect way to start growing new seeds.

Pet Food Bags

48. Feed Bag Tarp: Looking for a new tarp for your garden? Just sew a few plastic woven pet food bags together!

Cassette Tapes

49. Cassette Tape Bird Deterrent: Birds hate everything reflective, which makes a cassette tape a perfect bird deterrent.

Sponges

50. Sponges in Plant Pots: Do your plants dry fast? Just place pieces of old sponges in the bottom of plant pots. This way the moisture will stay for a long time.

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