old cables. because YOU NEVER KNOW

Those examples are not garbage, they are clean materials that can be repurposed. It is the second step in Reduce > Reuse > Recycle!

For years I’ve desoldered components from electronics that are destined for recycling/trash. I haven’t needed them more than a few times but it’s redeeming when I need a specific thing I’ve never needed before and can pick one out of my component box rather than buying a pack of 100 and never use 99 of them.

Tiny momentary SPST switches are definitely the most common thing I use from the bin but I’ve also reused some LEDs, capacitors, and resistors.

I keep the reddit app saved on my phone just in case

I keep an entire truck in my back yard, because ya know, one day….

That’s a cool cat tent

Grocery bags are useful as small bags to separate things, trash bags for small cans or cleaning up a cluttered space, or as temporary barriers she small jobs.

Large cardboard boxes are great for under the car during oil changes.

Lunch meat containers are intended as reusable containers; I use them for lunches.

Fast food cups get reused-as cups.

Cardboard rolls for crafts.

After thoroughly washing, wiping, washing, and wiping again, I will reuse 5 gallon cat litter containers for dog food.

Unless it’s literal trash I’m saving it. I’m quite DIY minded person so I often also use those things for my projects.

If I keep it, it’s not a garbage.

Any type of container that closes if it’s in good enough shape (bottles, jars, cardboard boxes, bags). Also small open containers like yogurt or instant soup cups are probably the most useful for holding small items/snacks. When they become too many, you pick the best of each and throw away the rest. I also tend to keep foam packaging even though I’ve never found an actual use for it.

My “weirdest” would be used face masks. The little metal bit for the bridge of your nose works for tidying up cords like a twist tie. The ear loops work good for zipper pulls and tying up items that need held together. The mask itself works great for checking my car’s oil, dusting the car dash, cleaning up a minor spill, etc. Is it gross I do this? Perhaps. Has it served me well? Definitely.

Fucking everything, to the point it’s a problem. I replaced my windscreen wipers the other day, when I broke them to fit them in the trash can, I kept the thin metal strip that is inside and acts like a spring. I don’t know if it’s spring steel, but it sure is spring-y and you never know when they may come in handy.

I’ve got a box of boxes, all different sizes, cause you never know!, as well a bag of ziplock bags, there’s got to be like 400 of them.

Scraps of cardboard for sure. Also little dumb leftover pieces of foam core. I used to put used box cutter blades inside the foam core scraps before throwing them away, thinking that was a safe way to do it. It’s probably not. So now I just toss used blades into an old empty prescription bottle and just keep that on a shelf. (Therefore, I also hang on some of my prescription bottles).

I also tend to hang on to some empty plastic jars and food containers once in a while, too. I wash them thoroughly of course. I probably sound like a hoarder. I don’t hang on to every scrap of this stuff, just a small amount. The plastic jars (like the ones corn starch come in) are handy for storing left over pieces and parts from various crafting projects.

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