I’ve always been an avid recycler, which is probably why I’m such a fan of repurposing. I just hate to throw out an item that obviously still has life left in it, even if it’s something easy to recycle. Surely there’s a way to reuse it?

Repurposing kind of fell out of favor for a while, it seemed. But it’s back now, with a brand new name. Life Hack. I love it. What a cool term for taking an item, no longer needed for it’s original purpose, and making it useful again. I love to find ways to hack old stuff and make something new. It’s really just another way to reduce our waste, even with recyclable items.

 

Example: the cardboard core that is leftover when we use up the toilet paper or paper towel. Think of the multitudes of rolls we use in a year’s time. Of course I have to add most of them to my recycle bin. But it still bothers me that there are so many of those rolls being tossed, all still perfectly good. There has to be something useful I can do with them – right?

There is. Here are a couple of ways that you can repurpose (hack) those rolls.

They make a great way to contain and control all those loose extension cords. You know the ones, they hang around in a box waiting for you to need one, so that you can spend time trying to untangle them and search for the right length for you needs.

The toilet paper core roll is a perfect choice for the short cords – it keeps them nice and neat. And if you have any really long cords that won’t fit the small core, use a paper towel core for those. Now they can all lie in a box or on a shelf, never getting tangled and easy to sort through for the length you want.

And what about all those partially used rolls of birthday and holiday wrapping paper? If you tape the loose end, then the next time you need some of the paper, you usually end up tearing the paper trying to get the tape off. Solution: simply cut one of the cardboard cores lengthwise, which creates a handy little paper cuff that keeps the loose end of the paper confined and well behaved.

 

You can even use TP cores to make a handy fire starter for you fireplace, fire pit or campfire. But that’s a subject for another day.

Will you use these hacks? How do you repurpose common household items?