Each of us throws away an average of 1.6 Ib to 4.5 Ib of garbage every day, and 6,570 pounds per family, annually. But there are simple, fun, and useful ways to reduce this alarming amount of waste. That’s why these hacks from ingenious people who decided to clean out their closets and take care of the planet at the same time come in so handy.

1. “Don’t burn your ex’s clothes, just make a cute dress out of them.”

2. “My Christmas ornaments are made from dead light bulbs.”

3. “I write grocery lists on old receipts.”

4. “This carpet is made of 11 leggings, 9 tank tops, a top, and a skirt.”

5. “I turned my broken umbrella into a waterproof shopping bag.”

6. “I made these sweatpants from 2 old sweaters.”

7. “We made a salt container from a coconut and it’s been in our family for 20 years.”

8. “I turned the Christmas cards I received last year into this year’s gift tags.”

9. “My husband asked me to get rid of our old stuff. I made this bag out of it in one evening.”

10. “I turned a sweater that was made in 1996 into a onesie for my kid.”

11. “I started making a basket out of all the plastic bags I’ve been hoarding.”

12. “The wicks of these candles burned out but I melted the wax, added new wicks, and voilà!”

13. “I ruined this velvet heart in the washing machine. So I cross-stitched a new one as not to throw away my T-shirt.”

14. “I took old traveling brochures with beautiful pictures and wrapped up gifts with them.”

15. “My wife said that she wants a new kitchen lamp. I found a kettle in our old things, removed its bottom, and painted it.”

17. “My friend was going to throw away a torn sheet, so I rescued it, made it into ’yarn,’ and crocheted myself a basket.”

18. “Broken retail clasp hangers can be reused as chip clips.”

19. “This pillow is made of an old pair of jeans and shreds of fabric.”

21. “I’ve self-sewn my first set of reusable menstrual pads.”

22. “I don’t throw away my dog’s hair after brushing it but instead, put it in a bird feeder. The birds use it to build their nests.”

23. “This basket is made of rolled up pieces of newspaper.”

24. “I found all the materials I needed for this Christmas wreath in the garden, in the forest, and in my spice cabinet.”

If you have any more ideas about how to bring old, useless things back to life, share them with us.

Please note: This article was updated in November 2022 to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.