Re-Cycled Milk Jugs

By

 Dr. Ok Noggin

Patio furniture made from recycled milk jugs

Everyone knows that milk builds strong bones, but did you know that milk jugs build some of the strongest patio furniture available today?
By the Yard Inc. introduces a new line of outdoor furniture and accessories called EcoSmart, made from recycled plastic milk jugs. In addition to the obvious environmental benefits of being made from recycled materials, the furniture is strong and more durable than wood, plus it's warranted not to crack, break or peel. And it's maintenance free.  You can spray paint  the decor color of your choice if you choose to have different color scheme! 

One wee bit of advise from Dr.Okanog, spray painting in darker shades,  fades in the sunlight over time, though alot has to do with prep work.

 Toasty Warm Fleece Fabrics  are  made from recycled plastics milk jugs, too!

Recycled Decking, fencing ect.

Plastic Lumber: A wood look-alike, maintenance free decking material made from 100 percent recycled plastic milk jugs.  

So many uses for Recycling  MILK JUGS! Make them work overtime in the home & garden!  Each year, millions of plastic milk jugs are thrown away.   In fact, they're the largest volume of plastic that end up in landfills and make up the corner-stone of almost all plastic recycling efforts.  Many folks consider it a challenge to re-use household items. In the Yard and Garden Aqua-Arobics Work out - Two empty milk jugs in the pool with you for your personal water aerobics workout. They can be used empty (with the lid screwed on) as a 'weight' to push below the water level which will tone your muscles. If the resistance of an empty jug is too much, fill with a bit of water right from the pool and try again. The more water in the jug, the easier it is to push it under the water. Bird Feeder - Cut a hole in two or three sides of the jug. The holes should be 2 or 4 inches in diameter, depending on the type of birds you want to attract. For perches, make smaller holes below the feeding holes. Push wooden dowel rods through the holes so they poke through the opposite side. Fill the feeder with seed and hang it in a nearby tree. You may want to poke a few small holes in the bottom for rainwater drainage. Easier bird feeder - Cut a strip out of the side opposite the handle. Fill with birdseed and hang in a tree or set on a stump or protected spot. Protect young seedlings Place a plastic milk jug, minus its bottom, over a seedling. To keep the cloche (sounds like gauche) cover in place, poke a hole on the top of the handle and run a 14 to 16-inch piece of coat hanger or wire throught the hole and down into the soil. Tea for two? - Put diluted PlantTea concentrate, liquid fish fertilizer or compost tea in a plastic milk jug.  Use the fortified water within a few days, giving the containers a shake each day. Water seedlings, annuals, perennials and shrubs. Going to a plant sale? - Take a few 4-inch tall bottoms from plastic milk cartons with you to haul away plants. Seed-starting container Cut 3 inches off the bottom of a milk jug. Poke a few small holes in the bottom for drainage. Fill with seed-starting mix or potting soil and sow with seeds. For complete, easy to follow seed-starting tips, see my Seeding is Believing article. Mark it or lose it - Cut the sides into long strips or triangles and mark with a waterproof "Sharpie" pen for plant markers. Make a watering can or sprinkler - Turn your plastic milk jugs into a sprinker, funnel or watering can with a few, simple attachments onto the threaded opening. I discovered these great Adapt-a-Jug gadgets over 10 years ago. A great problem solver. Soil scoop - Make a scoop by cutting the bottom (and part of the handle side) off.  Replace the screw-top and use it to scoop up dry potting soil, vermiculite, grass seed and so on. Watering hole -Cut the bottoms off 2 or 3 inches from the base and use it for toad and bird watering holes. Slug watering hole - Cut the bottoms off 2 or 3 inches from the base. Sink the base into the soil so the top rim is level with the soil.Fill (bait) with beer (this Bud's for you) or your own sugar-water-yeast solution (a pinch of yeast is all you need). Make a Wall-o-Water - Fill jugs with water and arrange them in a ring around plants. Cover the ring at night to preserve heat absorbed during the day.  When the danger of frost and cold has passed, use the warmed water to water your plants.  For warmer water, paint the containers black before filling them. This is a good way to regulate heat in cold frames and greenhouses. Watering Jugs - I use several  milk jugs, with premixed water and  plant  food booster liquids for convience, storage  in close location, saves time for watering deck plants. Weighty water - Use water-filled jugs as weights to secure floating row covers, plastic, tarps, netting or frost covers over beds. Around the house Potted plant bases - Cut the bottoms off and use them as plant saucers. Light your way - Make luminaries by cutting off the top of a milk jug, filling the bottom with 2 or 3 inches of sand, then placing a votive candle in the sand. Line a walkway or garden path with the lights. Organize your picnics - Cut the tops off several plastic milk jugs and use the bases to keep fruit, cheese, sandwiches, napkins, and spreads separate--and dry--in your cooler or picnic basket. Organize your Kitchen Drawer - Cut the tops off several plastic milk jugs and use the bases to convenient containers for the storage drawers and trays. Keeps that 'junk drawer" tidy. Multi-purpose funnel - Cut the bottom from a plastic milk jug and use as a funnel for liquids, powdered dry goods.  It couldn't be easier. Jelly-making helper - Make a funnel (as above) and line it with a jelly bag or damp piece of muslim. Secure the jelly bag at the top with clips or clothespins if necessary. Pour fruit juice into the funnel and let it drip. Organize your life! From a 1/2 to 1-gallon container, cut a hole out of the top corner opposite the handle. Use the easy-access container to sort and store everything from golf balls and dog biscuits; to nails and rubber bands. This same design makes a great container for cleaning paint brushes. Storage container - Tired of flimsy plastic bags? Use a 1-2 or 1-gallon plastic milk jug for storing everything from nuts to bolts for in the garage or hobby room. Poor man's blender - Add yogurt, soy milk, fruit juice, nutritional powders, crushed berries or jam to a 1/2 to 1-gallon plastic milk. Replace the lid and shake like crazy. Store extra in the fridge. Clean sweep - A gallon milk jug can also be turned into a dustpan. Set the jug, handle side up, on a table and cut the top off at an angle, leaving the bottom as a flat dustpan. Where to put the toilet bowl brush holder?  Cut a hole out from the top corner opposite the handle. Voila, problem solved. All-purpose scoop - Here's a great way to scoop up kitty litter (new or used) de-icer, etc. Make a scoop by cutting the bottom (and part of the handle side) off. Replace the screw-top and scoop away. Berry pickeR - Cut a hole out of the top corner opposite the handle to use for a berry picker. Slip your belt through the handle to free up your hands for picking Milk jug Jack-O-Lantern - This Jack-O-Lantern is easy for kids to make, plus, it's weather proof! Draw Jack-O-Lantern facial features onto the milk jug.  Cut out the eyes, nose and mouth shapes. Paint the jug with orange acrylic paint. It might take a couple coats for a nice thick finish. Once the paint has dried, draw details with a black, permanent marker or black acrylic paint. For the inner glow, insert a small flashlight to the inside of the jug lid or in a hole cut below the handle and tape it into place. Gone fishin'? "Empty milk jugs with the lid attached make great floaters to drop in the lake for fishing. Tie fishing line, with hook and bait, to the jug handle, toss in the lake and check later. This allowing fishing at all levels of the lake." A penny saved...Make a simple piggy bank by cutting a slit near the top of a 1/2 or 1-gallon (if you're really ambitious) plastic milk jug.  Glue or tape the lid closed, if desired. Paint the jug or attach a bow on the handle for a personalized touch. Bail that boat - Make a bailer for your boat by cutting the bottom (and part of the handle side) off. Recycled Milk Jugs  for Furniture, Decking, fencing ect.