Reusing and repurposing was just a normal thing we did in the 1960's : "Waste not, Want not" was the mantra. Some of the things I remember are my dad driving to the dairy farm a few miles outside of our small rural Pennsylvania town toting huge gallon glass bottles. Our family refilled these with milk about twice a week. Things like jelly, cream cheese, sour cream, etc. came in decorative glass jars that were then used as drinking glasses. Deposits were paid on soda bottles, which when empty were returned to the store, deposit was refunded and the bottles were reused.
My maternal grandfather, a weaver by trade worked in various mills in the coal regions of Northeastern PA. Scraps of fabric not good enough for commercial use were permitted to be taken home. He had a huge weaving loom in the cellar where I would sit and watch as a kid, as he magically wove those scraps into scatter rugs for the home and also gave to family and friends.
Similarly, he worked briefly in a necktie factory and was allowed to bring home the end remnants from the bolts of fabric, which my grandmother stitched into throw pillows and decorated with fancy trim. She also cleverly made piggy banks for her grandchildren and nieces and nephews, out of clorox bleach bottles.
My paternal grandmother creatively recycled old Readers Digest magazines into Christmas Tree centerpieces that were all the rage at craft bazaars. The pages were folded into uniform triangular shapes all the way around, spray painted gold or silver with various sorts of decorations glued on to them.
My mom used to blow the insides out of eggs, keeping the shells intact. She would save these until Easter time and my brother and I would color the eggs, decorate them with fancy ribbon and hang them on our Easter Egg tree, made from a large branch sunk into a coffee can of plaster.
These are only but a few ways that items were recycled and repurposed. It was just something that everyone did. Today, we've become a "disposable" society, giving way to items that we discard after only one use. This mindset needs to change if our planet is to survive. I hope to see a day when recycling and repurposing once again become the norm and people use their creativity and imagination instead of their money.
My maternal grandfather, a weaver by trade worked in various mills in the coal regions of Northeastern PA. Scraps of fabric not good enough for commercial use were permitted to be taken home. He had a huge weaving loom in the cellar where I would sit and watch as a kid, as he magically wove those scraps into scatter rugs for the home and also gave to family and friends.
Similarly, he worked briefly in a necktie factory and was allowed to bring home the end remnants from the bolts of fabric, which my grandmother stitched into throw pillows and decorated with fancy trim. She also cleverly made piggy banks for her grandchildren and nieces and nephews, out of clorox bleach bottles.
My mom used to blow the insides out of eggs, keeping the shells intact. She would save these until Easter time and my brother and I would color the eggs, decorate them with fancy ribbon and hang them on our Easter Egg tree, made from a large branch sunk into a coffee can of plaster.
These are only but a few ways that items were recycled and repurposed. It was just something that everyone did. Today, we've become a "disposable" society, giving way to items that we discard after only one use. This mindset needs to change if our planet is to survive. I hope to see a day when recycling and repurposing once again become the norm and people use their creativity and imagination instead of their money.
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