Reuse is often confused with recycling, but they are actually quite different. In the broadest sense, reuse means any activity that lengthens the life of an item; on the other hand, recycling is reprocessing an item to a new raw material for use in a new product.

 

Recycling has many environmental, economic, and community benefits. It saves energy, time, money, and precious natural resources; it also generates jobs that make life better for millions of people. However, this industry needs huge financial resources and special factories.

 

On the other hand, anyone can participate in the reuse process by maintaining and repairing products, such as clothing, tires, and appliances, so they will not have to be thrown out or replaced frequently. This means requiring fewer resources, less energy, and less labor, compared to recycling, disposal, or the manufacture of new products from raw materials.

 

For example, only huge special factories are capable of collecting and recycling used cans, which saves up to 70% less energy than it does to produce a completely new item. While nearly everyone can participate in the process of reusing old cans, instead of throwing them away, old aluminum containers can be developed and creatively refashioned to produce new useful things. Here are some easy simple ideas to turn the can into environmental friendly products:

 

 

You can use tin cans as organizers for your pens on your study table, for your toiletries, or kitchen utensils. Just remove the can top, and wrap it with a jute cloth or colored paper of your choice. Then, add a label using a piece of cloth or paper, and name your holder to appear more customized and personal. This idea will not only save your money, but also decrease wastes that harm our environment.

 

 

You can turn your can into a lantern, simply by punching holes in patterns of your choice on the can and fitting a candle or an economic light bulb inside it. When the light disperses through the punched holes, making the can look like a delicate and pretty lamp. You could either hang this or use it as the shade of your table lamp. This idea can save a lot of money spent on electricity and energy.

 

 

Just take some old tin cans and paint them in vibrant colors of your choice. Remove the top and fill one-quarter of the can with fertile soil. Place your sapling or sow your seeds, then pour in more soil till the can is half full. You could either place them on the ground or add strings to hang them. This idea encourages people to know the importance of planting, which provides us with fresh air.

 

 

In conclusion, as long as the worldwide production is steadily increasing, growing by several billion cans per year, there are plenty of aluminum cans to be recycled and reused in decorative and useful ways.