These days we're seeing a lot of articles in the press detailing how even seemingly well-developed recycling efforts are failing in cities and towns all over the world. Why? Outmoded laws are one culprit, and a failure to get the word out effectively is another. But maybe the biggest reason recycling efforts are flagging is a lack of imagination. People tend to think there's only one kind of recycling. There are actually lots of ways to reuse things like aluminum cans and in this post, the CBD Beverage Blog team will cover some of them.
Six More Soda Can Recycling Ideas
The modern recycling movement began in the 1970s. While uptake by the average person was slow there seemed to be continual progress nonetheless. So much so that in the 1990s people were touting the notion that by the 2020s virtually all the world’s plastic and aluminum waste would be recycled.
The reality, however, has not lived up to the hype. And that's not good no matter how you look at it. Still, recycling is one of those things that can't be imposed from above. It needs to be practiced on a grassroots level. So in our continuing effort to promote recycling, we're going to take yet another look at innovative ways you can reuse old soda cans. Ready? Here goes...
#1: Soda Can Cookie Cutters
You could go out and buy brand new cookie cutters at the store or order them online but then you’ll be constrained by whatever designs happen to be available. A better idea is to take a few of those CBD Beverages cans you were about to throw out and turn them into your own, personalized cookie cutters. If you don’t have a pair of tin snips at home to cut the cans with you can pick up a perfectly serviceable pair at the hardware store for about 10 bucks.
#2: Soda Can Camping Stove
A soda can camping stove can be the perfect expression of your environmental awareness. It demonstrates that your respect for the environment goes beyond "carry in, carry out" to include how you deal with waste products at home. Making a soda can camping stove is easy. Just use those tin snips you bought at the hardware store to cut the bottom and the top off of a CBD Drinks can (we won’t mind). Then telescope the two together using the bottom portion to hold fuel. Punch a dozen or so holes in the angled rim of the top to allow flames to exit and you’re ready to rock.
#3: Soda Can Coasters
It only takes one sweaty bottle or glass placed directly onto a nice wooden table to produce a ring that will spoil the look of the table and require plenty of effort to remove. Avoid that unhappy possibility by creating coasters out of your old soda cans. Just cut the face of your cans into squares, flatten them out and then sand the edges until they’re smooth. Cut squares of cardboard the same size from boxes you have lying around. Then glue the cardboard square to the bottom of the soda can squares.
#4: Soda Can Wind Chimes
There’s nothing more calming than listening to the wistful song of the wind chime on a summer evening. The good news is that it’s easy to make your own wind chimes. The even better news is that you can do so using your old Sparkling CBD soda cans. And the ultra-better news is that you are completely free to let your imagination run wild regarding the size and shape of your wind chime elements. The soft tinkling of your new soda can wind chimes will be its own reward.
#5: Soda Can Bird Feeder
This is another way to give back to the environment on more than one level. By creating bird feeders out of some of your old CBD Sparkling Soda cans you get the satisfaction of knowing they're not going to wind up in the ocean or a landfill, and you promote a robust ecosystem outside your home that attracts birds year-round. Bird feeders are particularly important in the winter when there is precious little for birds to eat. Just cut the bottom and top off a can, glue semi-circle stoppers into each end, suspend with string and fill.
#6: The Soda Can Pop Top Lamp Shade
Soda can pop tops are an oft-forgotten resource that can be repurposed to serve a multitude of needs. In this case, you would take a bunch of them (anywhere from several dozen to a few hundred) and join them together to make a lampshade that looks like something from the Art Deco era. Either that or something from a sci-fi film. There are a couple of ways to do this. You can either glue or sew the pop tops to an existing lampshade, or you can engage in the more involved process of hooking the pop tops together.
Conclusion
The above are just some of the ways you can transform old soda cans that might otherwise wind up floating in the ocean into practical items that will enrich your quality of life. And who knows? Maybe if others witness your commitment to recycling they’ll be inspired to elevate their recycling game as well. And that’s how it works: one person at a time, one household at a time, one Sparkling CBD Soda can at a time until we get this recycling thing back on track.