Waste not want not

[glow777]

What not to throw away.

Being new to this allotment lark, started last April, I wonder what useful things I'm throwing away on a daily basis.

I have all the usual household rubbish + I work in IT for a large(ish) factory.

Currently we are saving all household scraps for composting or the (8) hens.
I am saving large tubs from the factory for waterbutts compost bins. containers etc Spare wood is being used for all building projects.
Cd's are used as bird scarers and network cable to strengthen fences and keep my raspberries tidy!

We throw away (and pay for the privilege) sawdust, shavings, shredded paper and lots of other things to many to list.

Any ideas what I can do with these things, what I should be looking out for or novel uses for other cast off items.

Ian

[glow777]

[joji]

Saw dust, shavings and shredded paper can be composted too, :)

[terrace max]

Sawdust from untreated wood is perfect for a composting toilet! Then you'll really waste not, or want not!

[Jesse]

untreated wood shavings are ideal for using on the floor of a hen house as it absorbs moisture and smell, wood shavings and shredded paper can be used inside nest boxes. Like everyone else says they also compost well. Paper/plastic disposable cups from drinking machines are good for germinating and growing seedlings. Bubble wrap from packaging is great for insulating greenhouses or wrapping around plants for frost protection. Large cardboard boxes flattened out are ideal for laying over your beds in the winter (or when beds are not in use) to suppress weed growth. Margarine tubs are great for freezing and storing stock. Plastic milk bottles are good for when you make a large batch of soup and you want to freeze portions for later use. Check with your local council about a garden cone, it's a bit like a compost bin but you can put in meat and cooked food scraps, we got ours for free through the council. That's all I can think of for now. :)

[Derekthefox]

I had forgotten that I can get almost unlimited supplies of sawdust from work, I just have to carry it down to my plot ... useful for path covering, and weed suppressant mulches around the hedges etc

[zaz283]

When I've been actively composting in my garden I found one of the best things to include was shredded newspaper. Retains the moisture, breaks up things like grass & weeds, & the worms seemed to really like it.

[wardy]

My husband set fire to my cardboard this morning  >:(  I'd been saving the cardboard packaging from the Christmas presents for making paths and composting.  I was most miffed

Been reading Joy Larcomm this morning and she says you can even use used teabags for sowing seeds in.  I shall give that a whirl I think  :)

[undercarriage plan]

Oh Wards, can't belive you just said that!!! I had kept bag with all the useful containers etc, left over from Christmas, my OH has binned it....last time I buy him a blessed coffee!! I was hoppin up and down!! Had some lovely things rescued from the kids pressies... ::)

[redimp]

Debbie is well aware of what not to throw away. I sit here now surrounded by collapsed cardboard boxes, bits of bubble wrap etc and all Debbie does is moan about the mess  ;D

[Derekthefox]

I keep telling my wife, I will take all the newspapers, and brown cardboard, but it keeps going to the recycling at the local supermarket. Now we are to get a green bin for the papers. At least I will be able to raid that.

[glow777]

Now we are to get a green bin for the papers. At least I will be able to raid that.

We've had these for a while, they were collected today and it looks like our street keeps Bargain Booze in business - unbelievable amount of bottles and tins - if you ever need any bottles for your home brew come up our street every other Thursday!

[Derekthefox]

ha ha ha Glow, I produce enough bottles of my own! I dont put my wine into glass bottles, I find it is easier to use plastic pop bottles, no risk of exploding glass, and perfect for chilling rapidly in the summer, with no worries about forgetting the bottle ...

[Robert_Brenchley]

You can get exploding pop bottles though; we once had a bottle of coke blow up (it was sitting quietly on the table, had been for days, and was nowhere near any heat source so I don't know why) and spray the entire kitchen with this horrible stickly stuff. I never had wine explode though; do you make sparkling wine?

[Derekthefox]

No, I wasn't thinking of the sparkling wines although the same would apply there, I was thinking of any rogue fermentation. Because even after campden tablets and fermentation stopper, occasionally something does keep going ...

[Robert_Brenchley]

If it does, it'll just blow the cork out. The only time you have any danger of an explosion is with sparkling wines where you clamp the cork on while it's still fermenting. A thrown bottle becomes a seriously lethal weapon!

[Derekthefox]

Well in theory the cork gets blown out, but we have all come across the stubborn corks, that just refuse to budge ...