Rubber bands seem to multiply in the night. A half dozen tossed casually into a drawer suddenly becomes hundreds in the blink of an eye and soon the drawer no longer closes. Technically, rubber bands cannot be recycled nor composted, according to the Environmental Resource Center. Tossing those stretchy bands of rubber in the trash can isn't really a solution either, so what to do with all those excess rubber bands hanging around multiplying in the junk drawer?
By tirelessly searching the internet, the Recycling Examiner has found a million ways to reuse rubber bands. Okay, not a million, but these suggestions are plentiful and creative enough to spark the imagination of just about anybody. The following ideas were found on blogs, Pinterest and in the imaginations of family and friends.
- Aside from using rubber bands to tie-dye fabric items, they can also be used to dye Easter eggs.
- Stretched around a paint can, a rubber band is a better edge for removing excess paint from a brush.
- Place a piece of art paper in the bottom of a cookie sheet, wrap some rubber bands around the cookie sheet, add paint and snap away. One of a kind art!
- Make a rubber band shooter.
- Make your own geo-boards.
- Using pvc pipe and some rubber bands, make some over-sized ball swatters.
- For another fun paint project, wrap rubber bands around a rolling pin and roll away!
- Believe it or not, some really cool jewelry can be made using rubber bands.
- Braided into a sturdy rope, the rubber bands can be one of the cheapest jump ropes around.
- Make a hip 1970s-style Christmas tree.
Of course, rubber bands can always be reused with their original purpose; fastening bunches of objects together with a stretchy band of rubber has been happening since the early 19th century, after all! But wouldn't it be more fun to make something like a rubber band ball, a cool science experiment or something no one has even thought of yet?
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