40 Clever Upcycling Ideas For Your Home and Garden
Don't toss it, reuse it! Turn trash into treasure by giving new life to the unused items found in your home, garage, or garden.
Quick Reference: Upcycling Ideas
- Upcycling vs recycling: upcycling gives an old item a new use as-is (a drawer becomes a shelf); recycling breaks the material down to feed a new product.
- Why bother: the average American produces about 4.5 pounds of solid waste a day. Even with curbside pickup, most still ends up in a landfill.
- Quickest wins in this guide: mason jars as soap dispensers, T-shirts as rags, TP tubes as seed starters, drawers as wall shelves.
- Garden powerhouse: old chairs, screen doors, baby cribs, colanders, teacups, wine bottles, and tires all become planters or trellises with minimal work.
- Tools you’ll need: drill, sandpaper, primer, exterior latex paint, screws, picture-hanging hardware.
- What to skip: upcycling pressure-treated wood for raised beds; the chemicals can leach into edible soil.
According to the Solid Waste Generation study from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American produces about 4.5 pounds of solid waste every day. This includes food waste, sustainable goods (like furniture), and non-sustainable goods (like paper and packaging). Even when a large portion of this waste is recycled, the majority still ends up in landfills. For a current snapshot of U.S. waste streams, the EPA national overview is the official source.
If you really want to do your share toward creating a greener planet, try to reuse and repurpose household items, known as “upcycling,” that are broken or no longer serve a purpose. Turn trash into treasure by giving them new life.
Old or Broken Items
- Use old drawers for under-the-bed storage. You can even add wheels onto the bottom for easy access.
- Paint an old drawer fun colors and mount it on the wall as a shelf.
- Use an old drawer found at a yard sale as a planter.
- Turn an old door into a table by attaching some legs.
- That old screen door or baby crib can serve as a charming trellis in your garden.
- Take an old chair and paint it a vibrant color. Add it to your garden or front porch for lovely decor. Add a plant to the seat area if it is no longer usable.
- An old mirror, bicycle, shutters, benches, ladders, and doors also add character to any garden, especially if they are painted a fun color.
Bent or Broken Silverware
- Use bent or broken silverware for drawer pulls or hooks.
- Or turn old silverware into a wind chime. Check out this idea on Pinterest.
Glass Bottles
- Make soap dispensers out of glass bottles. Stick a pump into the top of any sized glass bottle and you have a reusable soap dispenser.
- Turn empty wine bottles into flower vases, or even tiki torches for your garden.
- If you have more wine bottles than you know what to do with, stick them upside down into the ground and create an edge for your garden.
Kitchen Gadgets
- Use an old cheese grater to hang earrings (try painting it a fun color) or as a planter.
- Reuse an old cupcake pan or ice cube tray as a drawer organizer.
Old or Broken Dishes
- Old teacups make beautiful jewelry storage. One has a chip? Use it as a planter in the garden.
- An old colander can serve as a hanging planter. Holes are already built in.
5. Glass Jars
- Glass jars make great vases, food storage containers, craft supply containers, vessels to give gifts, and bring meals to work.
Empty TP or Paper Towel Tubes
- Save empty toilet paper tubes and use them as seed starters.
- Turn one into a smartphone speaker. For free amplified music, cut a hole the size of your phone into the long side of the tube and slide your phone in. More TP tube ideas here.
- Use an empty paper towel tube to store kitchen tongs in drawers.
- To vacuum hard-to-reach areas, like under beds and dressers, insert an empty paper towel tube into the end of your vacuum hose, and bend or flatten it to squeeze into these tough spots.
Old Clothes
- Old T-shirts can be turned into reusable cleaning rags and work great for cleaning windows.
- Orphan socks can be used to dust. Put them on your hands and dust away, then toss them in the wash.
- Did you know you can recycle clothes? Check it out.
Home and Garden Materials
- Turn an old window frame into a picture frame.
- Broken mirror? Remove the glass and use the frame as a planter for small plants like succulents.
- Turn an old shutter into a wall display. Hang it inside near the entryway and tuck pictures and mail into the slots.
- Use old doorknobs as wall hooks.
- Make a sprinkler out of an old garden hose. Take a nail and poke holes in the hose. An instant sprinkler the kids (and your lawn) will love.
- Wood from around the house can be reclaimed and turned into many things. Try building a bookshelf or, if you are feeling very crafty, create a headboard for your bed.
- Turn your unused outdoor fire pit into a small garden.
- Remove the handle and hang an old garden rake on the wall and use the “hooks” to hang wine glasses, kitchen utensils, or garden tools. You will love these ideas.
Tires
Tires take up a lot of space in landfills and take ages to break down. They are great items to upcycle.
- Tires can be turned into hanging planters (drill some holes into the bottom for drainage and hang on an outside wall, pictured).
- Make a rope-covered chair or ottoman.
- Create a potato grow box.
Wood Pallets
- Paint an old wood pallet and use it to hide garbage cans or air conditioner units.
- Use old wood pallets as raised garden beds for lettuce and other vegetables. Keeps them in even rows.
- Hang them and make shelves for herbs, flowers, and garden accessories.
- Turn one into a headboard.
Turn These Items Into Garden Planters
- There are so many things you can use to spruce up your green space: old boots, broken or chipped mugs, typewriters, and teapots make attractive garden planters. Get creative.
- Want to make a hanging planter? Use an old tall lamp base and a basket to create a garden pedestal.
Upcycle vs Recycle vs Repurpose
| Term | What happens to the object | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Upcycle | Kept whole, given a higher-value new role | An old dresser becomes a kitchen island |
| Downcycle | Material broken down, used in a lower-value role | Plastic bottle becomes filler for park benches |
| Recycle | Material is reprocessed into new product | Aluminum can melted into a new can |
| Repurpose | Kept whole, used in a different but similar role | An old t-shirt becomes a cleaning rag |
| Reuse | Same item, same purpose, multiple times | Refilling a glass water bottle |
Weekend project? Watch the weather first
Most upcycling jobs want dry, mild days.
Painting, gluing, and outdoor-curing all want low humidity. The Farmers’ Almanac extended forecast helps you pick the right weekend before you start sanding.
Upcycling FAQ
What is upcycling, in plain English?
Taking something you would otherwise throw away and giving it a new, higher-value use without breaking it down. A drawer becomes a shelf; a pallet becomes a planter. The key is “whole object, new role.”
What is the difference between upcycling and recycling?
Recycling breaks the material down (a plastic bottle is shredded and remade into new plastic). Upcycling keeps the object intact and changes its purpose. Upcycling skips the energy cost of reprocessing.
Are wood pallets safe for raised vegetable beds?
Look for “HT” stamped on the side, which means heat treated. Avoid pallets stamped “MB,” which are treated with methyl bromide. Skip pressure-treated lumber and railroad ties for any bed that grows food.
Do I need special tools to start upcycling?
No. A drill, sandpaper, primer, exterior latex paint, and a basic toolbox cover 90 percent of the projects in this list. A hot glue gun and a staple gun handle most of the rest.
Will outdoor upcycled furniture last through winter?
Only if it is sealed and stored properly. Two coats of exterior primer, two coats of exterior paint, and a clear marine varnish on top will get most wooden pieces through one or two seasons. Cover or move indoors in late fall.
Are tire planters safe for edible plants?
Tire rubber slowly leaches small amounts of zinc and other compounds. For ornamental plants, no problem. For root crops and leafy edibles, line the tire with heavy plastic and a fresh layer of garden soil, or use a different planter.
Where do I find materials to upcycle?
Curbside on bulk-pickup day, estate sales, yard sales, Habitat for Humanity ReStores, local Facebook “Buy Nothing” groups, and Craigslist’s free section. Many cities also have a Freecycle network.
Tell Us
Got any clever ways you have turned trash into treasure? Tell us in the comments below. For more low-waste reading, see our companion guides: 8 zero-waste tips for the kitchen, don’t toss those vegetable peelings, and 10 smart uses for used coffee grounds.
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Natalie LaVolpe
Natalie LaVolpe is a freelance writer and former special education teacher. She is dedicated to healthy living through body and mind. She currently resides on Long Island, New York, with her husband, children, and dog.
- Natalie LaVolpe
- Natalie LaVolpe
- Natalie LaVolpe
- Natalie LaVolpe
To make a pet run for a mother hen with chicks, rabbits, guinea pigs etc. strip down an old double bed frame to the wood, apply wood protector and attach chicken wire. A hutch can easily be attached to one end. Best if the frame is in two bits so you can make two.
a little trick that I have learned is that you can take old paper towel tubes/toilet paper rolls (you just have to cut the tubes to about the size of the rolls) and stuff lent from the dryer and then you have a fire starter
An old rusted lamp base, a vintage bowl, and Marine Goop. Throw in some rocks for the bees and butterflies to use and it’s a fantastic birdbath.
If you camp, toilet paper rolls, stuffed with drier lint–sprayed with lighter fluid and dried. Instant fire starters !
I use an old mailbox to put my small garden have tools and my garden gloves in. Keeps them handy at my outside potting bench and they stay out of the weather. Plus it keeps the squirrels from running off with my gloves.
Hi K. Berry, EXCELLENT! Those critters will take anything, won’t they!
I put crunchy dog treats in toilet paper tubes, fold down the ends and hide them around the house. Keeps my puppy pretty entertained for a while!
I use empty toilet paper tubes by stuffing them with lint from the clothes dryer. Stick a match inside the lint and use it to start the fire in your wood stove or start a campfire.
Suet comes in a plastic container, use for under potted plants.
I turn things into flower pots. I just started some seeds in a plastic ice cream container. The Blue Bunny containers are kind of cute. I also use things like sour cream containers inside clay pots to help retain moisture since my garden is in full sun. (I like to paint the clay pots and make them interesting.) It is easy to poke holes in them with a sharp pointed knife.
Oh……PLEASE!