19 Ways To ReUse and Recycle Pens

You hardly write anymore, the pens dry up and all of a sudden you have a plethora of pens with dried ink, you don’t want to send to landfills, especially with toxic ink and of course the plastic doesn’t biodegrade.

I Just Gotta Tell Ya

• Over 10 Billion non bio-degradable pens are sent to landfills every year
• Pens are made of steel, polypropylene, nylon, polyester and a number of chemicals.
• Most people buy pens in bulk, think about all the packaging, the paper and the plastic, which may or may not be taken by recycling centers
• Most recycling centers do not take used pens.

So what can you do?

• Purchase either biodegradable pens or refillable pens.
• Donate pens to libraries, schools or other pen-worthy organizations such as  Pens For Kids- http://www.pensforkids.co.uk
• Send To The Pen Guy (www.penguy.org) for use in recycling (he also has a great site for hundreds of ways to reuse pens)

Reuse

1. Give to cats as play toys
2. Use a markers in garden for bulbs
3. Decorate A Car (or anything for that matter)

4.) Use as starter stakes in the garden
5.) Clean up and use a coffee stirrers
6.) Use a funnels for small jars
7.) Make Christmas Tree Ornaments
8.) Make fishing lures
9.) Build a tree
10.) String together for plant hangers (like beads)
11.) Slice apart and make beads for jewelry or other craft projects
12.) Use as spools for threads, ribbons and wire wrapping
13.) Use as a hair accessory – holds your hair in a bun.
14.)You can make it into a lamp. Check out the picture here, http://www.enpieza.com/imagenes/productosEng/trabajos/volivik-50-NA.jpg

15.) Can use in the doll making instead of using wood
16.) Make doll houses or other toy structures
17.) String together and make place mats or mats for house plants
18.) Make Art

19.) Make stick- figure dolls and toys

Biodegradle Pens

• DBA Biodegradeable Pen
• Papermate
• Corn Pen

Resources

• www.thriftyfun.com/tf56091903.tip.html
• http://www.world.org/reuse/pens