Ideas/ways to re-use/recycle "rubbish"?

[Mini Horses]

My son is always chiding me about "saving every little thing". Well it helps. Like Britsea's example.....you never know!!

 

[goatgurl]

my daughter gets after me too @Mini Horses but I've found that as sure as you throw it away you're going to need it.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Isn't that the truth! I hung a new gate in a buck pen today....did I buy a thing? NOPE. Had the gate, had the boards I used to block it up with, had the chain for the latch and had the clip. Call me a hoarder if ya want to - I'm proud of it, lol!

 

[Mini Horses]

OK--"hoarder" is harsh ( sorta true but). I prefer to think of it as my bank account for future needs. Just spent a lot to get a building "rebuilt" and knew I would have some issues with the son & his "saving it" issues but, did get it across. Just built a new pig house (4X4, with floor & all) with scraps. That's for the 2 little girls, the boys will get another one built this wknd, more scraps. So, they were "free" in my "chicken math" way. (AGH hogs, so large for them).

Repairs are never ending on a farm & we must re-cycle. This wknd I'm removing a 200' section of fence from outside of posts where I already installed new on other side. This "old" fence will have some just thrown out and some is still good for patches & or 20-30 ft replacement. I will take the top half and cover some areas on bottom half of another location with walk-down damage, after I've restretched it. Can't always do new everywhere at one time. $$$$$ Still have another 200' of new to install on this first pasture to complete it as an "all" new fenced. It's adjacent to the big building just re-stored. New fence is here, just all the rain stopped me dead!

I'm still using the 80+ 6' T-posts I got from a neighbor just for taking them down for him! Great shape, 1/2 day job. And, several gates,4-5 hot wire tabs (& wire) on all posts, too!Some of the wooden corner & end posts had the screw ins for the tube gates. Those things are like $7 each. Sure made my day. Supposed to be nice weather next 3-4 days. Plan to get some things finished with needed fence work & the free
"rubbish" I've saved/collected.

 

[baymule]

We moved in February to a new place. 8 acres and a double wide. Nothing else. Nothing. We bought a carport and had it put up. Bought 2"x4"x48" non climb horse wire and started fencing, which is an ongoing project. We used a lot of fence posts that we had bought, used. They sure came in handy!

Uhh...about the carport, can't park either vehicle under it. It's full of used lumber and plywood, used tin and all sorts of "good" stuff. Plan on using it to build shelters for the animals.

 

[Britesea]

I think the negative connotation attached to the word "hoarder" has been promulgated by our throw-away society. When you save stuff and re-use or re-purpose things, it means you aren't buying new things, which means those businesses aren't making as much profit as they think they are entitled to. Of course, there is a difference between someone that hoards things because they know they will be able to use it again someday, and someone who's simply too lazy to take out their trash!

 

[sumi]

Ireland is interesting in that it encourages recycling enthusiastically, but at the same time, it doesn't give people a cheap, or free way to get rid of unwanted vehicles? I remember in South Africa how we bought and salvaged secondhand parts for car repairs, it's not an option here, unless you quietly do it yourself. If cars here don't pass their annual NCT inspection and the repairs needed are too steep, many of them simply get abandoned somewhere, usually at an abandoned house. This one had no less than 14 vehicles in it's yard and some trailers:

Some of these vehicles were still in fairly good condition!

 

[Denim Deb]

I think the negative connotation attached to the word "hoarder" has been promulgated by our throw-away society. When you save stuff and re-use or re-purpose things, it means you aren't buying new things, which means those businesses aren't making as much profit as they think they are entitled to. Of course, there is a difference between someone that hoards things because they know they will be able to use it again someday, and someone who's simply too lazy to take out their trash!

For some people, it's a mental problem. They have an emotional attachment to it. And, they're only able to come to terms w/it w/help. So, I'd say "hoarders" fall into 3 categories, those that have a mental problem, those that are too lazy, and those that know they'll be able to reuse it.

I will admit that at times I have trouble throwing stuff out that I may be able to use. But, you can only use so many of the plastic scoops that come w/certain things. There's no reason for me to have a whole box of them. And, really small pieces of 4x4s, I'm probably not going to be able to use. It's a matter of being able to determine the difference between trash and treasure!

 

[Mini Horses]

I agree -- trash or treasure -- much depends on what you know is coming &/or have used in past (often purchased). Once in a while we have to review our keeper stash...but, will salvage!

Yeah, the "trash" retainer is a hoarder was a TV show.....

 

[sumi]

I try, note "try", not to hoard too much may-come-in-useful-one-day things, but like Denim Deb said those plastic scoops, and plastic bags, that I then forget to take with when I go shopping, is hard to toss. But to hoard useless things, old magazines for example. My gran had piles of them, years old, no-one read them except me when I went to visit. Some things just are too good to throw away though, anything wood for example. What you can't use, you can burn? Same for fencing and shade cloth….

Glass jars. We had a box full in the barn years ago, it just sat there until I decided to make jam and lots of it. Those jars came in handy! Same with ice cream tubs. Why buy tubs with lids when you can get the ice cream for free?

Egg cartons. I put word out that I wanted egg cartons when I decided to start selling eggs. I started collecting them when I got my chicks. By the time they started laying I had well over 1,000 cartons. Shortly after that I talked the neighbours into farming free range layers as well and had enough cartons for us both