You don't need expensive pots and planters to create a beautiful and unique garden – you can use items from your kitchen or recycling bin.
One homeowner recently shared photos on the r/upcycling subreddit, revealing that they've done just that to enhance the beauty of their garden and backyard.
Photo credit: Reddit
Instead of buying new planters, the gardener said he reused leftover tea tins that were no longer in use.
“I've had this tea tin for years,” said the gardener, “and finally decided to cut a hole in it and make a little planter out of it. It's so pretty!”
The post has four colorful tea tins attached to a wooden fence with budding plants peeking out.
Recycling aluminum products like tea cans and reusing them in other home projects could save hundreds of millions of dollars. Experts say that by recycling this material, homeowners can save 95% of the energy needed to produce new aluminum.
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According to the Aluminum Association, this could save countries like the United States up to $800 million a year.
Reusing these items also helps reduce personal and collective waste, helps reduce air pollutants from landfills, and helps reduce the amount of pollution associated with making new cans and aluminum products.
If you want to recycle such items at home, you might not know which bin to put the item in. Cool Down previously reported that Recycle Check, a program of the Recycling Partnership, is partnering with major brands to place QR codes on packaging to simplify the recycling process.
It's important to remember that in order to help the environment, these products don't necessarily have to be recycled. Choosing to reuse items such as tea tins as planters not only saves homeowners money that would have been spent on purchasing new items, but also reduces the waste that comes with the manufacturing and shipping of the products.
Other aspiring gardeners have also praised the tea tin trick, with one Reddit user commenting: “This is brilliant.”
Another user pointed out that tea tins aren't the only household items that can be transformed into planters.
“This brings back so many memories. My best friend's mom made these out of old boots/shoes, an old bathtub, and anything she could drill holes in,” said a user. “Such a great idea!”
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