While your first instinct may be to toss out empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls to eliminate the clutter in your home, there are far more creative solutions out there that can offer your trash a second life.
The scoop
On TikTok, environmental enthusiast Nicole (@nerdy_nicole97) shared how she collects and donates her old cardboard tubes to various nonprofits, her self-proclaimed favorite being the Resource Depot, where donated items are reused in sustainable creative projects, particularly for children.
@nerdy_nicole97 Recycling cardboard tubes from toilet paper and paper towel rolls is great, but did you know that you can donate them to nonprofits to be used for sustainable art projects? 🧻🎨 🐢 I was first introduced to the concept of reusing cardboard tubes after helping out with a children's art event at the @Loggerhead Marinelife Center a couple of years ago and since then, I have been donating them to the Resource Depot where they will be used for sustainable art projects for kids or sold in their creative resale shop so that they may be enjoyed by others before finally being recycled! ♻️ The @Resource Depot in West Palm Beach is my favorite nonprofit creative reuse center and they have a great selection of new and pre-loved items at amazing prices. With a focus on sustainability and reducing waste, the Resource Depot strives to "turn waste into wonder," by means of a resale shop, sustainable art initiatives and events, and inspiring creativity through the lens of environmental sustainability. #Sustainability #environment #environmentalsustainability #marinebiology #marinebiologist #oceanconservation #ocean #environmentalconservation #creativereuse #recycle #recycling #art #artprojects #sustainabletips #sustainableliving #sustainableswaps #sustainablelifestyle #sustainable #florida #southflorida #fyp #foryou #foryoupage ♬ hospital beach - Cottonwood Firing Squad
"It's a great way to keep [cardboard tubes] out of landfills and a great way to give back to the community," Nicole explained in a voiceover, "as they go toward art projects for kids in really cool sustainable art projects."
In other words, donating empty rolls to nonprofits puts them back on the shelves, promoting creativity in young children while encouraging reuse rather than disposal of old items.
How it's helping
While donating can help you make a wholesome impact on your community, you can even repurpose cardboard rolls at home as decor, compost, or other eco-conscious supplies, saving you money while keeping your home greener and clutter-free.
According to NBC News, we throw away close to 17 billion toilet paper rolls each year — and that's not even accounting for paper towel tubes and other cardboard products. While many are recycled, the majority wind up in our already-overflowing landfills, contributing to the release of methane, carbon dioxide, and other contaminants into the earth and the atmosphere, as harmful to our health as they are to our planet.
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In the long term, landfill overflow poses risks to nearby wildlife habitats by degrading the land and water supply while releasing various gases that trap heat within our atmosphere and drive up our global temperatures.
What everyone's saying
Responses to Nicole's "hack" were overall enthusiastic about the unexpected idea.
"As a former nonprofit art educator, this is awesome," one user commented. "There were so many projects that were really accessible if we had paper towel and toilet paper rolls and it was always so hard to get everyone on staff to bring them in so having resources like this in the community is amazing."
"So cool!!" gushed another.
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