A homeowner turned a wooden box destined for the trash (or more hopefully, the recycling bin) into a practical piece of home decor.

In the r/upcycling subreddit, the OP showed how they repurposed wooden wine boxes from Costco into shelving for their houseplants.

As shown in their photo, the box originally came with four bottles of wine separated by thin slats, which the creative Redditor removed and then positioned on the wall to hide the wine brand's logo. Then, they placed their small plants on the newly created shelves.

The OP's upcycling saved them quite a bit of money, as a new wooden plant shelf can cost anywhere from $15 to hundreds of dollars, depending on the size and where you buy it from. It's a creative and practical way to fulfill a need without spending money on a new product, which also requires resources to manufacture, ship, and pick up from a store. 

Fast furniture is on the rise, the same way fast fashion is, with lower-quality products being mass-produced and often discarded in a short period of time. Americans throw out more than 12 million tons of furniture every year, according to the New York Times, a significant waste of wood. And per the EPA, as of 2018, only 17.1% gets recycled. 

Losing wood to new product manufacturing is detrimental to the environment, contributing to rising global temperatures and other impacts, including poorer air and soil quality. On the flip side, when wood products end up in landfills, they also release planet-warming gases like methane, another contribution to rising temperatures. 

Redditors in the comments adored the clever hack from the OP.

"Love this! Because I love plants so much, this might be my fav post on the sub ever," one person wrote.

Another quipped, "Brilliant! Now I need to go drink more."

One person expanded on the repurposing idea, suggesting, "It can also be great for books and decor or extra kitchen shelving!"

Should it be illegal to throw away old clothes? Heck yes 👍 No way 👎 I'm not sure 🤷 Only if it's free to recycle them 🤌 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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