We've seen a wealth of resources out there for connecting one man's trash with the proverbial other man (or woman) out there who will see it as a treasure. From Freecycle to Throwplace, we applaud these matchmaker enterprises, because they offer not only an alternative to throwing things out (or buying them new), but also a new, bright green, method for thinking and acting cooperatively.

Worldchanging ally ReadyMade recently turned us on to a blog in the UK that takes this idea in a new direction. Instead of helping you give away your old junk, How Can I Recycle This encourages you to keep it, and solicit ideas from fellow bloggers about how to re-purpose it into something useful (or at least desirable).

A lot of the suggestions are for craft-type projects (like this bouquet of flowers cut from plastic drink bottles). But there are quite a few more practical suggestions on there also: Old washing machine drum becomes stylish ottoman, an old hollow-core door becomes a desktop, shelving or even art supplies…you get the picture.

One really delightful element of the site is that once people get the recycling bug, they seem to take it into every possible corner of their lives, no matter how small. There are posts asking about recycling every bit of random debris, from the plastic fasteners on bagged loaves of bread to the always-purchased but rarely-eaten, chalky candy Valentine hearts.

Yet another bit of living proof that the ideas are out there to put us on the path to a waste-less world. It's just a matter of asking.

Photo by katiescrapbooklady, licensed by Creative Commons.