Recycling and Upcycling

Sweden is one of the best countries in the world when it comes to recycling. There are green recycling containers all over the place. You recycle your glass - coloured and plain - your newspapers, paper bags, everything cardboard and paper, soft and hard plastic, metal, batteries, light bulbs, clothing. The list is endless. At the supermarket, it costs to take a plastic bag, so a lot take a cloth bag with them, or reuse plastic bags from home. We usually take a bag of recycling on the way to nursery.
We also compost all our food waste. We have three bins in the garden, which are solely for that. One for new waste, one for waste breaking down, and one for the almost ready to be put on the garden waste. As it has been such a long cold winter, they are getting quite full, but I noticed today that the new waste is sinking - which means all the lovely little munching maggots are waking up.
As well as the little recycling centres dotted all over the place, we also have a large recycling plant where you can go with EVERYTHING -furniture, garden waste, paint, you name it, we can recycle it. And this plant is a treasure trove, because there is a large shed where you can leave what you no longer need/want, and find something you do need/want.

I leave a book and come home with a fabulous storage bench for the hall. I leave some plates and cups and come home with Donald Duck comics. So far, I have exchanged my unwanted goods for the following : one red child's bicycle in perfect condition, one cycle helmet, two fabulous garden chairs, glass bottles for the cordial making season to come, books, comics, a kitchen chair, toys for the children and gorgeous gingham curtains for the youngest kidlet's room. Oh, and best of all, a box of handcrocheted pieces of lace.......now washed and pressed and looking so prettily ready for crafting.

Its called Upcycling. So in theory you could cycle to leave your recycling and upcycle your cycle for ...........well, that's the most fabulous part of all!