Upcycling is a craze that is sweeping the nation right now, and why wouldn’t it? You get to reduce your waste and inject a new lease of life into products that would otherwise probably end up in a landfill. Not to mention the sense of pride you’ll have when you make something of use. From compost bins to go-karts, you really can upcycle a wheelie bin into anything.

A mini greenhouse

If you’re short on space in your garden for a traditional greenhouse but keen to put your green fingers to good use, why not use a deep tray (preferably clear plastic) to give your garden plants and seedlings a head start. Watertight, heavy-duty, and suitable for indoor and outdoor use, they make the perfect home for your garden plants to thrive.

Carefully cut in a straight line across the front and back of the bin, leaving the sides still attached just wide enough to slide in a tray to create a shelf in the container. You can repeat this step as many times your bin has room for; the more shelves, the more planting potential. Pot your plants, keep them fed regularly and watch them flourish. Eventually, your plants will be ready to flee the nest and dive into the real world, your garden soil.
Image source:https://therustedgarden.blogspot.com/2015/01/a-quick-but-comprehensive-guide-to.html?m=1

Go Kart

Make your kid’s dream come true this summer and transform your wheelie bin into a racing Go Kart. Simply remove three sides of the top half of the bin, leaving the base, wheels, and one whole side intact. Secure a front set of wheels and attach a steering cord because, you know, safety first! Then get yourselves down to the biggest hill you can find for some serious fun!

Image source: https://www.reddit.com/r/WeirdWheels/comments/j279u6/andy_jennings_record_breaking_fastest_wheelie_bin/

Compost bin

Composting is not only good for the environment in the sense that it reduces landfill waste and recycled kitchen waste, but it helps produce valuable nutrients for your soil. Your very own fertilizer. Plastic bins are perfect for turning into a compost bin because you can choose the size you use to suit your compost production. Once you’ve selected your bin, drill 8 – 10 holes in the top and bottom for aeration. Pad the base out with newspapers or dry leaves to soak up the moisture and add your soil on top. Then start throwing in your scraps, making sure to stir them regularly to get them mixed into the soil. Viola, you’re making compost. Just make sure you keep it watered often so that it doesn’t dry out. You’ll have your begonias blooming in no time!

Portable bar

You can quickly and easily turn your old plastic bin into the must-have accessory for the summer – a portable bar, because really, who wants to queue for a pint these days. Take a plastic bin, any shape, big enough for whatever size keg you want to hold, and drill a hole at the top for the pipes. Install a beer tap and feed the lines through the hole, and there you have it, a portable bar perfect for garden parties and BBQ. If your plastic bin doesn’t already have wheels on, why not attach them to the bottom, so you don’t have to worry about carrying it? Cheers!
Image source: https://www.kegworks.com/draft-beer/event-outdoor-dispensing/

Christmas decorations organizer

Don’t hate us too much for mentioning the dreaded C word this early, but you can never be too organized. There’s nothing worse than getting excited to put the tree up and all the decorations being intertwined into one big one after a year in the attic. All you need is a plastic crate and some cardboard tubes; the amount of tubes depends on the size of the box. Measure the length of the tubes to be slightly longer than the box itself and cut a hole at either end of the box to slot the tube through. Then feed your decorations down the tube and reattach the tube into the hole. There you have it, a space-saving way of storing your decorations, so come December, all you’ll have to worry about is the turkey.

With upcycling, once you’ve started, you won’t be able to stop. No longer will you look at a bin and think it’s just a bin, there’s a world of possibilities out there, so let your creativity run wild. For further advice on plastic bin storage, feel free to contact us at Onit Direct, and we will be happy to help.