Editor’s note: This is the second in a three part series on why and how to decrease household waste
By Guest Writer Christine Farrier, Forsyth County Master Naturalist Extension Volunteer
Maybe you fondly recall growing up crafting Christmas ornaments, valentines, gift wrappings, toys and cards, from used aluminum foil, buttons, empty thread spools, newsprint, and small boxes. Maybe you remember raking up acorns and leaves for an allowance, and marveling at the abundance of earthworms produced in that rich, black compost. These fond memories can help us embrace the second crucial step on the Waste Reduction Triangle (WRT), Reusing and Repurposing.
There are many resources available on how to save money, time, and become healthier through reusing and repurposing. Reducing the flow of new, toxic, cheaply made goods into our homes helps keep excess trash from overrunning our limited landfill space and polluting our oceans, roadsides, water, soil, and air. Lily Cameron, in her 2021 book Simply Sustainable, encourages pausing before buying new stuff, to reflect if something can be repurposed instead. If you purchase new items, opt for more environmentally friendly replacements that biodegrade or can be recycled. For example, brooms with wooden handles and natural bristles and wooden cooking utensils will biodegrade. Metal dustpans can be recycled. Conversely, the plastic versions of these products often are not recyclable and never decompose.
Kathryn Kellogg, author of Going Zero Waste.com and 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste, asserts new clothing averages just seven wearings before having to be trashed, whether we wear it or donate it. Readily available ‘fast fashion,’ and other short-life household products require more energy and material resources for replacement manufacturing and successive distribution.
We can reduce waste and benefit ourselves and our community through a variety of actions. Buying secondhand clothing and household items locally from thrift shops saves us money and helps non-profits support needs in our own community. For rare special occasions, we might rent or borrow formal attire. We can learn basic (or advanced) sewing skills to repair clothing. When clothing is beyond repair or outdated, Furoshiki videos demonstrate no-sew ways to upcycle it and leftover fabric into beautiful reusable gift wrapping that can replace single-use plastic wrap and bags.
Clothing that still has life can be donated to help out others. As prom season approaches, Forsyth County Public Library Communications Manager Leslie Marinelli has announced a free prom wear and professional clothing swap for teens at the Post Road library to be held on March 1, 2026, between 2-4:00 p.m. If you have clean, gently used blazers, suit jackets, shoes, ties, dress shirts, pants, formal dresses, or evening accessories that you no longer need, you can drop them off at any Forsyth County Public Library branch until February 26, 2026.
Books, CDs, DVDs, and magazines can also have a second, third, or lasting life through donations. The ‘Friends’ secondhand bookstores inside the Cumming, Denmark, Post Road and Sharon Forks library branches provide low-cost books and media to fund library programs while diverting over 50,000 items from the local waste stream. Each branch also welcomes and loans out donated, fully intact puzzles.
Speaking of puzzles, broken China or pottery can find new life as mosaic art. Found items, trinkets, textiles, and treasures scavenged from thrift stores are also inspiration for artists. Use these as the start of a crafting club, contest, or party.
Denise Carleton is a visionary, preservationist, and foundress of the Teacher Reuse Exchange (TRE) nonprofit in Cumming. Since 2020, she has grown TRE’s donations of free and low-cost, new and slightly used school supplies to help at least eight north Georgia county school systems’ teachers, as well as multiple charitable organizations that serve children. TRE has saved educators over $1.25 million in personal, out-of-pocket costs and kept valuable learning materials in circulation rather than landfills. To make donations text Denise at 770-490-1083 or email teacherreuseexchange@gmail.com. TRE’s website is teacherreuseexchange.org.
Bill Roper, long time Forsyth County Extension Master Naturalist and Master Gardener Volunteer, urges piling or composting fall leaves, allowing them to decompose for a year, and then reusing them as natural mulch and fertilizer. Piled leaves provide winter shelter for garden pollinators, too. This natural process saves money, improves the soil in lawns and gardens, reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, and reduces the amount of waste going into landfills.
Try a few ideas from the resources here to reduce waste, help others, and improve our environment. Nature and the Forsyth County Master Naturalists thank you for taking steps to reuse and repurpose in 2026.