Disclosure: This post was brought to you by CARE TO RECYCLE® and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own and I hope you enjoy them.

What can you recycle in the bathroom?

Earth Day is almost here. That means we all must take charge of our surroundings and figure out ways to make the items we use last longer or uses them in a new way. I know we all have what I call life hacks for the bathroom so I polled a group of my friends to get their best tips for recycling items found in a bathroom.

You know it wasn’t that long ago that I thought a toilet paper holder just held the toilet paper. The dish soap bottle’s only job was to make my hands gorgeous as I attempted to scrap food off dishes. The milk jug was only used to hold the milk… and then came the kids. The brightly colored mass distributed toys are not nearly as fun as the ones we can make using household castoffs. The creativity and environmental impact are invaluable to my children. I suggest you grab your trash and create an imagination station or the latest and greatest car race track, princess purse, sand shovel and squirt bottle.

Not that creative?

Your toilet paper roll could become- binoculars, tunnel, funnel, log cabins, musical instruments. Pencil holders, craft collectors, hamster tunnels, yarn winders, and even a gift holder. Those toilet paper rolls are also great to hold cords (charging cords) and to mark cords behind the computer. They were also helpful to Heather’s color-blind grandfather who used to have the person who did her grandfathers laundry place his socks in the toilet paper rolls and label them with the color they were.

The Dish soap bottle-  becomes a squirt toys instead of using the water gun, use them  to put paint in,  make a cool robot add foil, lie flat make a space coaster
How about old tiles you can make a diy ceramic tile coaster .

I know I read in my bathroom. I always have piles of magazines because everyone needs a bubble bath and a magazine. This picture frame is so adorable.

DIY Magazine Picture Frame

I have a bottle of water in my bathroom at all times. I try to drink as much water as possible and we happen to love to do water bottle crafts. We have a huge collection of water bottle crafts.

Towels- An old towels can be sewn  into a bath mat? Or used for scraps to clean or how about turn one into those fancy  hair turbin (like a turbee twist).

Make -up- A hand cream/face cream (short/round) container into a seed starter pots, holders for jewelry, coin keepers, pin holders, bug holders, and you can  make your own beauty products to put back in them like this wonderful lip sugar scrub 

Toothbrushes can be used to clean grout, diamond rings, the wheels on your car, the barbecue and you can even paint with them.

Tissue boxes – They are great for storing wide ribbon, creating hiding places for plastic creatures. If you open up the top a little bit the make a great place to toss a small ball for a quick carnival game.

The key to creating children that recycle is being an example. We do a great deal of recycling but we can always stand to do more. I am committed to learning about how we can do more. I would like to invite you to do the same.

CARE TO RECYCLE® believes that recycling in the bathroom can be a fun family activity; a way for parents to have a teachable moment with their kids and even do some fun projects together. You can find more helpful information such as where to recycle, what to recycle, inspirational quotes, and bathroom recycling projects at www.caretorecycle.com.

We are co-hosting a twitter party…..

Join the #CareToRecycle Twitter Party on April 22 @ 12 p.m. EDT to talk about fun recycling tips and tricks for you and your whole family, and a chance to win some great prizes!

What: Did you know that four out of five American adults aren’t consistently recycling their personal health and beauty products? We’re talking perfectly recyclable everyday bathroom items like empty shampoo and lotion bottles. That’s why The Motherhood is excited to join the Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies’ CARE TO RECYCLE® program to help spread the word about recycling in the bathroom. This Earth Day, we’re getting the whole family involved!

During the chat, we’ll be sharing fun, easy ways to teach your kids the importance of recycling beyond the kitchen and into the bathroom, and we encourage you to share your tips, too! We will be joined by two special guests, Keep America Beautiful and Recyclebank, who will be stopping by to share their tips and ideas, as well.

When: Wednesday, April 22 (Earth Day) at noon ET

Where: We’ll be on Twitter – follow the #CareToRecycle hashtag to track the conversation. You can see the details and RSVP via this Vite: https://vite.io/TheMotherhoodChats

Hashtag: #CareToRecycle

Prizes: During the chat, we’ll be giving away five prizes to randomly selected participants who correctly answer the trivia questions tweeted by @TMChatHost. Four (4) winners will receive one (1) prize pack of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies health and beauty products. One (1) winner will receive one (1) partner prize pack including a $100 gift card to onetwine.com, courtesy of Recyclebank, and a family pack of t-shirts made from recycled content, courtesy of Keep America Beautiful.

Prizes limited to U.S. participants only. Official rules here.

Hosts: @TheMotherhood, @TMChatHost, @CooperMunroe, @EmilyMcKhann

Co-hosts: @realadvicegal, @carogonza, @shoppingduck, @LittleUsBlog, @EmilyARoach, @busymomblog, @KBWhiskey, @allthingsfadra, @ALuckyLadybug, @ourpieceofearth

Special guests: @Recyclebank, @recyclesday

Imagination is FREE………… Reduce, Reuse, Recycle but most importantly spend time imagining with your children!!

Check out these Recycling Fun Facts & Stats:

• Research conducted with the Shelton Group revealed that:

• While almost 70% of Americans say they consistently recycle, only 1 in 5 say they consistently recycle items they use in the bathroom.
• Nearly 40% of Americans say they never recycle in the bathroom.
• 20% of Americans say they didn’t know bathroom products were recyclable.

• According to a Cone Communications Recycling in the Home Survey (conducted in partnership with the Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies):

• More than half of consumers will only recycle if they are certain the item is recyclable or is clearly labeled as such.
• 50% of parents say their children educate the rest of the family about the benefits of recycling.

• The following posts and/or sites provide good topline recycling guides:
  • What is Commonly Accepted for Recycling
  • Top Ten Things to Recycle in Your Home
  • https://livegreen.recyclebank.com/earn-points/CareToRecycle

• Plastics Information:
  • #1 and #2 Plastics (PET & HDPE) are the most commonly collected plastics in municipalities – https://www.earth911.com/recycling-guide/how-to-recycle-plastic-jugs-bottles/
  • #5 plastic (PP or polypropylene) collection is increasing, but it’s still not accepted in many municipal recycling collections. Check with your local recycling office or this handy recycling locator, https://search.earth911.com/?sponsor=jnj, to be sure.
  • Plastic Tubes are usually a mix of plastic laminates and are NOT recyclable.
  • Plastic caps can usually be left on (here’s a guide), but pumps need to be removed before recycling bottles.
  • For all products, it’s recommended to give the bottle a quick rinse to remove residue before placing in recycling bin.  Here’s an example!

• Cartons/Cardboard like Band-Aid® Brand Bandages and over-the-counter drug boxes are recyclable: https://www.earth911.com/recycling-guide/how-to-recycle-cartons/