Creative Reuse Ideas
Upcycling, Nature and Sustainability
Reusing things can grow out of noticing nature. You don’t become more sustainable just by going on a shopping spree and splashing the cash on anything with an eco label. It can start with looking differently at what you already own; from the crap you’re throwing away to noticing the natural world around us.
“Reuse and recycling are not the same thing. Reuse comes above recycling in the Hierarchy of Waste,” - Reduce.Reuse.Recyle.
This Sunday, the 18th October is National Reuse Day. It’s a day created to help encourage people to stop mindlessly chucking stuff away and instead reuse it. Created by the organisation Freegle, where you list an unwanted item and somebody in your local community can take it for free.
Copyright Knot Waste: Bag from Nytjolaugavegur charity thrift store.
From Nature Noticing to Handbag Upcycling
On our holidays in Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, we went second-hand shopping around vintage and charity thrift shops. In a store called Nytjolaugavegur, we bought a little handbag that thought it could be fun to decorate in the future… and that future just so happens to be now, almost a year later.
The natural scenery in Iceland is breathtaking, especially the colourful lichens, and the moss that grows over bumpy lava rocks. So inspired, we transformed a bunch of our own old bags, which you can see on our Nature Crafts page.
Photo from Knot Waste’s Seydisfjordur Iceland Gallery.
From seeing this on holiday, it’s also made us take more notice of the moss in our local UK woods. Most recently photographing moss on a nature-noticing walk is what’s spurred us on to try and give this little bag a fluffy new lease of life.
Photo of Moss on a Tree, from a Nature Noticing Walk in a North West UK Woods.
We customised the bag using acrylic paints mixed with sand to give it a bit of texture. We then fluffed up some left-over bits of Icelandic sheeps’ wool (also bought in a craft shop on holiday) and stuck it onto the bag using Mod Podge.
This was a fun nature crafting project as it combined lovely holiday memories with local nature-noticing walks, incorporating natural textures with reuse.
Iceland Thrifted Bag Upcycle
Care More
Nature-noticing walks can change our relationship with local green spaces. When we pay attention to mosses, plants, wildlife and seasonal changes, we may become more motivated to protect those places.
Walking through our local park and woods has helped our wellbeing on many occasions, making us grateful and wanting to protect it so that it can help others. We started snapping litter on our walks as art to help draw awareness of how litter can harm local public health, wildlife and pets, and ultimately the environment impacting climate change. We’ve put some of our favourite photos into an Urban Litter 2027 calendar to help inspire others to get litter-picking on nature-noticing walks around urban areas.
Pic from our Etsy Urban Litter 2027 Calendar.
Five creative ways to reuse what you already have
Makeover an Old Accessory
Refresh a tired handbag, pair of shoes or fabric accessory with paint, embroidery, patches or other decorative details. Take inspiration from the colours and textures you notice outdoors. We’ve found embroidery as nature connection really helpful for our wellbeing. Try it for yourself with our free ‘Spaniel in Urban Litter’ embroidery pattern download via the Knot Waste Contact page.
2. Repair Rather than Replace
Try visible mending, embroidery or sashiko-inspired stitching to repair worn clothing. Make the repair part of the design instead of trying to hide it.
3. Reuse Everyday Objects
Turn glass jars into propagation vessels, use tins to organise art supplies or repurpose cardboard packaging for storage before recycling it.
4. Make Art from What you Already Have
Combine leftover wool, fabric scraps, old photographs, paper offcuts and craft materials to create something new. A nature-noticing walk can provide all the colour and texture inspiration you need.
5. Reuse as Part of Caring for Local Nature
Borrow equipment, reuse supplies for community projects, or join a local litter pick. Small actions can help reduce waste and encourage people to look after their shared green spaces.
Creative Mending Embroidery Badge Made from Old Jeans.
Reuse as a Way of Reconnecting with Nature
Reusing things is about seeing potential rather than waste. So go for a walk in your local urban area, take note of colours or textures that inspire you, then find an item at home to reuse creatively.
Read our latest Substack to see how nature-noticing walks developed our environmental stewardship.
More Ideas: Reusing Food Waste at Home.