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If you have a number of old CDs you no longer want then don’t just through them away, and think for a moment if there are any ways in which you could recycle them. If they are still in good condition you could donate them to a charity shop or sell them online on an auction site such as eBay, and if you don’t want to go to the trouble of creating individual auctions for them you could put them on all as a bulk listing.

If the CDs are too scratched and worn then you could try incorporating them into a craft project if you are a creative person, and with very little effort you can make them into funky mobiles and drinks coasters. The shiny reverse side of CDs is also an effective deterrent to help prevent birds from eating seeds and new shoots in the garden so you could thread old CDs onto a piece of string and them hang them in your vegetable patch and new borders.

There are also several companies who specialise in recycling CDs and their packaging into new materials such as Polymer Recycling, and you can visit their website to find out more about this service at polymerrecycling.co.uk.

Solar energy has come on a long way in recent years and you can now get some affordable and effective solar systems that can supplement the energy usage in your home. The success of solar energy will depend on the location of your home, and whether you have a suitable position to set up your solar system in, but many homes can successfully run solar power and use it to provide up to 50% of all the annual home heating and water heating needs.

Photovoltaic Panels
This is a common form of solar power system for domestic properties and uses flat panels to capture the suns rays, which are filled with silicon (rather like the small cell panels on a solar powered calculator) that release electrons when exposed to sunlight creating an electrical charge. The Photovoltaic Panels then conduct this charge along metal contacts and transform it into usable electricity, which can be stored in special batteries or used straight away to run home heating systems.

If you have old work tools you no longer use and they are still in good condition then there are a number of ways you can recycle them and make sure they continue to be useful, rather than just throwing them in the bin where they will end up as landfill waste.

Workaid
The organisation Workaid will accept donations or old and broken tools and will refurbish them for use in vocational training schemes that are set up in developing counties. Workaid will accept all kinds of tools from welding equipment through to old typewriters, and you can visit the website to find out more about this worthwhile project www.workaid.org.

Tools for Self Reliance
This is another organisation which accepts old tools and refurbishes them to a high standard, and then uses these tools to help relieve poverty in third world African countries by supporting training and development projects and small businesses. Tools for Self Reliance accept all kinds of second hand tools including sewing machines, scissors, planes, screwdrivers, jacks and much more.

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recycle cordless tools, recycling old hand tools

There are a number of eco friendly ways in which you can manage your home garden, and you do not need a lot of pesticides and fancy exotic flowers to create beautiful havens for both you and the wildlife around you to relax and feel comfortable in.

Pests
There are a number of natural ways you can keep down pests and this can help prevent the overuse of pesticides and insecticides in the environment. For example a very effective way of getting rid of slugs and snails is to get up early in the morning once or twice a week when the dew is still on the ground (or after a rain shower) and simply pick up the slugs and snails as they come out to feed and move around. Put them in a bucket then release them on a nearby patch of wasteland or wild land.

Encourage Natural Wildlife
Creating natural eco friendly environments in your garden will not only benefit the wildlife in your area, but it will also help to maintain a balance between useful creatures and pests, which can benefit other areas of your garden too. You can buy packets of seeds that are suitable for attracting bees, butterflies and other wildlife to your garden from nurseries, garden centres and also online and if you want to find out more about creating natural environments in your garden you can visit veggieglobal.com