I don’t know about where you live, but here in Memphis, it seems like it’s been summer for the past three weeks. March isn’t even over and I am sending my son to school in shorts. You know what that means – flip flops for mama!
But, what if you have leftover flip flops? Maybe they are your favorites and you just can’t seem to part with them, but you don’t wear them anymore either. You can recycle them!
Yes, just like many other household items, flip flops can be given new life through recycling.
If you are the crafty type, there are some at home projects you can do with flip flops. You can cut them up to make cushions for furniture so it doesn’t scratch your hardwood floors. You can use the material for a fishing float – after all, flip flops won’t sink. You can cut up old flips flops to make doorstops. And yes, I realized that rhymed. If you have several pairs of flip flops that aren’t in bad condition, you can cut them up and glue them together to make a corkboard for your wall. Some people have even cut up old flip flops to make toys.
If none of those ideas appeal to you, you can be doubly green by mailing your flip flops to Kenya. UniqueEco is a non-profit organization that will accept flip flops. Some local artisans take the flip flops and make them into beads, sculptures, and other pieces of art. I love this idea! If this interests you, you can learn more about UniqueEco at their web site.
Now, once you get rid of those old flip flops, you need new flip flops, right? You can continue to be green in your purchasing if your new flip flops are recycled. No, not recycled out of old flip flops, but out of old car tires and bike inner tubes. While these may not sound like the most attractive things, they are actually quite cute. You can see some at Uncommon Goods.