DIY Recycle Center - IKEA Hack

I adore shopping in the Scratch and Dent area of IKEA. Every IKEA location has one. This section of the store contains items that are slightly damaged, floor models, returns (often with not  a thing wrong but the item is already assembled), and items that are missing parts. It is also my favorite place to sit and people watch since it is by the front registers. During my last trip I found these fantastic trash cans that I had admired in the catalog.

Knodd bins are quality epoxy/powder coated steel. They come in three colors: black, galvanized, and white and have nice lids. I chose the white, although they are more of a cream color than white, which I really like. The finish is a satin finish, not a gloss. Each measures 20" high and have a diameter of 16.25", so they are not too large for most spaces. They hold 11 gallons and are ok around areas of moisture or humidity since the coating helps prevent rust. The ones they had in the Scratch and Dent section this trip were not really a scratch and dent, in fact they were not damaged at all. The bins I scored were simply missing their handles. Typically the Knodd bins retail for $24.99 each, but these ones were marked just $9 each!!

Reusable Produce Bags

I love to poke around the internet for things that I think will contribute to a greener and more sustainable lifestyle. Recently, while on a trip to Washington state, I found that they have outlawed the use of plastic grocery bags. As a result, everyone either brings their own reusable bags or they must pay a fee for old school brown bags. As I wandered up and down the aisles of the market, I was struck by all the unique reusable bags folks carried. After returning home to Arizona, I started researching reusable bag ideas. I found that there are lots of options with regards to grocery sacks. I also discovered there are many kinds of reusable produce bags.

"Reusable produce bags?" you ask. Yes, reusable bags to both shop with and to store your fruits and veggies in when you return home.

After carefully considering all the options that I found, I decided to go with Flip & Tumble produce bags. I like Flip & Tumble bags for several reasons. First, the bags are a convenient size measuring  12" x 14" each. The fine polyester mesh will prevent even the smallest of seeds or vegetables from slipping through, but allows you to run the bag under water to rinse the bounty contained within. You can even shop for bulk items such as rice and quinoa without dropping a grain. I especially like the color tabs on each bag. There are five separate colors that allow you to assign colors to a particular type of fruit or vegetable. The poly mesh bags can be washed in a washing machine as well, which makes them easy to keep clean and fresh. The mesh dries quickly when hung after washing.

You may be asking by now, "How much already?" Well, how's $11 for five of them? I looked at fabric at my local craft store, priced it by the yard, figured time and effort along with aesthetic end-result, and decided sewing these myself really would not save me anymore money and the time to do so could be better spent on other projects. I plan to order two more sets for a total of 15 of these great bags to allow for me to shop when some are still in use.

The bags compact easily and are super lightweight. Considering the ease of cleaning them, it will be no problem to take them along with my reusable grocery sacks even if I only end up using a couple on that particular trip.

Toggles

Being green starts in baby steps and this baby step is an easy one. I will improve these bags by adding a toggle to each one. I can buy them very inexpensively and they will secure the drawstrings for when the clerk is ringing up the contents without risk of them getting loosened or some of the contents potentially spilling on my trip back home.

Interested in a set of your own? Check them out here at my Amazon store: Flip & Tumble Reusable Produce Bags

What do you think about eliminating out the plastic produce bags that markets offer for produce? Do you think this should be mandatory, as in Washington state, or shopper's choice?

Grey Water vs Black Water Part 1

Over the course of my next few posts I will be explaining my plan for my grey water system (also spelled gray water), its limitations, and its benefits. If you have been interested in or are considering a grey water system, you may find my research helpful. Please feel free to ask questions and add to the discussion in the comments below. I welcome any feedback you may have.

I have been designing the plumbing system for my new home to be efficient and green. There are several factors that will play into how one designs and executes the plumbing in a shouse, such as: A) where kitchen and bath are located, B) sewer or septic, C) codes, and D) pipe or Pex. You would be surprised how complicated it can be to design your own system. A couple of these factors were already decided for me. First, my property already has a septic tank installed and, secondly,  I am installing a composting toilet as opposed to a flushing one.

One thing that has always been a non-negotiable for me in designing my plumbing is my desire to install and use a grey water system. Grey water is generally water that comes from bathing, washing dishes, and laundry, that is used to water the yard. It does NOT include water from the toilet. Some areas do not allow for grey water use (check with city and county codes where you live) because they simply don't trust people to use the system safely. It is more complicated than just running a drain line out into the flower bed, which is what many people think is how a grey water system functions.

The most basic of grey water systems is using a basin to wash dishes and then walking the water out to the garden to water plants. While this is an excellent way to reuse dish water, there are factors that must be considered or what you pour into your garden may just kill your plants. Draining washing machine water from a load that was used to wash diapers is also considered bad news. Feces is the enemy of the grey water system. Your job in designing your grey water system is to ensure that feces doesn't make it to the garden and that bacteria and germs are not encouraged to fester.

When I began researching this idea I found that lots of information is out there, but much of it is impractical and/or outdated. After sifting through all the detritus found on the net, I have narrowed my system down to this:

• Water from the kitchen sink, bathtub/shower, bathroom sink, and washing machine will all be routed to grey water pump, which will then pump the grey water to a mulch bed away from the Shouse. 
• The mulch bed will be built using trenches to run the pipe, Y's to branch the pipe out, and then the pipes will dead end in specific mulch beds. 
• The mulch beds will be next to trees and garden beds to assist in irrigating them. I will NOT be watering root based vegetables with grey water. 
• A diverter will allow me to run the drain water into the septic if there is any chemical (bleach for example) or feces potential (washing diapers or a poopy kid) in the water. 

While this is a very simplified overview of my grey water system, I will be going into detail about it in the next few posts. There are some definite considerations when considering a grey water system, but the most important is SAFETY. Not breeding bacteria, germs, mosquitoes, or creating a drowning hazard must be built into whatever system you settle on using. Also, you must consider how much water your household uses on a daily basis. Too much water can be as bad as too little. The size of your system must be proportionate to your water usage. My next post will begin with what kinds of cleaning products can safely be used in a grey water system and which ones should be diverted to a sewer or septic system.

Do you use a grey water system or recycle your water in some way?

C'mon Baby, Light My Fire

It is a romantic image: Air cold enough to see your breath and a nice hot fire to keep you warm. However, anyone who has ever been really cold and trying to get a fire started knows how frustrating and scary it can be. Wind, rain, a lighter that is dying, or even worse, just a couple of matches left in the pack, can send the blood pressure rising and the anxiety into overload. Well, to help alleviate the worry of not being able to get kindling to light quickly and easily, I am going to share a DIY that you can assemble from things you typically throw away or recycle. Collect the materials over time, assemble and store. You can store lots of these in a small area. In the time of an emergency or even when you are just trying to get a fire going in the hearth, you can use one of these and save yourself all that stress.