Recycling cans the fun family way

Families can repurpose tin cans as planters in the garden, in craft projects, toys, and so on. Find interesting ways to be creative and you can do wonders with recycled cans!

Hanging herb garden

Herbs like chives, mint and oregano look lovely when planted in cans and hung with twine or on a kitchen window sill. Paint the can, label and punch holes at the baseof the cans for drainage, fill with pebbles and soil. Plant each herb in a separate can and in a few weeksrelish the herbs in your cooking!

Tin can lanterns

Get an assortment of tin cans and remove the labels. Fill them up with water and freeze overnight till solid. Draw a pattern on the can then lay it on its side, over a thick cloth and use a hammer and nail to pierce holes through the pattern starting from the top. Drain the can and dry it before paintingit in your favourite colours. Remember to use toothpicks to poke the holes open as soon as they get filled with paint. When the can has dried, place a battery operated tea-light inside and enjoy the glow!

Magnetic robots

Have hours of fun creating your own robot characters that look incredible.  You'll need some recycled tin cans, various hardware pieces, plastic lids, pipe cleaners, strong magnets, and a hot glue gun. You can also use stainless steel dish scrubbers, wire ties and paper clips for special effects. Invent new robots and keep adding to your collection!

Tin can telephone

Create your own home-made telephone and be surprised! You’ll need 2 empty tin cans, a piece of string at least 15 feet long (like twine used to tie parcels), duct tape, a hammer and nail. Clean and dry two empty cans, make sure the cut edges are smooth and tape the rim of the edges safely with duct tape. Hammer a nail through the centre of the base of each can. Then lay the cans on their side so the bases of the tins face each other. Push a string through the hole at the base of the first tin can and pass it through the base of the other. Tie a knot on both ends of the string. Pull each can to the end of the string and the tin cans are now connected! Walk away from each other until the string between both the tin cans is completely taut. Now speak into the open end of your can and your friend can hear your voice on his end. It’s so simple yet the results are amazing!

Bird feeder

Attract a variety of colourful birds into your garden with a simple bird feeder hung from a tree or branch. All you need to do is clean a can, remove the labels, spray paint on the outside and dry it overnight. Punch two holes and tie a thick twine or ribbon so it can be knotted through and hung. Use a glue gun and fix on a wooden dowel on the outside of the can for a bird to perch on. Once your bird feeder is ready, fill with some bird seed and watch the birds come and feed!