I get geeked about reusing things, whether for creative or practical purposes.  Today I thought long and hard about what to do with a bamboo wall hanging.  I was tired of where it was hanging but hate to put it in storage.  I decided to use it upside down as a runner on my dresser instead.

I’ve also been wondering what to do with old shoes that aren’t fit for donating.  I learned that Nike has an athletic shoe recycling program where they reuse the materials for new shoes and athletic & playground surfaces.  I’m still not sure what to do with my non-athletic shoes though.

So, because of my love of repurposing (and recycling when necessary), I’ve been looking for quality recycling/reuse guides & websites.  Here are a couple noteworthy ones.

This A-Z guide from Real Simple helps you figure out how to recycle or reuse items that you may be unsure about.  For example, I learned you can send old crayons to the National Crayon Recycle Program.  They also tell you what to do with packing materials, paint, juice bag pouches, and old holiday cards.

How Can I Recycle This? allows readers to give creative ideas for reuse questions.  For the question, “How can I recycle or reuse old socks?” readers suggested using them for stuffing, cat or dog toys, doll clothes, to put on your hand while dusting, fingerless gloves, leg warmers, sock puppets, and putting them on kids hands while they eat messy popsicles.

And here’s a Trash Matcher that matches trash items with kids art projects.  Who would have guessed you can make a bubble wand from used telephone wire!

Do you know of any other good reuse/recycling sites?