This post is written by Kate Hall (@ethicallykate), and re-published here with permission (thanks Kate!!!!). To see more of Kate’s amazing work, visit her website: https://ethicallykate.com/

I do weird things for the planet. I rescue old hair ties on the road, I have funky ways to reuse my water, and I’ve even considered using reusable toilet paper instead of your classic paper squares.

After sharing about a few of these things on Instagram, I quickly realised others do quirky things to preserve resources and reduce waste too!

Here are 29 weird (and totally wonderful) things you can do to look after the planet…

Instagram handle credits are mentioned in brackets.

1. Use the least amount of toilet paper as possible.
2. Freeze overripe/rotting fruit.
3. Pour your pasta water over driveway weeds to kill them. (s.smolenski)
4. Don’t wash your hair (naturalgoodbye)
5. Wash and reuse bread bags to store your dog’s raw meat in the freezer (sarah.aotearoa)
6. Sort through other people’s bins for useful treasure (caitlin.sargentjones)
7. Build a shed with furnishings from other people’s houses (kat_dixon)
8. Cut open and use up empty toothpaste tubes (eco.lily)
9. Use all vegetable scraps to make veggie stock (eco.lily)
10. Cool down your boiled cooking water and water your plants (thecrazyfijian)
11. Pick up hair ties from the street (connectceramics)
12. Use reusable cotton wipes when you pee instead of toilet paper (lolimaeght)
13. Pick up litter whenever you’re by the sea (thislifeasjasmin)
14. Gift old toilet rolls/containers/potential crafts to preschools (pipharold)
15. Create new recipes with extra fruit instead of wasting it (pipharold)
16. Use the dehumidifier water to flush the toilet (lauranfauna)
17. Save seeds from old plants to grow in the veggie garden (alice_m_hayes)
18. Sew up ripped sheets (alice_m_hayes)
19. Keep a bucket in your shower and use that water to flush the toilet (mamie_dino)
20. Use sink and shower water for the garden (cam_and_taryn)
21. Reuse firewood to build a deck and fence (cam_and_taryn)
22. Put a left over soap bar into a small mesh jewellery bag to use it all up (eco.emma.23)
23. Turn leftover cereal into ANZAC biscuits (pollyunsaturated)
24. Audit your rubbish bin every week to sort through things and make sure it goes to right place (kaitlin.stewart)
25. Take utensils from your work kitchen when going out for lunch (nz.aye)
26. Use candles as mugs when they’ve burnt out (claaireo)
27. Take extra reusable cutlery out and about with you for people who might not have it (zerowaste_journey_maki)
28. Sort through your office rubbish bins for hidden treasures (sarah.aotearoa)
29. Blend old fruit and put it in ice cube trays (kalm283)