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Disclaimer: I get a commission for purchases made through some of the links in this post. One of the first projects we wanted to tackle after our passive solar house was finished was building an outdoor cob oven. I’d built one by the seat of my pants two decades earlier when I was living in Pennsylvania and recently heard that that oven is still turning out homebaked bread and pizza for its new owners. So, I wanted to do it again here at my forever home with Jeremy, my forever human, to enjoy homemade cob-oven-baked goodies for ourselves, family, and friends for the rest of our days. An ancient building material composed of clay subsoil, sand, and straw in varying proportions, cob can last hundreds and even thousands of years. This sustainable material has been used all over the globe, including for building those quaint thatched-roof cottages you see in Thomas Kinkaid paintings. A fire- and earthquake-resistant material, cob has also been used to build modern homes, benches, garden walls, and — you guessed it — ovens.  Building a cob oven is a great DIY project because it’s relatively easy and forgiving in a non-technical way. It's also inexpensive, eco-friendly, and, once finished, fun to use (cob oven baking parties are fun, too). You can also get creative and customize the shape and size of your oven to suit your needs, preferences, and imagination. One thing's for sure, as you'll see from our photos, a cob oven doesn't have to look picture-perfect to work well and last a very long time. In this guide to building your own backyard cob oven, I’ll share the step-by-step basics we followed, along with some additional resources if you want to delve deeper into the details of making, building, and cooking with cob. I’ll also share some info on how to make your cob creation last for decades and then some to come.  An Overview: Steps to Building a Cob Oven To give you a general idea of what you’re getting into with this project, here are the basic steps and links to jump ahead to each one below: Choose the right location for your oven, considering convenience, safety, drainage, and shelter.  Prepare the site by clearing the area, leveling the ground, and laying down a layer of sand or gravel. Figure out the size of your oven , including the outer perimeter of the dome and the doorway, so you know how big to build your base. Build the base for your oven , which you can do in a variety of ways, and fill the inside with gravel, rocks, or other materials. Add an optional insulating layer of glass bottles within the base and cap off the base with sand. Lay fire bricks on the sand bed to form the floor of the oven , and draw a circle on the floor to mark the diameter of the oven cavity. Build an archway to form the door of the oven. Build a dome form (a mold) on top of the circle to create that oven cavity. One way to do this is by using wet sand and packing it tightly, then covering it with plastic.  Cover the dome and doorway arch with a thermal layer composed of clay and sand approximately three to four inches thick. If desired, add a flue (chimney) to your oven. Add an insulating cob layer about six inches thick to retain the heat inside the oven. Cure and finish the cob . Remove the dome form via the doorway, build a small fire to cure the interior, let the cob walls fully dry, and then cover the insulation layer with lime plaster to protect the cob from the weather and add strength. Cob Oven Tools and Materials List You may find you need or want to try other tools and materials as you go, but here's a list of the basics to have on hand: Clay subsoil — Soil that's 15–25% clay is great. We used leftover soil from the excavation of our foundation Sand — Course sand with varying particle sizes is best for cob-making. Concrete sand is a good option if you'll need to buy it, while masonry sand is a bit too fine. Straw — You'll want a straw that's still pliable, not too dry and brittle. We used pine straw because it's plentiful around here and free. Brown fallen needles that are still fresh enough to have some bend to them are great for cob. A level Gravel for beneath the oven base Base materials, such as stones, bricks, or blocks, and mortar if applicable — We used ICF block leftovers from our house construction Mortar-mixing tools and a trowel Base fill material — Depending on how you decide to build a base for your oven, this could be rock, gravel, cinder, sand, etc Glass bottles for an optional insulation layer beneath the oven Soil sifting screen Buckets Water for mixing cob Measuring tape or yardstick A beam compass or other method of measuring and drawing a circle, like a string with a pin and chalk Fire bricks — How many depends on the size of the oven you decide to build. Scrap wood or other materials for making a doorway form Mold-making materials for the dome — This could be (wet) sand, newspaper, plastic, etc., depending on how you want to make the form. Tarp (s) Bricks and mortar for an arched doorway A fork or other implement to score the cob (even a stick will do) Step 1: Choose a Location for Your Cob Oven Unless you build your oven on a cart, it is where it will forever be once you build it. So choosing a site is worth some thought. Here are some things to consider when choosing a permanent location for your cob oven: Convenience and attractiveness : You want to choose a spot that’s easy to access and also fits well with your landscape—not to mention that cob ovens look really cool, so you’ll want yours to be seen. Safety : Avoid areas that are prone to flooding, and if possible, choose a location that’s protected from strong winds. You may also need to check for any buried plumbing or electrical wiring that could interfere with your build. It’s best to surround your oven with non-flammable materials like sand, gravel, or stone in case of any sparks (although the risk of that with a cob oven is minimal). Shelter : Choose a spot where you can protect your oven from rain and snow, as moisture can damage the cob and reduce its lifespan. If you don’t already have a shelter, you may want to build a lean-to or gazebo type of structure for the oven.  If you do want to build your cob oven in a mobile way, here's a great video of such a project. Step 2: Prepare the Site Depending on the location you’ve chosen, this might not take much.  Choose or create a flat and level spot for your oven base. You can use a spirit level  to check the evenness of the ground. Clear any branches or other potentially flammable items and, of course, anything that will be in the way of your oven and any structure you may build over and around it.  Step 3: Figure Out the Size of Your Cob Oven Cob ovens can be built in a range of sizes, so you’ll need to decide what you want to fit in yours, including through the doorway. Also, think about how much you want to be able to bake at one time: one pizza or two; one loaf of bread or casserole or four; a dozen cookies or three dozen. You get the idea. The smallest cob oven interior size that I’ve heard of has a 16” floor diameter. Any smaller, and you probably wouldn’t have good heating or a large enough cooking surface. Though some rules of cob-making can be broken, here are some general rules of thumb for sizing cob ovens: Use a cob oven ratio : The interior ceiling height should be around 75% of the interior oven floor’s diameter, and the door height should be about 63% of the ceiling height. For example, if you want to build an oven with a finished interior floor diameter of 36 inches, the ideal ceiling height would be 27 inches, and the door opening would be 17 inches tall. Why, you ask? These proportions help ensure the oven heats evenly and maintains its temperature effectively, which is essential for cooking and baking .  Building with this ratio means the oven will require less firewood to reach baking temperatures and still release heat over a long duration. The door height ratio optimizes the balance between heat retention and proper airflow. If the door opening is too large, too much heat will escape. On the other hand, if the door opening is too small, the combustion gases won't flow properly. Decide how big you want your cooking space to be : The interior diameter of the dome should be at least 36 inches to accommodate a 24-inch oven chamber.  The oven chamber is smaller than the dome's interior diameter to create a more efficient airflow to the wood fire inside. The hot coals are pushed to the sides of the chamber, creating a space in the center for the food to be baked. This allows the heat to circulate around the food, cooking it evenly. Add inches for cob oven walls : Factor in the thickness of cob oven walls, which can vary. The first layer is often referred to as the “thermal layer” or “dome” and is usually made with a mix of just clay and sand but no straw. A thickness of four inches is common for the thermal layer, but some people go with a thinner three-inch dome for faster heating. The outer cob layer is the insulating layer, which includes the straw and is usually a minimum of four inches thick. Six inches is even better, so at its maximum, your cob oven could be as thick as 10 inches or more. Step 4: Build the Base As with the size of your cob oven, you have plenty of options when it comes to how you build your base. Many cob ovens you see online are built on stone bases, some mortared and others dry-stacked. In our case, we had leftover materials from building our home, so we used ICF block to build a square base and then filled that with a mix of concrete rubble, also leftover from construction, rocks, cinder, and then sand at the top. We added a layer of glass bottles for insulation on the sand layer you see in this photo and then covered that with sand, too. Depending on how big (or small) an oven you’ve decided on, you’ll want to build a base that’s at least the same size, including the added thickness of the cob walls. Since our base is rectangular, we made sure to build it large enough that the diameter of the finished cob oven and the doorway would fit entirely within the outer edges. Here are the basics of building a base for your cob oven: Mark the area : Measure out and mark the ground with the desired diameter (or dimensions, if it’s not a circle) of your oven base.  Cut out the base footprint : With a shovel or spade, remove any grass, weeds, or rocks from the area. Dig about six inches deep to create a foundation for your oven base. Fill the hole with gravel and tamp it down firmly. This will provide drainage and stability for your oven base. Build the base walls : Lay rocks, bricks, or blocks—whatever you’re using to build your base—on top of the gravel. Fill in the base : Fill the center of your base with your choice of stone, rubble, cinder, etc. You can also top it off with a layer of glass bottles covered in sand for added insulation. Cap the base with a layer of insulation : This can be the sand from the step above, or you can add a thermal cap on top like we did. We made a cob mix just as we later would for the oven’s insulating layer. Some people use perlite, a lightweight volcanic rock with excellent insulating properties. It can be mixed with cement or clay to make perlite concrete. Smooth and level the top of the base:  However you cap off your base, you'll want it to be smooth and level because you'll lay out your oven floor on it. Step 5: Lay out the Floor of the Cob Oven Now that your base is ready and capped off, it's time to create the cooking surface and doorway floor. You'll want a single smooth surface without a lip so you can slide your pizza peel , bread pans, skillets, or other cooking vessels right in through the doorway. Add fire brick: Start by laying out fire bricks on the base of the oven. Make sure the bricks are level and tightly packed together. Mark out the oven footprint : Once the fire bricks are laid out, measure and mark the footprint of the oven dome on the bricks. This should be a circular shape with a diameter that matches the interior floor measurement you figured out in Step 3 when sizing your oven. You can do this with the string and pencil (or chalk) method, use a cardboard template, a tape measure beam compass ... however you want to draw your circle. Just be sure to leave enough room out front for your arched doorway, should you wish to build one (some people mold a doorway with the cob). Step 6: Build an Arched Doorway Every oven needs a door, right? Traditionally, cob oven doorways are arched. While some people choose to mold a doorway with the cob itself as they build the oven, others (like us) go the brick archway route. Create a form : First, build a form for the arched oven doorway. This can be made from wood or other sturdy materials. Some people use a bucket cut in half to make an arch. Regardless of how you make a form, remember that the doorway height should be about 63% of the interior ceiling height, and the opening's width should ideally be about 50% of the dome's diameter. If you make the form from wood, you can cut two arched pieces to the same shape and size as the opening you want. Connect those pieces to form a double arch so that the depth of your form matches the length of the bricks you'll use for your arched doorway. Check out the photo of a simple arched doorway form in this "The Year of Mud" post. Position the form : Once the form is ready, place it on top of the fire brick base at the front edge of the circle you drew to mark out the dome cavity. Build a brick arch : And now it 's time for arch-building using bricks and mortar. The bricks should be cut and arranged in such a way that they form a stable arch over the doorway form. We made our own adobe bricks, much the same way the cob for the oven is made with clay, sand, and pine straw, which we mixed in a bucket with a paint mixer and then dried in a scrapwood form. We made our archway bricks the same size as our fire brick, about 9x14". Remove the form: Once the mortar has dried and the arch is stable, carefully remove the form from underneath the arch. Step 7: Make the Dome Form or Mold Now that you have a fire brick oven floor and arched doorway, it's time to create a mold for the dome over which you'll build your cob oven. Once the mold is removed, you'll have your oven cavity. While there's no one right way to make the dome form, one of the best and most common methods is to use wet sand. We didn't go that route. Instead, we made a very ugly and rather lumpy form using a mix of sandbags and random rags, then covered that makeshift dome with plastic, all of which were later removed via the doorway once the cob layers had cured. We went with this by-the-seat-our-pants method because we wanted to conserve our sand (leftover from construction) for making the cob. Also, we live in such a dry environment and wanted to conserve water at the time rather than wet a bunch of sand. Using the more traditional option as our example, here are the very basic steps: Make the mold : Create a dome of wet sand to fit the circle you've drawn on your fire brick. This dome should be built to the height you've calculated for the interior of your oven. Cover the mold : Cover the wet sand dome with wet newspaper to prevent the first layer of your oven, the thermal layer, from binding with the sand mold. You can also use plastic to cover the mold, all of which you'll later remove through the doorway. The idea is that you want to add a layer between the mold and the first layer of cob, the thermal layer, so it doesn't stick together and you can remove the mold. Step 8: Add a Thermal Layer Now comes the real fun part: making mud and getting dirty, a/k/a making cob, to cover your dome mold and your arched doorway. As far as the mix for this layer, I've seen it made both with and without straw. We went without, using just clay and sand (and water, of course). While the straw fiber acts like rebar in concrete to strengthen the material, t he first layer of a cob oven, also known as the thermal layer, is designed to absorb and hold heat from the fire. This layer is typically made without straw for a couple of reasons: 1.  To m aximize thermal mass : The thermal layer is primarily for absorbing and storing heat. A mix of clay and sand, without the insulating straw, has a higher thermal mass, allowing it to store more heat. 2.  To prevent cracking : Straw can create air pockets in the cob, which might lead to cracking in the thermal layer due to the high temperatures. While one can go into a lot of detail when it comes to making cob, I'll give you the bare bones basics since that's what we did for our oven and the one I built two decades ago that's still standing. So, if you have good clay soil to begin with (soil that is roughly 15-25% clay content is great) , you can do as we did and make cob with what you already have and not worry too much about making "the perfect mix." For cob, the ratio of clay to sand can vary depending on the specific properties of the materials you have, but a common starting point is 1 part clay to 3 parts sand. We went with a 1:2 ratio of clay to sand because our subsoil already had a good amount of sand in it. If you haven't already, it's a good idea to test your cob mix before using it for your oven. You can make some test blocks or rolls (aka lumps) with the cob and leave them to dry for a couple of days. Check their strength and adjust your mixture if necessary Gather materials : Collect sand, clay subsoil, water, a tarp , and buckets. (I didn't include straw in this list because we didn't include it in our thermal layer mix.) Sift the soil : Use a screen to sift the clay subsoil and remove rocks, pebbles, and other debris. Measure materials : Place your dry ingredients (clay subsoil and sand) in the middle of your tarp in a pile. The ratio of sand to clay is typically 2:1, but this can vary depending on your local soil. Dry mix the materials : Mix the dry materials together on the tarp. Grab two corners of the tarp, walk forward to the center of the mix, and fold the tarp in half. Add water : Pile up your dry ingredients in the middle of your tarp and dig out a small crater. Add a little bit of water into the volcano crater. Mix with your feet : Some people use other methods, like cement mixers, to mix cob, but we like to do it the more traditional, messier way: with feet. (Not to mention that it's a great excuse for a social gathering—a cob-stomping party!) Use your feet to push the outsides of the dry material into the center of the crater filled with water. Once you cover the water, start stomping on the pile. Keep adding water as needed and mixing, then use your tarp to roll the cob into a "burrito" until you have the right consistency. The consistency you're going for is kind of like playdough. You don't want it so sticky that you can't get it off your hands but not so dry that it will crumble and won't cure right. One way to test your cob mix is to take a baseball-sized lump, make a ball, and drop it from shoulder height. If the ball flattens to less than two-thirds of its original height, it's too wet. If it cracks, it may not have either enough water or enough clay. Build up the thermal layer in rows: Once you have a consistency you like, scoop some up and pat it into a long, round shape between 3 and 4 inches thick. Begin building up your thermal layer around your dome and arched doorway with these round "blobs." Once you've covered your form, it'll look a bit like a beehive. You can blend the rows as you build. Add a cob doorstop : I'll stick this in here since this is when we added ours. Thinking ahead to making an oven door that won't fall in, you can build a lip or doorstop around the cob oven doorway. This can be done by adding an extra layer of cob around the doorway, creating a ridge for the door to rest against. You can also build a small ledge or doorstop outside the oven, just below the doorway, to keep the door from falling out. Score the thermal layer and let dry : We recommend scoring this first layer of cob (we used a fork) to help the next layer (the insulating cob layer) adhere to it. Then let your thermal layer dry, which can take several days, a week, or more, depending on the weather and how much sun it gets. Optional: Add a chimney Sometimes cob ovens are topped with a chimney or flue, but this is completely up to you. Without one, what smoke the oven produces will flow out through the doorway, which is fine. Most cob ovens I've seen don't have a chimney at all, while some have chimneys made of cob, and others have just a hole at the top. We added a flue because we had an old one on hand, but you can certainly go without any type of chimney or vent. Step 9: Add an Insulating Cob Layer The second cob layer should include straw in the mix. Straw is a good insulator and helps to retain the heat within the oven. So, while straw is usually excluded from the thermal layer to maximize heat absorption and minimize cracking, it’s included as a binder in the insulation layer to add tensile strength and help hold in the heat. Gather, sift, measure, mix : Repeat your cob-making process as you did for the thermal layer, first mixing the clay and sand with water. Add straw : After achieving a good consistency with your sand, clay, and water mixture, add your straw of choice, and stomp and mix some more.  Pine straw is a great (free) alternative. How much straw? Oh... kind of, sort of a lot... but not too much. Basically, enough that each handful of cob has some straw running through it but not so much that it's difficult to work with. Build up the second layer in rows : As with the thermal layer, make round, brick-length shapes with the cob, this time with a thickness of four or more inches. Press them into your thermal layer as you build up this insulation layer. Let the cob dry : As with the thermal layer, drying time will vary. Step 10: Cure the Cob Oven and Finish Congratulations! You've built a cob oven. Just a few more things to do... Remove the dome form : Through the oven doorway, dig out the sand and, if you used it, the plastic from the inside of the oven (or pull out or burn out the form, depending on how you constructed it). If you used newspaper over a wet sand form, that will burn out. Cure the interior : Heat up the oven with a small fire, gradually increasing the temperature to cure the cob and remove any remaining moisture. Want to know how hot your cob oven is? We love this little gadget. It's an inexpensive digital infrared thermometer . Point it at whatever you want to read the temperature of, and... there you go. We've tested ours by comparing it with other types of thermometers, and it's ready right about the same. It's also proven itself by how well our food bakes in the cob oven. Add a protective finish: While it's best to build a roof over a cob oven — or build a cob oven under a roof — to protect it from rain and snow, adding a third and final layer is a good idea. We started using our oven before doing this, partly because of the wintery weather catching up with us, we'll be adding a lime plaster in the spring (and updating this post). 1.   Lime Plaster : Lime plaster is a common choice. It’s made by mixing one part hydrated lime with three parts sand. Lime plaster is durable, weather-resistant, and can be applied smoothly for an aesthetically pleasing finish. Here's a really handy guide to making a lime plaster on cob . This is our oven after applying a lime plaster without added color. 2.  Earthen Plaster : Earthen plaster is another option. Similar to cob, it's typically made from clay soil, sand, a fiber material like straw, and sometimes includes a natural binder like wheat paste. Earthen plaster is breathable and has good thermal mass, but it’s not as weather-resistant as lime plaster. Learn more about making earthen plaster here. 3.  Cob with High Straw Content : A layer of cob with a high straw content can also be used as a protective layer. The straw provides insulation and helps the cob to adhere to the underlying layers. 4.   Fibers or Mesh for Reinforcement : Natural hair, high-quality polypropylene, or alkali-resistant glass fibers can be added to the plaster for extra strength. Mesh can also be used for further reinforcement. You can learn more about these options here: A Guide to Lime Rendering Cob Walls . Add a Door, and Your Ready for Cob Oven Cooking With the thermal and insulation layers of your cob oven complete and your oven cured, it’s time to add the final touch: the door. The door can be as simple as a thick piece of untreated hardwood (but pine works, too) cut to fit snugly within the arched doorway, with a handle added. Before you cook, it's best to soak a wooden door for several hours so it’s fully saturated to prevent it from burning. Or you can insulate the door by attaching a layer of ceramic fiber blanket or other insulating material to the inside, or apply a heat-resistant, epoxy-based paint or varnish. A metal door is another option. And now that your cob oven is complete, the culinary adventures can begin. The unique heat properties of a cob oven make it perfect for a wide range of dishes. From crispy pizzas and golden loaves of bread to succulent roasts and roasted vegetables to cakes, biscuits, and pies, the possibilities are many. And the more you cook with a single firing, the more efficient and sustainable your cob oven cooking will be. The cob oven isn’t just a cooking tool; it’s a gateway to a world of flavors, textures, and delightful culinary experiences in a very cool way. We went with a lean-to-style gazebo kit to shelter our cob oven, with extra room for other outdoor cooking options. More Cob and Cob Oven Resources How to build your own cob oven — This is similar to how we built our oven with some slight variations. There are good photos at the end that help illustrate some of the steps and stages we didn't take pictures of. Building With Cob: Soil Tests and Mixing Cob — This article shares more details about soil horizons and subsoil, the soil jar test, and the steps to making cob. 150 Best Cob Oven Ideas — Looking for a lot more inspiration and cob ovens that are a lot prettier and more slick-looking than ours? If so, check out this Pinterest page. Building a Cob Oven FAQ What is a cob oven, and why should I build one? A cob oven is an outdoor oven made from a mixture of clay subsoil, sand, and straw. It is eco-friendly, cost-effective, and provides a unique cooking experience. Cob ovens can last for decades and are great for baking bread, pizzas, and other dishes. What materials do I need to build a cob oven? You will need clay subsoil, sand, straw, fire bricks, gravel, and materials for the base (such as stones, bricks, or blocks). Additional materials include a soil sifting screen, buckets, water, a tarp, and tools like a level, measuring tape, and a trowel. How do I choose the right location for my cob oven? Select a location that is convenient, safe, and protected from the elements. Avoid areas prone to flooding or strong winds, and ensure the site has good drainage. You may also want to build a shelter to protect the oven from rain and snow. What are the basic steps to building a cob oven? The steps include choosing a location, preparing the site, figuring out the size, building the base, laying out the floor, building an arched doorway, creating a dome form, adding a thermal layer, adding an insulating cob layer, curing the cob, and finishing with a protective layer and a door. Why is it important to use specific proportions when building a cob oven? Proper proportions ensure the oven heats evenly and maintains its temperature effectively. The interior ceiling height should be around 75% of the oven floor’s diameter, and the door height should be about 63% of the ceiling height. This optimizes heat retention and airflow. How do I ensure proper drainage and moisture control for my cob oven? Proper drainage and moisture control can be achieved by drilling drainage holes in the oven base, using gravel beneath the base, and ensuring the site is level. Additionally, regular maintenance and using a lime plaster or earthen plaster can protect the cob from moisture. What are some tips for curing and maintaining a cob oven? Cure the oven by gradually heating it with small fires to remove moisture. Use a digital infrared thermometer to monitor the temperature. To maintain the oven, add a protective finish like lime plaster and build a shelter to protect it from the weather. Regularly check for cracks and repair them promptly to ensure longevity.

Disclosure :  Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. If you’re a sustainable living enthusiast, a backyard gardener, or simply someone who prefers to compost rather than send food, landscaping, and gardening leftovers to the landfill, you’ve probably wondered about the fate of those pine needles that accumulate under your evergreen trees. But wonder no more! (Sorry, a little overly enthusiastic there.) We’re diving into the world of composting pine needles, demystifying their acidity, and providing practical tips for incorporating them into your compost pile. The Short Answer: Yes, But Within Limits Can you compost pine needles?  Absolutely! However, there are a couple of important considerations: Quantity : Pine needles decompose at a snail’s pace, so moderation is key. Aim for no more than 10% of your overall compost pile to be pine needles. Mix them with other composting materials for best results. Acidity : Pines are known for their acidic nature, but here’s the twist: fresh green pine needles are indeed acidic, with a pH between 3.2 and 3.8, but they mellow out over time. As they turn brown, fall from the tree, and decompose, their acidity diminishes. In fact, decomposed pine needles end up with a fairly neutral pH of 5.6 – 6.0. So, rest assured, your garden won’t turn into a sour lemon grove. Practical Tips for Composting Pine Needles Pine needles decompose at different rates depending on various factors, including the climate and how they're processed. If pine needles are left to decompose naturally without any intervention, it can take anywhere from one to three years, depending on your region and annual rainfall. But if they're prepared properly and added to a compost pile, pine needle decomp time can be reduced to anywhere from three weeks to two months. Mix It Up : Pine needles are like the introverts of the compost world—they take their sweet time to mingle. To speed things up, combine them with other composting materials. Think of it as a garden party where pine needles get to hang out with kitchen scraps, grass clippings, and coffee grounds. Shred the Pine Needles : If you already have one, you can use a garden shredder or a lawn mower to shred the pine needles into small pieces. You can also use a paint stirrer attached to a drill and shred the needles in a bucket, or even just do it by hand. However you shred the pine needles, this increases the surface area and helps speed up the decomposition process. Use Small Batches : Use only small amounts of needles. Remember the 10% rule? It’s your golden ticket. Too many pine needles can slow down the entire composting process. Layer Them : If you have an abundance of pine needles, consider creating a separate compost bin , barrel, or pile just for them. Layer them with other organic matter, like leaves or straw. This specialized pile can yield slightly acidic compost, perfect for plants that adore a touch of tanginess. Rhododendrons, camellias, and azaleas (the “lime-hating” crew) will thank you. Moisten and Turn the Pile : No matter the composition of your compost pile, this is always best practice. Moisten the compost layers unless rain has already done this for you. The pile should be kept well-aerated and moist to facilitate the breakdown process. Then, turn the compost every three days until it breaks down into a beautiful brown mass. Pine Needles: The Unsung Heroes Pine needles might not win any sprint races in the composting world, but they play a vital role. They’re a fantastic carbon source—the “brown” stuff—that balances out the nitrogen-rich green materials. Plus, they add texture and structure to your compost pile. Mulching with Pine Needles Beyond composting, pine needles serve as excellent mulch for garden beds. Their interlocking nature creates a natural barrier that helps suppress weeds, retain moisture, and regulate soil temperature. Also, as pine needles break down gradually, they release nutrients into the soil, enriching it over time. Consider mulching around acid-loving plants like blueberries, azaleas, and rhododendrons to provide them with an optimal growing environment. pH Considerations While fresh pine needles possess acidity, the composting process neutralizes their pH over time. However, if you're aiming to create acidic compost for specific plants, such as those mentioned earlier, you can adjust your composting strategy accordingly. Introduce additional acidic materials like coffee grounds, citrus peels, or oak leaves to create a tailored compost blend that caters to the needs of acid-loving plants. Composting Pine Needles in Different Climates The decomposition rate of pine needles can vary depending on environmental factors such as temperature and moisture levels. In warmer climates, decomposition might occur more rapidly, while in cooler regions, it may take longer. Adjust your composting timeline and techniques accordingly, and consider incorporating pine needles into your composting regimen year-round for a consistent supply of organic matter. Pine Needles: Composting and Beyond Composting pine needles offers a multitude of benefits for sustainable gardeners, from balancing compost ratios to enriching soil and supporting plant health. By recognizing pine needles' unique properties and incorporating them into your composting practices, you can harness their potential to cultivate thriving gardens and contribute to a greener, more sustainable world. So , next time you sweep up fallen pine needles, toss them into your compost bin with a wink and a smile. They’ll eventually break down, enriching your soil and supporting your sustainable journey. Want some other ideas for how to use, reuse, and repurpose pine needles? Check out How To Use and Repurpose Pine Needles for Home and Garden . Different Types of Commercial Compost Bins We'll get into various ways to build your own compost bins with materials you may already have lying around, but in the meantime, here are some durable bins you can buy to get your composting started. Tumbler bin: These types of bins use rotation to bring oxygen to the center of the bin and help mix and aerate the composting materials when turned. These improvements or modifications are designed to speed up the composting process. Ventilated compost box : Made of BPA-free material, this type of compost box has four vents on each side, providing good air circulation for composting and speeding up the composting cycle. You load new material from the top lid and take the compost from the sliding bottom door, making it easy to collect the soil. Expandable composter : You can adjust the size of the bin as needed, while the holes in the composter's wall help air fully circulate, increasing the contact area and improving the fermentation of leaves, grass clippings, cardboard boxes, coffee grounds, kitchen waste, etc. Compost bag : These reusable, durable, multi-use bags have a large capacity to hold a large amount of kitchen and plant waste to be fermented into compost. With openings at the top and bottom, it's easy to add material, check on the compost, and remove soil. Pine Needle Composting FAQ Can pine needles be composted, and what are the key considerations? Yes, pine needles can be composted. Key considerations include using them in moderation (no more than 10% of the overall compost pile) and mixing them with other composting materials to ensure balanced decomposition. Shredding the pine needles can also help speed up the process. Do pine needles affect the acidity of compost? Fresh green pine needles are acidic, with a pH between 3.2 and 3.8. However, as they decompose, their acidity diminishes, and they end up with a neutral pH of 5.6 to 6.0. This makes them safe for most gardens without turning the soil too acidic. How long does it take for pine needles to decompose in a compost pile? If left to decompose naturally, pine needles can take one to three years, depending on climate and moisture. However, when properly prepared and added to a compost pile, their decomposition time can be reduced to three weeks to two months. What methods can be used to speed up the decomposition of pine needles? To speed up decomposition, shred the pine needles using a garden shredder, lawn mower, or even a drill with a paint stirrer attachment. Mixing them with other compost materials, maintaining moisture, and regularly turning the pile can also help. What are some benefits of using pine needles as mulch? Pine needles serve as excellent mulch for garden beds. Their interlocking nature helps suppress weeds, retain moisture, and regulate soil temperature. As they break down, they release nutrients into the soil, enriching it over time, particularly benefiting acid-loving plants like blueberries, azaleas, and rhododendrons.

Disclosure :  Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. I used to think composting simply meant tossing food scraps into some sort of bin, waiting for several months, give or take, and voila! Out would come rich, dark dirt. Not that composting is much more complex than that, but there are some general dos and don'ts, some best practices, and more than one way to do it. Who knew?  In the world of composting, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Whether you're a city dweller with limited space, a gardening enthusiast wanting to turn yard and garden waste into soil gold, or a conscientious homeowner looking for an efficient way to manage kitchen scraps rather than tossing them in the trash, there's a composting method suited to your needs. In today's guide, we'll explore various ways to make compost, from traditional backyard composting to more specialized techniques like vermicomposting and bokashi. Each type of composting offers advantages ("pros"), has limitations and requirements ("cons"), and is adaptable to different lifestyles and levels of compostable material.  1. Traditional Backyard Composting Traditional backyard composting is one of the most popular methods for turning organic waste into nutrient-rich compost. All you need is a designated area in your yard or a compost bin, whether it's a DIY bin or a manufactured one, like a dual-chamber compost tumbler . Simply layer organic materials such as kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, yard and garden waste, and shredded paper or cardboard for a good mix of nitrogen-rich "greens" and carbon-rich "browns." Regularly turning and monitoring the pile's temperature and moisture levels will speed up the decomposition process. Pros: Bins come in various designs, allowing you to choose one that fits with your outdoor space Helps keep your compost pile tidy and contained, preventing it from spreading or attracting pests Helps insulate the compost pile, promoting and maintaining the ideal temperature range for decomposition Allows you to manage the composting process and control the quality of the compost Cons: Can produce odor Requires some maintenance Requires a balance of greens and browns by weight, ideally half and half Decomposition can be slow (compared to hot composting below) depending on how much attention and maintenance you do, such as turning it 2. Vermicomposting: Composting With Worms Composting with worms, or vermicomposting, is an excellent option for those with limited outdoor space or who want to compost indoors. Red wigglers or European nightcrawlers are the stars of this method, devouring kitchen scraps and transforming them into nutrient-rich castings. Setting up a vermicomposting bin involves choosing the right container, adding bedding materials like shredded paper, and introducing the worms . Regular feeding and maintenance will keep your worm bin thriving. Pros: Produces rich compost, excellent for improving poor or depleted soils Can be done in a small indoor area Results in less loss of nitrogen compared with traditional composting Cons: Can be a little more complicated than traditional composting and requires constant maintenance Doesn't kill weed seeds Can be too rich in nutrients and, therefore, potentially counterproductive for plants if you add too much to existing soil that is already on the healthier side 3. Bokashi Composting: Fermenting Kitchen Waste Bokashi offers a unique approach to composting by fermenting kitchen waste using beneficial microbes. Airtight containers are filled with layers of kitchen scraps and bokashi bran , initiating an anaerobic fermentation process. This method allows for composting meat, dairy, and cooked foods that traditional methods may not handle well. Once fermented, the material can be buried in soil or added to a traditional compost pile to complete decomposition. You can also make Bokashi "tea" to water plants. You can either buy a commercial Bokashi composter like this 2-Bin Bokashi Starter Kit  or this Premium Bokashi Kitchen Composter or make one yourself. Here's how… Pros: Allows you to compost meat and dairy scraps Provides a nutritious bokashi tea to use as homemade plant food Can be done in a small space, making it ideal for composting in an apartment Cons: Requires a special bokashi mixture, which can be expensive and difficult to find in some areas. Requires extra materials (finished compost, compost fleece, or mulch) 4. Trench Composting: Directly Enriching Soil Trench composting involves burying organic materials directly into the soil. This method requires no dedicated compost bin or pile and is great for enriching garden beds or preparing planting holes over time. This method is pretty straightforward. Simply dig a trench or hole, drop in compostable material, and then cover it with soil. The idea is that when the soil cuts off air, anaerobic bacteria break down the organic matter. The buried materials will decompose, enriching the soil and providing nutrients to plants.   There are different methods of trench composting, and some involve building up layers over several weeks. For example, deep trench composting involves digging a deeper trench and usually involves layers being built up over several weeks. You add food scraps or other organic materials, add an inch of soil, and then put a barrier, such as a pest-proof mesh , on top to discourage critters. You continue layering until you have nearly filled the trench. When about 5-6 inches are left, fill in the soil until the trench is full . This provides enough soil covering for plants to grow after adding the compostable materials. Wait at least six weeks before planting on top (some sources say wait as long as a year). This allows the organic material to decompose and enrich the soil. Pros: Low-maintenance and cost-effective Great for adding nutrients to the soil without having to spread a lot of compost or deal with a compost heap or bin Typically does not produce odor or attract animals Cons: Can be hard work, digging deep holes and then filling them up again Slower decomposition than aerobic methods 5 . Hot Composting: Rapid Decomposition for Larger Batches Hot composting is ideal for those who generate larger amounts of organic waste and want a faster composting process. Though it requires more attention and maintenance than traditional backyard composting, this method can produce finished compost in as little as a few weeks by carefully layering greens and browns, providing adequate aeration, and maintaining proper moisture levels. When it comes to hot composting, the size of your bin or pile is really important. A good size for this method is at least four feet wide by four feet high. This size ensures there's enough insulation on the outside of the pile to keep the inside hot. You can just heap the materials up or use a simple wire fence bin. You can also build a large hot compost bin from wood or pallets. It's beneficial to break down compostable materials into small pieces, for example, using a lawnmower or trimmer for yard waste, before adding it to the pile or bin. Create layers of four to six inches of carbon and nitrogen materials, add water to each layer, and repeat until the pile is about 4'x4'. Insert a compost thermometer into the pile, cover it with a tarp, and check the temperature daily to see if it reaches 120 Fahrenheit or more. Move the pile over a few feet with a pitchfork to introduce new oxygen, and repeat this twice after four to five days when the temperature drops. Pros: Produces faster results Heat kills many types of weeds and pathogens Generally attracts fewer pests than some other methods Reduces the emission of greenhouse gases Cons: Requires a balance of high-carbon and high-nitrogen materials Requires regular turning of the pile Requires careful monitoring of moisture and oxygen levels 6. Aerated Static Pile Composting: Efficient Large-scale Composting Aerated static pile (ASP) composting is efficient for larger-scale composting operations such as municipalities, farms, or community gardens. This method utilizes aeration to speed up the composting process and reduce odors. Proper pile structure, aeration systems, and monitoring are key components of ASP composting, resulting in high-quality compost suitable for agricultural or landscaping use. For more information on ASP, check out this guide from Washington State University. Pros: Accelerates and manages the composting process with a much lower risk of foul odors Can be a space-efficient way to compost large volumes of waste fairly quickly Cons: Dries out faster than other compost methods and requires monitoring Depends on electricity Requires extra materials (finished compost, compost fleece, or mulch) Try Different Ways to Make Compost for More Sustainable Living Composting is a versatile and accessible way to reduce waste, improve soil health, and contribute to a more sustainable future. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or new to composting, there's a method that suits your needs and resources. By exploring different composting techniques and experimenting with various composters, you can harness the power of decomposition to transform waste into valuable soil amendments. Want to make a DIY compost bin or pile? Here are seven ways  to do it. Composting Techniques FAQs What is traditional backyard composting, and how does it work? Traditional backyard composting involves layering organic materials such as kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, yard waste, and shredded paper in a compost bin or designated area. Regular turning and monitoring of temperature and moisture levels help speed up the decomposition process, resulting in nutrient-rich compost. What are the benefits and challenges of vermicomposting? Vermicomposting, or composting with worms, produces nutrient-rich compost and can be done indoors in a small space. It requires constant maintenance and does not kill weed seeds. Additionally, it can produce compost that is too nutrient-rich for some soils if used in excess. How does Bokashi composting differ from traditional composting methods? Bokashi composting involves fermenting kitchen waste using beneficial microbes in an airtight container. This method allows for composting meat, dairy, and cooked foods, which traditional methods do not handle well. The fermented material can be buried in soil or added to a traditional compost pile to complete decomposition. What is trench composting, and what are its advantages? Trench composting involves burying organic materials directly into the soil, which enriches garden beds or planting holes over time. It requires no dedicated compost bin, produces no odor, and does not attract animals. However, it involves digging deep holes and has slower decomposition than aerobic methods. What is hot composting, and how can it speed up the composting process? Hot composting requires maintaining a large compost pile (at least four feet wide by four feet high) with layers of carbon and nitrogen materials. Regular turning, adequate aeration, and maintaining proper moisture levels can produce finished compost in a few weeks. It also kills weeds and pathogens due to the high temperature. What is aerated static pile (ASP) composting, and who is it suitable for? ASP composting is efficient for large-scale composting operations like municipalities, farms, or community gardens. It uses aeration systems to speed up the process and reduce odors. Proper pile structure and monitoring are key components, making it suitable for handling large volumes of waste quickly. What are some of the challenges associated with traditional backyard composting? Traditional backyard composting can produce odors, requires a balance of green and brown materials, and needs regular maintenance, such as turning the pile. Decomposition can be slow depending on the level of attention and maintenance given.

Disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. If, like us, you live in a rural area without municipal trash collection or (or “and”) want to live more sustainably and reduce your household’s environmental impact—also like us—you might be thinking about ways to minimize the trash you generate. We are, too. According to the EPA, the largest component of household trash in the United States is typically paper and paperboard, which make up about 23.1% of municipal solid waste (MSW). Food waste follows closely, making up about 21.6% of MSW. Plastics and yard trimmings account for about 12% each, followed by metals at nearly 9%. Obviously, reducing those and other kinds of household waste is not only beneficial for the environment but also for our wallets. For those of us who don’t live in a place with curbside pickup, we have the added cost of taking our trash (in our case, more than 50 miles round-trip) to the landfill to dispose of properly, so the less waste we have to haul, the better. In this post, we’ll brainstorm as many ways as we can to reduce trash, considering that even small changes in our daily habits can collectively make a significant impact. Here are some practical ways to minimize household and yard waste. Can you add more? General Trash-Reduction Lifestyle Tips Adopt a minimalist lifestyle by decluttering and only purchasing items you truly need. This will reduce overall consumption and waste, not to mention save money. Practice mindful consumption. Make thoughtful purchasing decisions to reduce overall consumption and waste. Invest in durable products that last longer and reduce the need for replacements. Support sustainable brands by choosing products from companies that prioritize sustainability and eco-friendly practices and packaging. Get organized. When items, including food and leftover hardware, for example, are well-organized and accessible, you can easily see what you have. This prevents overbuying and reduces the chances of food or other perishables going to waste. How To Reduce Household Trash Compost organic waste to convert food scraps and yard waste, such as grass clippings, leaves, and pine needles, into nutrient-rich soil to use for gardening or spread on the lawn or around trees and plants. (Can you compost pine needles? Yes.) Use reusable shopping bags to reduce the need for single-use plastic bags. Keep some in each vehicle and the small stuff-sack kind in your purse or pockets so you always have some on hand. Choose products with minimal packaging when possible, including zero-waste products, to reduce trash. Instead of buying single-use plastic bottles, use durable, reusable products, such as BPA-free water bottles. Refill bottles to keep in your fridge and vehicles. Switch to reusable cloth napkins and towels instead of disposable paper ones for meals and cleaning. Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones. Use soap nuts or detergent sheets for laundry to reduce plastic waste. Repair items when possible instead of discarding them to extend their lifespan. Recycle electronic items that can’t be reused. Some companies, like Best Buy, Staples, and Walmart, accept a variety of items for recycling and sometimes give you cash back, store credit, or rewards points in return. Avoid single-use items like plastic cutlery. If getting takeout food, for example, be sure to ask the provider not to put plastic utensils in the bag. Keep reusable utensils in your glove box or camping cutlery set in your pocket or purse instead. Use digital methods for bills, receipts, and tickets to reduce waste. Some companies offer discounts for customers who opt for electronic statements. Use vinegar and baking soda for cleaning for natural and eco-friendly cleaning solutions and reduce plastic waste. Opt for e-books, audiobooks, and other digital formats for reading to reduce paper waste. Repurpose glass jars for storage or DIY projects instead of discarding them. Upcycle old clothing and transform it into new items or repurpose it as cleaning rags. Use recyclables or leftovers to create art and functional items. Reusing pallets is one example. Give away or sell useful leftover items, such as construction materials. Post these items on social media and other sites like Craiglist and Ebay. Ways To Reduce Kitchen Waste Buy items in bulk to reduce packaging waste. You can also save money by splitting bulk items with friends and neighbors. Practice mindful eating and plan meals carefully to minimize food waste. Use up ingredients before they spoil, and incorporate leftovers into new dishes. Support local farmers by purchasing produce from local farmers' markets or joining a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program to reduce packing waste and the environmental impact of food transportation. Create a weekly meal plan to avoid overbuying. Make a shopping list based on your planned meals. Check your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry before shopping to prevent purchasing items you already have. Buy only what you expect to use to reduce the chances of food going to waste. Cook the right amount of food to prevent leftovers from ending up in the trash. Get creative with leftovers. Transform them into new meals or freeze them for later consumption. Repurpose food scraps. Vegetable peels, stems, and other scraps can be used to make flavorful stocks or broths, and spent coffee grounds can also be reused. Pickle, dry, can, ferment, freeze, or cure perishable food you buy in bulk to extend its shelf life. Designate a “use it up” shelf in your fridge and pantry for foods that need to be consumed soon. Prioritize using these items to prevent them from going to waste. Use reusable containers for storing food, including leftovers and snacks, to reduce reliance on disposable packaging. Make your own bread and tortillas to reduce packaging waste from store-bought products. Use beeswax wraps instead of plastic wraps for food storage. Brew loose-leaf tea instead of using tea bags to reduce waste or compost used tea bags. Make your own yogurt to avoid disposable plastic containers. Use a popcorn maker instead of single-use microwave popcorn bags. Utilize food scraps for DIY beauty products, including leftover fruit peels, coffee grounds, and other natural ingredients. You can create homemade skincare products like scrubs and masks. Ways To Reduce Trash from Personal Care and Hygiene Use a biodegradable bamboo toothbrush instead of a plastic one. Use a reusable razor instead of disposable ones. Use reusable sponges or rags instead of disposable paper towels when cleaning. If you do use paper towels, compost them when possible. Make your own personal care products, including deodorant and skincare products, to reduce packaging waste. Use reusable silicone baking mats instead of parchment paper or foil. Save soap bits to make a new bar of soap from the leftovers. Grow medicinal herbs at home and learn to make herbal teas, tinctures, and salves, reducing reliance on packaged over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. Reducing Waste in Landscaping and Gardening Opt for natural pest control methods like companion planting (carrots love tomatoes, you know?) to control pests without harmful chemicals and reduce packaging trash from store-bought products. Compost leaves, pine needles, and grass clippings instead of bagging them up and sending them to the landfill. Ways To Support Sustainability and Community Initiatives Host a community composting initiative to collaborate with neighbors to compost organic waste and reduce landfill contributions. Donate or sell usable items you no longer need to extend their life cycle. Host clothing swap parties to exchange clothing items and give them a new life. Participate in local recycling programs to properly dispose of recyclable materials. Start a swap meet to exchange items and reduce waste. Host repair workshops in your community to teach basic repair skills for common household items like clothing, appliances, and electronics. Join a repair café to fix broken items and reduce waste. Start a community seed exchange to share seeds with others to promote biodiversity and reduce packaging waste. Small, Sustainable Steps Can Lead to a Big, Positive Impact Reducing household waste isn't just about environmental responsibility; it's also about embracing a lifestyle that's mindful of our planet's limited resources. By implementing even just a few of the suggestions listed above, we can significantly reduce both the amount of trash our households generate and our ecological footprint. Every action counts, no matter how small it may seem. As we strive to live more sustainably, let's continue to explore innovative ways to minimize waste generation, reuse what we can, and recycle responsibly. Together, we can make a meaningful difference. If you have other suggestions for ways to reduce trash at home—and we welcome out-of-the-box ideas—please add them to the comments below. Thanks!

Coffee grounds are worth their weight in gold! Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but those leftovers from your daily cuppa (or potta) joe are more valuable than you might think—certainly more than just a trip to the trash bin. While composting coffee grounds is always a great option, there’s another fantastic functional way to use those leftover grounds that will also enhance your winter nights or chilly mornings: coffee ground fire logs. Today, we’ll go through the easy-peasy process of creating these aromatic wonders, transforming what some might see as waste into a source of fragrant warmth and ambiance. Let the repurposing begin! What You’ll Need Leftover coffee grounds: Yes, I know—duh. You’ll need about five times more grounds than you will binder material, so I’d save up at least five cups of grounds before making your first fire log. Sawdust, old newspapers, or used cooking oil: Any of these will serve as the binder for our logs. We have more sawdust these days than the other options, so that’s what we use. A bucket, bin, or large bowl for mixing the ingredients A mold to shape your fire logs, which can be tubes, discs, blocks, etc. In keeping with our reuse and repurpose theme, here are some ideas for molds: Cake pan: You might want to puncture holes in the bottom to let the moisture out. PVC: Cut a PVC pipe to the desired length and drill some holes near the bottom to press out the liquid. You'll need to cap or cover one end so you can pack the fillings in there. Cardboard boxes: Small cardboard boxes can be used as molds or cut larger ones down to the desired size. Plastic containers: Old, cleaned plastic containers, like from yogurt or sour cream, can also be used as molds. Easy Coffee Ground Fire Log Step-by-Steps 1. Drink your brew and save those coffee grounds You can also check with your local coffee shops to see if they want you to do a pickup. Store the grounds in a container in your fridge to prevent mold growth until you have enough for a log. We keep ours in a covered five-gallon bucket in a cool place and have no problem with mold. An important note: Dry the coffee grounds (we use a tray) before placing them in a bucket or other container for storage to prevent molding. 2. Collect Your Binder Save sawdust, old newspaper, or even used cooking oil. 3. Prepare Your Binder Once you have enough grounds and binder, prep your binder of choice Sawdust can be used as a binder by mixing it with a small amount of water to form a paste. The paste can then be mixed with the coffee grounds and shaped into logs. If you use newspaper, you can use it as a binder by soaking it in water for a few hours—a few days is even better—before mixing it with the coffee grounds. The water will help soften the newspaper and make it easier to mix. Cooking oil can be used as a binder, too, although we haven’t tried this ourselves (yet). Straining the oil isn’t necessary, but it’s a good idea to remove any large food particles or debris that might be present. You can use a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to do this. Apparently, using used cooking oil as a binder shouldn’t make the fire logs smell strange, but if the oil is rancid or has a strong odor, it’s best not to use it (to state the obvious). 4. Mix Your Ingredients In your bucket or large bowl, combine the coffee grounds and binder. You’ll want a ratio of about 1 part binder to 5 parts coffee grounds. 5. Form Your Log Once your mixture is well combined, pack it tightly into your chosen mold and press out as much liquid as possible. The tighter you pack it, the better your log will hold together. To ensure the logs come out of the mold easily, line the inside with a plastic bag or wax paper. If you’re using a PVC pipe, you can lightly grease the inside with cooking oil to prevent the log from sticking. 6. Let It Dry This is the hardest part—waiting! You’ll need to let the log dry completely before you can use it. This can take anywhere from a few days to a week, depending on the size of the log and the humidity in your area. If the log is still damp, it may break apart when you try to remove it from the mold. 7. Remove the Log from the Mold If you’re using a cake pan or plastic container, turn it upside down and gently tap until the log comes out. If you’re using a PVC pipe, push the log out. If the log is stuck, you can carefully use a butter knife or similar tool to loosen the edges and then try again. 8. Enjoy Your Fire Log In your fireplace or stove, put down some crumpled paper or kindling (or both). Then, add your coffee ground fire log on top of the kindling. You can add two or three of the logs, but no more than that because they can make some serious heat. Light the fire using matches or a lighter, and then leave the log for 15 minutes while they ignite. Final Words on Fueling Your Fire with Leftover Coffee Grounds Did you hit the mother load of used coffee grounds and make a whole bunch of fire logs? If so, store those extras in a dry, covered area so they don’t get wet and fall apart. If you don’t have a shed, stack the logs on an old pallet or anything else to keep them off the ground and cover them with a tarp. We store some in a plastic tote bin. As for flue build-up—something I wondered about—coffee-ground logs don’t produce as much soot build-up as traditional wood logs. That said, no matter what you burn, it’s always a good idea to regularly inspect and clean your flue to ensure the safe operation of your fireplace or wood stove. Enjoy those coffee-scented flames! Looking for other ways to reuse and repurpose spent coffee grounds? Here's a list with 11 other ideas.

Disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Zero waste isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a philosophy. It’s about minimizing waste production and doing our part, however small, in trying to reduce our collective human impact on the world we live in. It's basically about more sustainable living. Now, one could argue (and many people do) that nothing is truly "zero" waste, that there's always something that ends up in a landfill or otherwise tossed somewhere along the line in making, selling, and shipping a new product, not to mention the energy consumed and pollution generated. Recycling isn't 100% zero waste, either, of course. True, true. But there are definitely ways to go about manufacturing and consumption that create much less waste than others. So, I prefer not to pick too many nits on the "zero" part. So, instead of buying a new plastic bottle filled with liquid soap each time you run out, you get a solid shampoo or dish soap bar, use it up, and instead of discarding a bottle, you've already shredded and composted the small recycled cardboard box it came in, recycled it again, or used it as a firestarter in the wood stove. Voilà! That’s zero waste in action. Repairing that old mop instead of buying a new one? Yep, that’s part of it, too. The 5 Rs are our secret sauce: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot (that last one means compost). So, my fellow sustainable living enthusiast, let’s enjoy this zero-waste adventure together. Whether you’re transitioning to solid soaps or want to give laundry detergent sheets in a cardboard dispenser a try, every small step counts. Zero-Waste Solid Dish Soap We've tried several brands of natural dish soap, reusing the same original container (any old dish will do) and a scrub brush we already had, and have found a favorite: Solid Round Dishwashing Soap from Lora's Beauty. It comes in seven scents and in unscented, too. One bar lasts us for over a month, sometimes as long as six weeks, of daily use. We've tried several brands of solid dish soaps in zero-waste packaging, including the natural soap bars from Simplut via Amazon, which were also good, but we kept buying different ones until we found one we liked enough to call it our favorite and reorder. So, what is it about Lora's product that puts it at the top of our list, you ask? It suds up and cleans really well, including super greasy dishes, pots, and pans, without leaving a residue. The price is better than others we've tried, given how long each bar lasts for us. We order enough each time to get free shipping, too. It smells great, and that goes for all the scents. Like all zero-waste products should, it comes in a small recyclable, burnable, compostable box and a little packing paper. Lora makes these soaps by hand and sources her ingredients from local companies. She buys organic, too. So far, with each order, Lora has sent a little sample of another of her natural, zero-waste soaps, like a piece of a shampoo bar. We like samples. :) We order Lora's dish soap and other zero-waste soap products from her Lora's Beauty Etsy shop. Overall, Etsy is a great place to find similar zero-waste, handmade, natural products from small companies. Zero-Waste Laundry Detergent Sheets Be gone, big bottles and large, drippy plastic dispensers of liquid laundry soap! We have fully embraced the laundry detergent sheet lifestyle, which is much more compact, much less messy, and much less wasteful. It's also economical and travel-friendly. Okay, so we haven't tried multiple brands like we did with the zero-waste dish soaps, but why change when we're very satisfied with the one we have? And we've had this 80-count box of CLEARALIF laundry detergent sheets since we ordered it nearly a year ago. (Each sheet is perforated, so you can use half a sheet per load.) Besides the zero-waste-friendly packaging you see here, we also like: How well these clean our clothes, which is pretty important in a laundry soap The very mild scent That they have no skin-irritating ingredients That each sheet is pre-cut and pre-measured, meaning no more measuring cup needed That they're compact, so they take up little space in our small laundry room That they're compact (again) and easily carried, including being airplane-friendly if we want to pack a few for doing laundry on a trip You can order these in single 80-count boxes or multi-packs of two or three and save a bit per box that way. Zero-Waste Shampoo and Hair Conditioner Bars When you've been using liquid shampoo and conditioner in plastic bottles for decades, solid hair care products that come in cardboard boxes take a little getting used to, but now I'd never go back. (My husband is bald, so I'm just speaking for myself here.) Since switching over to zero-waste hair care, I've tried several brands, including ANIHANA's Grapefruit & Chamomile Shampoo and Grapefruit & Lime Conditioner Bars, which I liked, and products from other zero-waste companies. While some of the shampoos have been sudsier than others and some of the conditioners... well, more conditioning, all have been anywhere from good to great. But I've settled on EcoRoots Solid Shampoo Bars (I kept typing "bras," but that's for another post) and their Zero-Waste Conditioner Bars as my favorites so far. In addition to how well the shampoo suds up and the conditioner works on my curly, tangly mess of hair, I also like: The price, considering how long these last, which is at least three months each for me The scents and number of options That they're handmade with plant extracts and natural essential oils That they're silicon-, palm oil-, and paraben-free (I had to look up paraben, too; they're chemicals often used in cosmetics.) Like many zero-waste products, solid shampoos and conditioners are still hard to find locally, if at all, where we live, so I continue to order them online and get enough for free shipping. If I eventually find them locally, maybe even at the farmer's market, I'll buy that way instead. A Final Word on Zero-waste Products and Packaging One of the reasons we prefer these zero-waste soap and cleaning products is their eco-friendly packaging. Unlike plastic, which can take hundreds of years to decompose and often ends up in the oceans, cardboard and paper packaging are more biodegradable and generally take less energy to recycle. So, not only are these products effective at cleaning ourselves and our homes, they also help, at least a little, to clean up our planet. For more of our recommendations under the sustainable living product category, check out Use This, Not That: Durable Reusable Products to Reduce Waste.

Disclaimer: I get a commission for purchases made through some of the links in this post. If you live within the largest ponderosa pine forest in the world, as we do here in northern Arizona, or any other size or type of pine forest, you’ve probably seen those black trash bags bulging with pine needles stacked along neighborhood streets, waiting for bulk trash pick-up. Unfortunately, pine needles are often seen as a nuisance to be raked up and discarded. But they can be a valuable and readily available, not to mention free, resource for gardeners and homeowners. Rather than bagging and sending them to the landfill, there are many ways to use and repurpose both brown and fresh pine needles. Here are some of our favorite practical and creative ways to put all those pine needles to work, from mulching to making tea. Use Pine Needles as Mulch Pine needles, also known as pine straw, form a great mat of garden mulch that won’t blow away—even in the big winds we get out here. Simply spread a layer of needles around the base of your plants. Pine straw decomposes slowly, providing a long-lasting mulch that will suppress weeds while allowing water through and reducing evaporation. When it comes to using pine needles as mulch, you sometimes see the caveat that pine needles are acidic, so they can lower soil pH, which is beneficial for acid-loving plants like blueberries, azaleas, and rhododendrons but detrimental to others. However, according to my alma mater, the University of New Hampshire, this is a common gardening myth, and even a two- to three-inch layer of pine needle mulch won’t change the soil pH enough to measure. We’ve found this to be true in our own garden and raised beds, where we mulch everything, from zucchini to strawberries to spinach and Swiss chard, with pine needles and with great results. Compost Pine Needles Pine needles can also be a beneficial addition to your compost pile. They’re considered a composting “brown,” meaning they add carbon to your mix. That said, they’re nutrient-thin, so you’ll want to add plenty of other organic materials. Some composters advise that pine needles should make up no more than 10% of your bin or pile. On the plus side, the water-resistant pine needles also decompose slowly, so they can help to aerate your compost. Mixing them with other composting materials will speed up the decomp process. Breaking the needles into smaller pieces can also help them break down more quickly. Make Pine Needle-Infused Oil Pine needle-infused oil is a simple but versatile product that can be used for a variety of purposes, including polishing furniture and as an herbal salve for treating wounds and dry skin. To make pine needle-infused oil, pack a jar full of fresh or dried pine needles and fill it with vegetable oil. Let the jar sit for two to three weeks, then strain out the needles. To make a salve, add a little coconut oil and beeswax to the pine needle oil until you have a creamy consistency. Use this salve to help heal cuts, scrapes, insect stings, and splinters and moisturize dry and chapped hands. You can also buy handmade pine needle essential oil. This organic fir needle oil is steam-distilled. Use Pine Needles as Livestock Bedding Pine needles can be used as bedding for chickens, goats, and other livestock. They can also help keep the coop or barn smelling fresh. To use pine needles as bedding, simply spread a layer of needles on the floor of the coop or barn. It’s best to mix the needles with other types of bedding, though, like straw or wood shavings, as pine needles are not very absorbent on their own. Use Pine Needles as Kindling Actually, tinder would be the more correct term here. Kindling is bigger than tinder. Pine needles have a lot of resin and are, therefore, highly flammable, making them excellent tinder for firestarting. To use pine needles as tinder, gather a handful of dry needles—green needles won’t take as easily and could even put out the fire—and place them in the center of the fire pit, wood stove, or fireplace. Add small sticks and twigs on top of the needles, then light the needles with a match or lighter. Blow gently on the flame. The needles will ignite quickly and help to get the fire going. Make Pine Needle Tea A tasty and healthy drink (when you use the right varieties of pine, that is), pine needle tea can be made from fresh or dried needles. Pine needles are rich in vitamin C and have been used for centuries to treat scurvy. Pine needle tea has a citrusy flavor—some describe it as “piney,” go figure—and is a great way to use up at least a little of those excess pine tree offerings. That said (and this is important!), learn more about making pine needle tea before you try it yourself because some varieties of pine are safe and beneficial to drink, while others, including the ponderosa pine we have all around us here in northern Arizona, are toxic. Eastern white pine and balsam fir are among the best varieties to use for pine needle tea. To make the tea, rinse about two tablespoons worth of fresh or dry pine needles and put them in a mug. Pour eight ounces of boiling water over the needles and steep for 15 minutes. Strain out the pine needles and sweeten the drink with honey if desired. As with most things, drink pine needle tea in moderation. If you don't have access to the right kinds of pine and want to try this healthy drink, there are lots of organic pine needle tea options on Etsy. Use Pine Needles for Making Cob and Adobe We used a bunch of our pine needle stash this past summer while building our cob oven and making adobe bricks for various projects, including lining our Dutch oven cooking pit. Traditionally, cob and adobe, both building materials composed of clay, sand, and a reinforcing material, are made with straw. But in our case and others’ projects we looked at, pine needles were the reinforcer. And they worked great! In fact, having made cob and adobe with straw in the past, we found the pine needles easier to work with and to mix in, which we did either in a bucket with an old paint mixer for small batches or with our feet for large quantities. Other Creative Ways To Use Pine Needles Around the Home Make Pine Needle Sachets Fill small muslin bags with dried pine needles and place them in your drawers and closets. The pine needle sachets will help repel moths and other insects and leave your clothes smelling fresh at the same time. Create Pine Needle Potpourri Mix dried pine needles with other fragrant herbs and spices like cinnamon and cloves, then add some citrus peel to create a fragrant potpourri. Place the potpourri in a bowl or sachet to add a natural scent to your home. Use Pine Needles as a Natural Dye You can use pine needles to create a natural fabric dye. Simmer pine needles in water for several hours, then strain them out and soak the fabric in the dye for several hours to achieve a light green color. Create Pine Needle Art and Craft Repurpose pine needles to create unique art pieces. Glue the needles onto a canvas or paper to create a landscape or abstract design. You can also use pine needles to make wreaths, garlands, and other decorative crafts. Use Pine Needles as a Natural Air Freshener Place a handful of pine needles in a small muslin bag and hang it in your car or near your air vents at home. Like with the sachets above, the pine needles will help to freshen the air with a natural scent. This is definitely a more sustainable way to do it than buying those disposable spray cans of sometimes overpowering mist. Repurpose Pine Needles for a Sustainable Home and Garden If you didn’t think so before, we hope you’ll now agree that pine needles are a valuable resource that can be used and repurposed in many ways around the home and garden. From composting and mulching to fire-starting and making air fresheners, there are many ways to use pine needles that can benefit both you and the environment. By repurposing pine needles, you can reduce waste and create a more sustainable home and garden. What do you do with your or a friend or neighbor’s pine needles? Let us know in the comments below.

Disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. At a time when our planet is crying out for some extra eco-love, it's high time we all rethink our everyday choices. In this buying guide to reducing waste (and maybe a little guilt at the same time), we’ll suggest some small changes that can collectively make a significant impact. So, say goodbye to the endless stream of disposable products and hello to a smarter, more sustainable lifestyle. How about trading in those single-use coffee filters for reusable ones? That morning brew just got a little bit greener. And who needs disposable AA batteries that end up in landfills when you can power up with rechargeables? Ready for a fresh perspective on cotton balls? There are reusable alternatives available that are kind to your skin and the environment too. Join us on a journey where every choice counts. It's time to use this, not that. Our planet and—because you’ll spend less over time when using and reusing these things at home—your wallet will thank you! A Reusable Products Table of Contents Here’s an idea: Choose from some or all of these categories and put together a basket of useful reusable items for sustainable gift-giving. In the Food Storage & Beverage Department Coffee Filter Alternatives Disposable Coffee Cup Alternatives Tea Bag Alternatives Disposable Plastic Bottle Alternatives Plastic Straw Alternatives Aluminum Foil Alternatives Plastic Wrap Alternatives Plastic Baggie & Freezer Bag Alternatives In the Cleaning Department Paper Towel Alternatives Dryer Sheet Alternatives In the Personal Hygiene & Beauty Department Cotton Ball Alternatives Wet Wipe Alternatives Other Products Disposable AA Battery Alternatives Single-use Plastic Bag Alternatives Party Balloon Alternatives In the Food Storage & Beverage Department Coffee Filter Alternatives Instead of tossing a paper filter every time you brew, use and reuse one of these instead—and repurpose those used coffee grounds while you’re at it. Our Top Pick - GoldTone Reusable 8-12 Cup Basket Coffee Filters are designed to fit various coffee makers and brewers and replace paper coffee filters. They’re BPA-free and easy to clean. We’ve used ours for years. Reusable K Cups Coffee Filter Pods come in packs of three and four. These inexpensive pods are compatible with Keurig 2.0 and 1.0 coffee makers. Just dump out the used grounds into your designated container or compost, rinse, and repeat. Coffeesock The Original Reusable 100% Organic Cotton Coffee Filters are designed to fit 3-6 and 6-13 cup coffee makers. This pack of two is made of sustainably sourced, 100% organic cotton and can be composted when the filter is eventually worn out. Coffeesocks come in various styles and sizes. Disposable Coffee Cup Alternatives This is one we all know well: Instead of disposable coffee cups, use and reuse these eco-friendly alternatives when you stop by your favorite coffee-to-go shop. Obviously, there are bazillions of options out there, but here are a few functionally stylish suggestions to narrow things down a bit: Our Top Pick - KeepCup Reusable Coffee Cups come in both tempered glass and BPA-free plastic, with either a cork or silicone band and lid. They’re lightweight, splash-proof, and designed to fit under most espresso machines. Contigo Autoseal West Loop Stainless Steel Travel Mug is made of stainless steel and has double-wall vacuum insulation that keeps drinks hot for up to 5 hours and cold for up to 12 hours. It has a one-touch auto-seal lid that automatically seals between sips to prevent spills and leaks. This durable, reusable travel-style mug comes in a dozen colors. Ello Jane Ceramic Travel Mugs have a silicone boot as a built-in, non-slip coaster, and a splash-resistant slider lid. They’re both microwave and dishwasher-safe with a comfortable grip. Tea Bag Alternatives Instead of using disposable tea bags, consider using a reusable tea infuser made of stainless steel, glass, or silicone, which can be used for years (decades in our case). They’re also available in a variety of sizes and styles like these: Our Top Pick - Stainless Steel Tea Balls are made of mesh and come in sets of two, with three different sizes. Glass Tea Infusers with cork lids are see-through alternatives that can be used for loose-leaf tea, fruit infusions, organic coffee, cocoa, or flavored water. Silicone Tea Infusers are also food-grade, non-toxic, and easy to clean. Disposable Plastic Bottle Alternatives This is a well-known no-brainer, too, but it’s worth repeating. Instead of single-use plastic water bottles, use and reuse these eco-friendly alternatives. There are options made of BPA-free plastic, glass, and metal, with varying mouth sizes and cap styles. Reusable bottles make great gifts, too. Here are three suggestions: Our Top Pick - Hydro Flask Stainless Steel Water Bottles are popular for a reason. They have a double-wall vacuum insulation that keeps drinks cold for up to 24 hours and hot for up to 12 hours. Here are some of the many colors, shapes, and sizes to choose from. Lifefactory Bottles with Silicone Sleeves and Flip Caps are made of glass with a stylish silicone sleeve for non-slip gripping and to help prevent breakage. The flip cap is leak-proof, and the handle makes for easy carrying. A variety of colors, designs, and sizes are available for this brand. Nalgene 32-ounce Wide Mouth Tritan Bottles are popular with hikers for a reason. This durable brand makes its bottles out of BPA-free Tritan plastic with a loop-top cap that can be clipped to a backpack or gym bag. I prefer the wide mouth for easy cleaning and also to fit various types of water filters and purifiers. Someone gave me one of these Glow-in-the-Dark Nalgenes, partially made of recycled plastic, that helps me find my way back to my tent at night. Plastic Straw Alternatives Estimates suggest that 500 million plastic straws are thrown away daily (!) in the United States, including clear plastic straws, bendy straws, straws on juice boxes, cocktail straws, and plastic drink stirrers. Every. Day. We can help bring that number down. Instead of single-use, use-and-toss plastic straws, use and reuse one of these stainless steel, glass, or silicone straws instead. Our Top Pick - ALINK Stainless Steel Straws come with removable silicon tips to protect lips and teeth. This inexpensive set of 8 includes four straight and four bent straws and comes with cleaning brushes and a carrying case. Glass Straws,14-Pack Drinking Straws include six straight and six bent straws. They’re shatter-resistant and come with two cleaning brushes. Bent Reusable Silicone Straws (Set Of 10) And Cleaning Brush are flexible, long, and come in a variety of colors. They’re compatible with 20 and 32-ounce tumblers and smoothie cups. Aluminum Foil Alternatives Instead of tossing foil every time you’ve used it to line a baking sheet, cover a pan, wrap food, etc., use and reuse one of these instead. Our Top Pick - Vasdoo Reusable Aluminum Foil Stand-up Food Pouch Bags come in an affordable pack of 50 and are available in three sizes. These bags are sturdy, have a strong seal, and, like baggies, have a transparent window to view the contents. Bee’s Wrap Assorted Reusable Beeswax Food Wraps are made of organic cotton, beeswax, jojoba oil, and tree resin and are compostable. This reusable pack of three is a great alternative to foil and plastic wrap. Silicone Baking Mats are non-stick, dishwasher-safe, and a great reusable alternative to aluminum foil when—you got it—baking. Plastic Wrap Alternatives Instead of using and discarding a new piece of plastic wrap every time you need it, use these greener alternatives instead. Our Top Pick - TCOTBE Reusable Elastic Food Bowl Storage Covers come in an inexpensive 60-piece set with three translucent, stretchable sizes. These BPA-free bowl covers can used with your microwave bowl hugger or as a lid for freezer food storage, among many other uses … and re-uses. Eco-Bags Products Organic Cotton Lunch Bag is a great alternative to plastic wrap when packing lunch. It’s machine washable and has a velcro closure. Akeeko Assorted Reusable Beeswax Food Wraps are similar to the Bee’s Wrap product above under aluminum foil alternatives. Also made of organic cotton, beeswax, jojoba oil, and tree resin, you use the warmth of your hands to soften the wrap and mold it over a container or piece of food. Wash it in cool water with mild soap and air dry. Silicone Stretch Lids are another great alternative to plastic wrap when covering bowls and containers. They’re stretchy, reusable, and dishwasher-safe. Plastic Baggie and Freezer Bag Alternatives Instead of one-and-done baggies, these alternatives can be used over and over again to store food, snacks, and other small items, and they’re dishwasher-safe too. (That said, we wash and re-use regular Ziplocs too.) Our Top Pick - Qinline Reusable Food Storage Bags come in an affordable set of 24, with eight BPA-free, one-gallon bags, eight leak-proof sandwich bags, and eight food-grade snack bags. Bags have double closures and are freezer-safe. Ziploc Endurables Reusable Silicone Bags can be used in the freezer, oven, and microwave, and they’re dishwasher-safe too. The Cool Grab Tabs allow for easy handling after heating, and a secure seal helps prevent spills. These durable bags come in large, medium, and small sizes and variety packs. Zip Top Reusable 100% Silicone Food Storage Bags are made of 100% platinum silicone and are dishwasher-safe. You can purchase them as a set or individually. These durable bags are pricier than other options, but use them over and over again for long enough, and you’ll eventually surpass the cost of creating trash. In the Cleaning Department Paper Towel Alternatives Instead of tossing paper towels and continuously buying those increasingly pricey multi-packs, use and reuse these instead: Our Top Pick - Qinline Reusable Food Storage Bags come in an affordable set of 24, with eight BPA-free, one-gallon bags, eight leak-proof sandwich bags, and eight food-grade snack bags. Bags have double closures and are freezer-safe. HOMEXCEL Microfiber Cleaning Cloths are the go-to reusable, all-purpose cleaning tool in our house. They’re super durable yet soft, lint-free, and inexpensive. We stash a pile in almost every room in the house and in the workshop too. Swedish Dishcloth Cellulose Sponge Cloths are made of natural cellulose and cotton. This affordable pack of 10 sponge cloths is a great alternative to paper towels. Not only are they reusable (“hundreds of times”), but they’re also biodegradable once you do want to dispose of them, so you can toss them in the compost bin. EcoSoul Reusable “Paper” Towels, which come in a pack of 12, are actually made of absorbent cotton flannel and are machine washable. Dryer Sheet Alternatives Instead of dryer sheets, which are unnecessary single-use items often made of synthetic, non-biodegradable material, use and reuse one of these instead: Our Top Pick - Wool Dryer Balls Organic XL 6-Pack by OHOCO are a great alternative to disposable dryer sheets. They’re made of 100% New Zealand wool and are chemical-free. SnugPad Wool Dryer Balls XL Size are another great reusable alternative, also made of 100% New Zealand wool and chemical-free. Purecosheet Reusable Dryer Sheets last for hundreds of loads, are chemical-, perfume- and dye-free, vegan, and hypoallergenic too. In the Personal Hygiene & Beauty Department Cotton Ball Alternatives Usually a one-and-done item, cotton balls are another disposable product for which there are plenty of reusable alternatives, including the simple, multipurpose washcloth. Here are some others: Our Top Pick - Reusable cotton rounds can be used for a variety of things, like removing makeup, applying toner, cleaning your face, and more. LastSwab is a reusable cotton swab that can be used to clean your ears, apply makeup, or touch up your nails. It’s made of easy-to-clean silicone and comes with a carrying case. Greenzla Reusable Pads come in a pack of 20 with a storage box and mesh laundry bag. These two-sided pads are soft and absorbent. Wet Wipe Alternatives Reusable wet wipes are available in the market. They're often OEKO-TEX certified, meaning they’ve been confirmed chemical-free. Here are a few good options: Our Top Pick - FAMOPLY Reusable Flannel Cloth Baby Wipes are soft, durable, super absorbent, and hypoallergenic. This pack of 54 comes with a dispenser and a laundry bag. Babygoal Washable, Reusable Baby Cloth Wipes are made of two layers of 80% bamboo viscose and 20% polyester for maximum absorbency. Or, if you don’t want to wash and reuse wet wipe alternatives, these Compostable, Plant-Based Baby Wipes from The Honest Company are a great, eco-friendly, and dermatologist-tested option that’s been verified by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Other Products Disposable AA Battery Alternatives Why focus on AA here? Because they’re the most commonly used battery size used around the home. So, instead of replacing them whenever they run out of juice and tossing this hazardous waste, use and reuse (and reuse, etc.) one of these instead: Our Top Pick - Pale Blue USB-Rechargeable Lithium-ion AA Batteries charge much faster than most other rechargeable batteries, and these use a 4-in-1 USB-A to USB-C charging cable with LED indicators. This is the kind we prefer, and the USB charging makes it easy for traveling, too. Amazon Basics Rechargeable AA Batteries come in packs of 8-24. They’re made of nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) and have a capacity of 2000mAh. They come pre-charged and can be recharged up to 1000 times. The charger is sold separately, but if you already have one, it should work with these batteries. Panasonic Eneloop Pro Rechargeable AA Batteries are also made of nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) and have a capacity of 2550mAh. They’re pre-charged and can be recharged up to 500 times. Single-use Plastic Bag Alternatives We all know about reusable shopping bags, which are often available right in the checkout line. And many of us already have more than enough. But just in case you’re on the lookout for some durable ones, maybe to use as reusable gift bags for the gift-ee, here are a few good green options. Our Top Pick - BeeGreen Reusable Grocery Bags are a popular alternative to plastic shopping bags that come in tons of colors, patterns, and counts. They’re made of durable but lightweight ripstop nylon and are machine washable. Another nice feature is that each bag is equipped with an integrated square pouch, so you can stuff it in, and it fits right in your pocket or purse until you need it. Earthwise Reusable Grocery Bags are made of 80-gram non-woven polypropylene with recycled cardboard walls for a rigid structure when opened. This is a pack of three, but you can get these bags in other counts, colors, and patterns. Reusable Canvas Bags like these with interior compartments (great for glass bottles) and side pockets are spacious, sturdy, and made to last. These quality bags have an 80-pound load capacity and two handle lengths. Party Balloon Alternatives Balloons, especially mylar ones, are made from materials that take a very (very, etc.) long time to decompose. Even latex balloons marketed as "biodegradable" can take up to four years to break down, and in seawater, they deteriorate even slower. So instead of using those types of balloons, which are also harmful to wildlife, use and reuse one or more of these: Our Top Pick - Paper Lanterns are easy to inflate, and if you take good care of them, you can reuse them over and over. They come in many different shapes and colors and can be illuminated too. To hang them, tie a bit of thread to an uncoiled paper clip and insert it in the hole. Reusable Water Soaker Balls are a great alternative to water balloons that can be used for outdoor games and activities. Reusable Party Pom-pom Balls are a great alternative to party balloons. They come in many different colors, sizes, and styles to match any theme. Do you have suggestions for other types of disposable products that have reusable, more sustainable alternatives? Please let us know your ideas and suggestions in the comments below.

Disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Creative & Functional Wood Pallet Projects for a More Sustainable Home & Garden 190 million. That’s how many pallets are estimated to end up in U.S. landfills each year while over 500 million new ones are manufactured.  That’s a lot of useful lumber and a lot of unnecessary waste. So, today, we're diving into the world of reusable wooden pallets—those humble, versatile platforms that hold immense potential for creative minds and thrifty, sustainable-living souls alike. If you've got an old pallet lying around—so many of us do—maybe from a shipment of paver bricks, a new washing machine, or a million other things moved around on the 1.8 billion pallets used annually in the U.S., or if you’re considering snagging some for free, you've come to the right place. These simple structures can transform into myriad functional and beautifully cool items. And if you’re relatively handy and a little ambitious, pallets can even form the basis of a profitable new side hustle. That said, here’s our list of 50 practical and decorative ideas for reusing, repurposing, and upcycling those retired, unburdened pallets. Ideas and plans abound for any one of these projects, so rather than giving you a how-to for each and every one, this list is more to get your (and our) creative, pallet-repurposing juices flowing, to decide what to make with that stack of pallets you just scored—like a bunch of blank canvases. 50 DIY Pallet Projects While most of these projects can be pulled off with whole or partial pallets, taking them apart and reusing the lumber is always an option. So, at the end of this page, you can pop over to some tips on how to take apart a pallet—hopefully without breaking it—and prep that old wood for a future metamorphosis into something wonderfully repurposed or upcycled. We'll also share some suggestions for where to find free pallets. A Pallet Furniture Paradise Pallet Coffee Table: Stack a few pallets, add some wheels, and voila! You have a trendy, rustic place to set your movie snacks, beverages, and whatnots. There are SO many ways and styles to make coffee tables out of pallets. Outdoor Lounge: Nail or screw a few pallets together, toss on some cushions, and you've got an outdoor lounge or sectional that costs a lot less than one from Home Depot, etc. Pallet Sofa: Much like the outdoor lounge, stack and secure pallets vertically to create a comfortable sofa. Add cushions and upholstery for a seating option that’s sure to be different than anything the Joneses have. Pallet Bed Frame: Connect pallets to form a sturdy bed frame. You can even leave spaces between the pallets for built-in storage or add lights underneath for a unique, glowing touch. Pallet Dining Table: Having an extra-large dinner party? Secure several pallets together to create a group-sized dining table. Sand the surface for a smooth finish, or add a tabletop. Want something more permanent? Add a glass top for a nice combination of rustic and refined. Pallet Bar: Arrange pallets to your desired height, add a countertop, and you've got yourself a stylish basement or person-cave bar. Customize it further by adding shelves for glassware and bottles. There are endless pallet bar ideas and styles out there. Pallet Desk: There are so many ways to pull off a pallet desk. On the simple side, stack a few pallets horizontally and place a flat surface on top to create a functional workspace. Add compartments or drawers for storage. Pallet Pet Bed: Create a cozy bed for your fuzzy family member by stacking pallets and adding a soft cushion. Paint, stain, or stencil it to match your home decor. Storage Solutions a la Pallets Pallet Bookshelves: Stacked pallets against the wall make excellent shelves. As with any pallet project, you can paint or varnish them for a polished look. Pallet Wine Rack:  Secure pallet pieces at an angle to hold wine bottles. Stylish and practical! Here’s a small, wall-mounted wine and wine glass rack made of pallet wood that you can make yourself. Shoe Organizer: Mount a pallet horizontally on your wall, and you have instant shoe storage. Add hooks for keys and accessories. Pallet Wardrobe Organizer: Hang pallets and add hooks, shelves, and small baskets to create a wardrobe organizer for accessories, bags, and scarves. Pallet Jewelry Display: Nail small pallet pieces together vertically and horizontally to create a jewelry display. Add hooks, knobs, and small shelves to hang and showcase your collection. Pallet Bathroom Storage: Mount pallets on the bathroom wall to create shelves for towels, toiletries, and other bathroom essentials. You can also incorporate hooks for hanging bathrobes or shower caddies. Pallet Garage Shelving: Use pallets to create sturdy and affordable garage shelving. Stack pallets horizontally and add wooden planks on top to create shelves for organizing tools, paint cans, and other garage-y items. Pallet Tool Rack: Mount pallets on the wall of your garage or workshop to store tools. Customize the slots to hold hammers, wrenches, screwdrivers, and more for easy access. Craft & Art Supplies Organizer: Hang a pallet on the wall and attach hooks, small bins, and jars for easy, organized access to all your crafting, sewing, or art supplies. Pallet Projects for Home Decor Photo Frames: Disassemble pallets and use the wood to create rustic photo frames. Mirror Frame:  Frame a mirror, large or small, with pallet wood to add a touch of rustic elegance to your bathroom, bedroom, or any other room. Coat Rack:  Attach hooks or knobs to a pallet for a charming and functional rack for coats and jackets, scarves, dog leashes, and anything else you want to hang and grab on your way out the door. Pallet Wood Wall: Create an accent wall by affixing pallet wood planks horizontally or vertically. You can sand and finish the wood to bring out its natural beauty. People spend money on this rustic-chic look, but you can do it yourself and for much less cost with a little time and elbow grease. Floating Shelves: Cut pallet wood into smaller pieces and attach them to the wall as floating shelves for decorative items, books, or small indoor plants—you name it. Pallet Clock: Use pallet wood to craft a unique wall clock. Cut the wood into a circular or other creative shape, add clock hands and a mechanism, and you have a rustic timepiece. Wall Art: Cut pallet wood into various shapes and sizes, then assemble them to create cool wall art. You can leave the wood natural or paint it in vibrant colors to match your decor. Here’s a creative piece of lighted pallet art with a holiday theme to dress up a drab corner. Hanging Planters: Craft hanging planters by suspending pallet wood pieces vertically from ropes or chains. Plant small flowers or herbs in containers attached to the wood, bringing a touch of greenery into your home. Room Divider: Stand pallets vertically and secure them together to form a partition, providing privacy and visual interest in open living spaces. Pallet Headboard: Attach pallets vertically and mount them behind your bed to create a rustic headboard. You can leave the wood as-is for a natural look or paint or stain it. You can also attach reading lamps, framed photos, and other decorative items. Candle Holders: Cut pallet wood into various lengths and assemble them into candle holders for votive or pillar candles to add a cozy and romantic ambiance to your living room or dining area. Palatable Pallets in the Kitchen Kitchen Utensil Holder: Attach pallet slats vertically on a wall, creating pockets to hold kitchen utensils, cutting boards, and even small pots. Herb Garden:  Hang small pots filled with herbs on a pallet mounted on your kitchen wall for fresh ingredients at your cookin’ fingertips. Kitchen Island:  Combine pallets to craft a rustic kitchen island for extra storage and a farmhouse vibe. There are tons of ideas and plans out there, from simple and inexpensive projects like this one to more complex and elegant centerpieces. Pallet with a Purpose in the Garden and Other Outdoor Projects Potting Bench: Elevate your gardening by repurposing a pallet into a potting bench. It's sturdy and functional and keeps your tools organized. Compost Bin: Create a simple compost bin by fastening pallets together—easy access for turning your kitchen and garden scraps into nutrient-rich soil. Vertical Garden: Attach pots to a pallet's slats and hang them vertically. Perfect for growing herbs, flowers, or succulents, even if you're short on space. Recycling Organizer: If you’re like us and have to take your recyclables to town, build an outdoor storage area with separate bins for plastics, metal, etc., to separate and store your recyclables until your next trip to drop them off. Garden Fence: By standing pallets upright and securing them together, you can create a cool fence to enclose your garden or yard. Raised Beds: Stack pallets to your desired height, fill them with soil and plant your favorite flowers, herbs, or vegetables. Swing Chair: Hang a solid pallet swing from a sturdy tree, add a cushion, and you've got a nice spot to relax and ponder your next pallet project. Outdoor Bar: Impress your guests by repurposing a pallet into an outdoor bar (you can serve ice cream, too!). Add a few stools, and you have a stylish and functional space for outdoor entertaining. Tool Shed: Build a compact storage shed using pallets to form the walls and roof, leaving an opening for the entrance. Wood Shed: This one isn’t much of a stretch, but make a lean-to-style pallet shed with one or more sections to stock up firewood for the winter or, if you enjoy outdoor cooking as much as we do, for your cob or brick oven. Pallet Bird Feeders: Repurposing wooden pallets can be for the birds, too. Attract wild birds to your garden or backyard by turning a full or partial pallet into a feeder. Use the slats of the pallet to create trays for holding seed. Nail or screw additional pieces of wood to the bottom of the slats to prevent the seeds from falling through. The Pallet-made Kids' Corner Pallet Playhouse: Let your little ones' imagination run wild by building a pallet playhouse. Add some paint and decorations for a personalized and fun touch. Pallet Toy Storage: Stack pallets to create open-fronted cubbies. These can be used in children's rooms to store toys, books, or art supplies. You can add wheels and paint them in vibrant colors. Pallet Chalkboard: Convert a pallet into a chalkboard by painting one side with chalkboard paint. Hang it on the wall or prop it up like an easel for drawing, doodling, and leaving messages. Pallet Puppet Theater: Convert one or more pallets into a puppet theater by attaching curtains and painting them in vibrant colors. Repurposed Pallets on the Move Bike Rack:  If you're a cycling enthusiast, use pallets to create a space-saving bike rack in your garage or shed. Car Camping Table: Stack a few pallets in your trailer or bed of the truck and convert them into a portable table when you get to camp. It's easy to assemble. Garden Cart or Trailer: Attach wheels to a sturdy pallet, and you have an instant garden cart. Use it to transport plants, soil, tools, or harvested produce around your garden with ease. This mobile cart simplifies your gardening tasks and saves you from multiple trips. Check out this quick and easy pallet trailer project. Pallet Dolly: Need to move heavy items within your home, garage, or workshop? Create a pallet dolly by attaching sturdy casters to the bottom of a pallet. It becomes a versatile tool for moving furniture, boxes, or equipment without straining your back. Countless Ways of Repurposing Wooden Pallets Even these 50 ideas are just the tip of the iceberg. Wooden pallets offer endless possibilities, limited only by your creativity (okay, and some patience and skill, too). So, the next time you spot a discarded pallet, don't just look at it as trash or firewood—see it as a treasure trove of potential waiting to be unlocked. Want to know how to take apart pallets, prep the old pallet wood, and where to find free pallets, too? Here you go… Stay tuned for more in-depth guides on how to bring these ideas to life. Happy reusing, repurposing, upcycling, and saving! Together, we can make our homes greener, cozier, and thriftier, one pallet at a time.

Build it, and they will come. At least, that’s what we hoped. And it worked! In fact, much of our oddly, often trapezoidal-shaped and irregularly sized scrap wood has turned into various avian nesting boxes, from more mainstream styles to funky, free-form, and rather far-fetched. This time, Jeremy decided to make a larger birdhouse to attract some type of northern Arizona owl to help keep the healthy local field mouse and pack rat populations in check. Scrounging a variety of scrap wood pieces, along with some leftover hardware and hinges (and a little help from me), Jer created the following owl abode. As you can see, perfection isn't part of our vocabulary—or skills—but at least one western screech owl doesn't seem to mind. Embracing a sustainable lifestyle goes beyond reducing our carbon footprint; it's also about creating habitats for our wild, winged neighbors. One way to contribute to local biodiversity is by building a scrap wood owl house. In our guide to “creative” avian home building, we'll explore the art of crafting an owl nesting box using reclaimed materials. Let's turn scrap wood into a haven for these nocturnal hunters, promoting ecological balance in our own backyards. Locate a Site for the Owl Box Selecting the right spot is crucial for the success of your owl house. Owls prefer elevated locations with good visibility, so mount your box on a tree or pole—in our case, it was on top of an old railroad tie fence post (that no longer has a fence) only about seven feet tall—ensuring it faces away from prevailing winds. Our winds generally come from the south/southwest, so we placed the opening of the owl house to the north/northwest. A field or meadow or the edge of a wooded area is ideal, providing easy access for owls to hunt. They also like to glide to and from their nesting places, so look for a location that has an unobstructed path to the box opening. Our owl box faces an area that's more open than most of our property, with fewer juniper trees, lots of wild grasses and flowering plants, and plenty of field mice, pack rats, and ground squirrels in residence. Making an Owl House: Materials to Gather Basic carpentry tools and hardware will suffice. Scrap wood: If possible, use untreated, weather-resistant wood. Plywood or cedar scraps work well. We also used a bit of HardieBoard scrap for the roof. Tools: You'll need a saw, hammer and/or screwdriver, drill, hole saw if you have one, and a variety of nails and/or screws—whatever you have lying around. Waterproof paint or sealant, paintbrush: Protect your owl house from the elements by applying a non-toxic sealant, stain, or exterior paint. Hinges and a clasp or screws: Allow easy access for cleaning and replacing nesting material by adding hinges or screws to one side of the box. Nesting material: More on this below. DIY Scrap Wood Owl House 101 This is such an easy project; even Jeremy and I can do it! Owl houses don't need to be anything fancy or cost much of anything to build—just like any other type of birdhouse, they need to be the right size to accommodate the type of owl you hope to house. Design your owl house: Tailor your design to the specific owls in your area. For example, barn owls prefer a simple, open-front design, while screech owls prefer a more enclosed space. Research local owl species to determine the best dimensions and features. (I've added some details for common North American owl species below.) Cut and assemble: Using your chosen scrap wood, cut pieces according to your design (or you can be like us and see what you can build with as few cuts as possible). Drill out a circular hole (sand or smooth as needed) large enough for the species of owl in your area. Assemble the box, ensuring a snug fit to provide insulation. Add a perch: Attach a small perch or “grab bar” below the entrance to help owls land and take off more easily. (That’s what the wood piece below the owl box opening is on ours. We put one on the inside of the box also) Drill ventilation holes: Drill small holes near the top of the box to prevent condensation and maintain a comfortable temperature. Paint or seal: Apply a waterproof sealant or paint to protect the wood and enhance durability. Opt for earthy tones to blend seamlessly with nature. Mount: Securely mount the owl house, ideally 10-20 feet above the ground (although ours is lower), ensuring it remains stable in various weather conditions. That's why ours has extra mountain brackets on the bottom, around the top of the old railroad tie. Add Owl Nesting Material Unlike some other bird species, owls typically don't bring in their own nesting material. They rely on the structure of the nesting site itself, creating a simple "scrape" or depression in the natural substrate within the nesting cavity. So, providing a layer of suitable nesting material inside your owl box can enhance its comfort and appeal. To make your owl box more inviting, you can add a thin layer of soft materials such as: Wood shavings: Add a layer of untreated wood shavings at the bottom of the box. These can mimic the natural environment and offer insulation. Leaves or pine needles: Dry leaves or pine needles can add a touch of the outdoors to the owl box for a more natural feel. Straw, hay, or dry grass: A thin layer of straw or hay can also be used as long as, like other nesting material, it stays dry to prevent mold. Remember to keep the nesting material sparse, as owls prefer a minimalist approach (much like I do). Providing too much material can make the box less appealing to them (yep, mm-hm). Also, avoid using synthetic materials or anything treated with chemicals, as these can be harmful to the owls. Keep an eye on the nesting material during routine checks, replacing it if it becomes soiled or compacted. Types of Nesting Boxes for Common Owls One size and shape doesn't fit all when it comes to owl nesting boxes. There are about 225-250 different species of owl in existence, with about 21 of those in North America. So you'll want to find out which species are common to your area and then build accordingly. Here are some examples of owl species common in the U.S. and the basics of nesting boxes for each: Barn Owl Owl Size: 12.5-16 in. Nesting Box: A simple wooden box approximately 24 inches in height, depth, and width provides enough room for a pair of owls and their young, but you can go even bigger, up to three feet square, if you want. Create an opening about 6 inches above the base of the box. The opening can be square or round with a diameter of about 5-6 inches. Barred Owl Owl Size: 19-22 in. Nesting Box: Barred owls prefer upright nesting boxes with a single hole in the center near the top of the box. This mimics the tree hollows where they usually take up residence. A typical barred owl nest box is about 24 inches tall with a floor area about 13 by 13 inches. The entrance hole should be 12 inches from the bottom of the box and have a diameter ranging from 7-10 inches. Great Horned Owl Owl Size: 18-25 in Nesting Box: These large owls like nesting in open boxes or flat platforms instead of cavity-style boxes. The box should be at least 22x22 inches. The entrance should be large enough to allow the owls easy access but small enough to prevent larger predators from entering. It’s recommended that a nest box for a great horned owl be mounted in a hardwood tree or tall post at least 15 feet above the ground. Screech Owl Owl Size: 7-10 inches Nesting Box: Screech owls prefer upright boxes that mimic tree hollows, whether natural cavities or holes abandoned by other birds, like woodpeckers. A typical screech owl box is about 10 inches wide at the floor, 18 inches tall, and 10-14 inches deep. The entrance hole should be around 3 inches in diameter. The International Owl Center has some good information on DIY owl nest boxes for various kinds of owls. Scrap Wood Owl House Dos and Don’ts If owl houses had to be a very specific size, design, or placement, ours wouldn't have worked as intended or so quickly. That said, we did try our best to follow some scrap wood owl house best practices like these: Owl House Dos Face the owl house opening away from prevailing winds. Mount the owl house in or on the edge of an open area or meadow. Make the owl box opening large enough for the species you're hoping to attract. Owl House Don'ts Avoid light pollution. Owls are sensitive to light. Place your owl house away from bright lights, as this can disturb their nocturnal activities. Avoid invasive monitoring. While it's important to monitor your owl box, avoid intrusive checks, especially during nesting season. (We always have a good but inexpensive pair of binoculars on hand to watch wildlife comings and goings.) Excessive disturbances can lead to abandonment of the nesting box. Don't overdo it with nesting material. Just a one-inch layer, at most, of natural material, like leaves or grass, will do. Make and Monitor a Scrap Wood Owl House in Your Own Backyard By repurposing scrap wood, you've not only created a sustainable haven for local owls but also contributed to the delicate balance of your local ecosystem. Watching these amazing and mysterious birds take residence in your own handmade owl house is a rewarding experience, reminding us that even small, imperfect efforts can have a big impact. One fun and non-intrusive way we watch our owl house and other bird homes and wandering wildlife at 36-Acre Wood is with a few strategically placed, easy-to-use game cameras. We recommend the Muddy brand trail camera or the Cuddeback, both of which we use with Pale Blue USB rechargeable batteries.