Unique ideas for recycling old magazines

Old magazine (public domain photo)

As I sit at my writing desk I look over and see my stack of old magazines. The pile grows but it also shrinks occasionally. That's because my Mom taught me some unique ways for recycling old magazines. My Mom is clever, artistic, creative and frugal. Luckily, these are talents she passed on to me. My Mom grew up when being frugal was a necessity. Using every item to it's full usefulness was part of everyday living. Here's some of my Mom's tips and some of mine for recycling your old magazines and making less waste.

Cancel your subscriptions

Magazine subscriptions are great for those who actually make use of them. On the other hand, some households receive magazines every month that they never read. Why? They're too lazy or too busy to cancel the subscription. Rather than recycling them, they just gather them up and toss them every few months. If you have a subscription like this, cancel it. Better yet, cancel all your subscriptions. Buy magazines only when you have time to read them. This is a great way of reducing the amount of magazines in the landfills. It's not recycling, it's precycling.

Donate old magazines

Are there charitable organizations in your city or neighborhood that shelter, feed or clothe the less fortunate? When you are done with your magazines, how about donating them so others can have something free to read? Sure, reading a magazine won't help them put food on the table. Still, it may take their minds off their worries for a little while. Recycling old magazines is sometimes as simple as sharing them with others.

Note: You could also drop them at your doctor's office, hospitals, car repair shops and more.

Share your magazines Before recycling old magazines, talk to your friends, relatives and neighbors. They may have similar interests. Maybe they would like some new reading material. Better yet, how about sharing subscriptions? This could save you money and is a clever way of recycling magazines through reuse. Have a monthly magazine swap to recycle all your old magazines. It's a great excuse to get together and catch up too.

Make paper dolls

When I was a kid there were paper dolls in some of the woman’s magazines. When there wasn't, my Mom had a clever trick. She would find a magazine page with the right size and pose of person on it. Then she would glue the page to a shirt cardboard or other stiff paper. Once it dried, she would cut around the picture to make a paper doll. She cleverly left a rectangle at the bottom. She would slit a hole in the rectangle center and insert a piece of cardboard as a stand. I always had the best and most original paper dolls.

Recycled crafts, puzzles etc. for kids

Kids are great at making something out of nothing. From collages to calendars to scrapbooks, recycling old magazines is second nature for kids. They can glue a picture onto cardboard and cut it up to make a puzzle. I used to recycle old magazine for dioramas at school. Scenery pictures make awesome backgrounds. Sometimes you can use the cardboard backing trick to make stand up people and animals for kids dioramas. Throw old magazines at your kids. They'll recycle them for you in no time.

Frame old magazine pictures as decoupage and more

Admittedly, this is a little cheap but there are some beautiful pictures in magazines these days. Think National Geographic and you'll get the picture. Why not frame a set of pictures to decorate the house?
Another way of recycling pictures from old magazines is decoupage. Paste the picture to a wooden object and cover with shellac or acrylic coating. I like to use Mod Podge decoupage glue. It's non-toxic.

Want an antique look? Crumple the picture. Iron it smooth. Use a light colored wood stain on it. Another way is to burn the edges. Add magazine pictures to paintings for another unique look. Recycling old magazines can create some beautiful new art pieces.

This article was previously published by this author on Yahoo!