Seven Ways to Save and Use School Supplies

Here are some ways to save and use school supplies:

1. Sort through last year's school supplies. Reuse durable items such as scissors, staplers, pencil sharpeners and rulers.

2. Make items such as backpacks or lunch boxes "new" with fabric paint, patches, ribbons or other decorations.

3. Some companies offer ways to recycle their products. Elmer's Glue has a recycling program for those empty glue sticks and bottles. Melted or unwanted crayons can be recycled, too!

4. Cover and protect your school books with brown grocery store bags. Get creative with markers or colored pencils to create special designs.

5. Buy reusable school supplies like refillable mechanical pencils or rechargeable batteries.

6. Save wrappers, egg crates, aluminum foil and other recyclable products to make creative crafts.

7. Recycle paper, folders, and other recyclable school supplies by requesting a Hillsborough County recycling bin.

Check out these resources for back to school tips:

• Back to School from the EPA
• Tips for recycling in Hillsborough County

Have more ideas? Let us know in the comments.