Are Binders Recyclable? 10 Creative Ways to Reuse Binders

Binders are a great organizational tool for your office, but are binders recyclable? Binders are made of paper, which means they are recyclable. In this blog post, we will go over ten creative ways to reuse binders so you can feel good about recycling them and saving the environment.

Cut up binders to make new book covers

If you have binders that are no longer being used, don’t just throw them out. Cut up the covers and other large pieces of paper to use as book covers for new books or notebooks. Please keep it simple by using a color-coordinated theme. You can also cut strips from the binder’s spine and use those as page markers for your notebook or journal – which will make it easy to find where you left off.

If you’re looking for an alternative approach, reduce waste further by cutting down larger sheets such as legal pads into smaller notepads (or even letter-sized notepads) using only one sheet at a time instead of ripping several pages all at once. This is great if you want to keep track of your to-dos and ideas instead of relying on an app.

Use a binder as a sewing kit or store craft supplies in it

You can use a binder as a sewing kit to cut a small slit in the front cover for your needle. You can store thread, buttons, and other sewing supplies inside of it as well to keep them organized.

If you remove its dividers, a binder also makes an excellent craft caddy or storage container (or ask someone at your local copy shop to do it). Use one section for glue sticks and tape while another holds markers and pens—and don’t forget about ribbon! If there’s room left over after all of that, add some crayons or colored pencils.

You could even make a sports-themed scrapbooking kit by putting pictures from games into clear sheet protectors stored in a three-ring binder with pockets on the front cover.

Put together scrapbook pages using your old papers and photos

You can even use old covers to decorate your scrapbook pages. If you have empty binder covers, you could also turn them into a reusable notebook.

Binders are often made out of plastic and metal. As such, they cannot be recycled easily in the traditional sense because their materials need to be separated before being reprocessed through an industrial recycling system for plastics or another facility that will accept metals like aluminum cans.

Make a binder cover out of old, discarded jeans

Old binders can be used for making a binder cover. There are many creative ways to reuse binders. They can be used as a storage place for pens, computers, or even snacks! A new purpose is making it into an art form with stylish covers that will match any style and taste.

Binders can be found just about anywhere these days. Schools always have them on hand, every store has its supply of different types of binders in stock, and they seem to pile up daily at home too!

However, there’s no need to throw out old or damaged binders; you know the ones – ripped apart from overuse (or abuse), torn where someone accidentally got distracted by something shiny like glitter glue. Do you get the idea? These broken-down binders can be given a new life with some upcycled creativity in the form of a binder cover.

Use the binder as an organizer for your desk or office space

To organize your desk or office space, you can use a binder as a way to keep your items in one place. There are several ways that you can do this, including:

1. Use the pockets on both sides of the binder for sticky notes or paper clips.
2. Have two binders and stack them together to create storage space for books. 
3. Create an envelope by punching holes into each side of the binder and using string or twine to tie it shut so that papers don’t fall out easily. This is great for students who need their loose sheets organized before they start studying.

Store craft supplies in it to keep them organized and together

An old binder can be used as a container for many things. Another idea is to store your old CDs in it, so they don’t get lost or scratched. You can also use them as pen holders and keep all of the pens you need together!

Create mini pencil bags by cutting off an inch from each side on the binder when closed. Cut pieces straight with a box cutter, then fold over edges using the ruler to create clean lines. Use a heavy-duty hole punch on one end, then connect rings onto another ring that’s hanging out of holes at the top of the pouch bag (you will have two). Fill the bag with whatever activities you’d like – crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc. Add a velcro circle inside the bag with pockets/flaps around the opening to keep items from falling out.

Your old binder can also be used to store your magazines and newspapers. Just put a sheet of wax paper on the bottom, then add them in one by one as you read each article or story! You can also use it as an art portfolio for children, so they don’t have their work going everywhere when transporting between home and school. This is perfect because papers won’t get ruined since there will always be something protecting them from inside of the binder.

Cut up old binders into smaller pieces to use as paperweights

Cut up old binders into smaller pieces to use as paperweights on your desk. You can also keep an extra binder in the car and fill it with things like maps, receipts you might need later, pens and pencils, etc. This will help prevent clutter from collecting in your glove compartment or center console! Binders are a great way to store papers you want easy access to, such as recipes or coupons. When these items get torn out of the binder, you can recycle them.

Binders are a great way to store papers you want easy access to, such as recipes or coupons. When these items get torn out of the binder, you can recycle them. You can also keep an extra binder in the car and fill it with things like maps, receipts you might need later, pens and pencils, etc. This will help prevent clutter from collecting in your glove compartment or center console! Cut up old binders into smaller pieces to use as paperweights on your desk.

Create a photo album by gluing pictures onto

You can create a photo album by gluing pictures onto sheets of construction paper to create pockets held together with a ribbon. Alternatively, you can cut up old binder dividers and bind them into an album using the same method as the photo book described above. If your children have been learning how to draw, consider making a drawing or coloring book out of any spare pages from used notebooks or other scrap paper laying around the house.

Turn old binders into an outdoor planter

You can turn old binders into an outdoor planter to grow herbs or flowers. Cut out the plastic front of a binder, leaving just enough so that it holds together. Fill it with dirt and plant seeds in your new garden!

If you don’t want to use your binder for planting purposes, other creative ways are to reuse binders. You can turn them into unique photo frames by repeating step one but cutting off all but two pieces on each side- making sure not to cut up the rings themselves. This will make a frame shaped like half of either an oval or rectangle. Then attach some string across where the binding used to be and hang photos from it – instant wall art! Another way you could repurpose old binders is by turning them into hideaway storage. Cut out the plastic front of a binder, leaving just enough so that it holds together. Then use some paint or marker to decorate the outside however you like! You can also put stickers on them or draw fun designs with Sharpie markers.

Cut the binder in half and use one side to store recipes

By cutting the binder in half, you can now store the other half to use for something else. If you are planning on cutting it anyway, why not cut it into four parts, and then each part will be perfect for storing recipes that you accumulate throughout your life. You can also tear out pages of this section if a particular recipe has caught your eye.

FAQ’s

What can you do with old-school binders?

You can do a lot of creative things with old binders. For example, you can make a binder planner by punching holes in the sides and tying them to your wall. If you have kids or pets, this is a great way to keep track of homework schedules because they cannot get rid of their stuff.

Another idea would be turning them into photo albums for friends and family members who are too far away to visit often. With some pretty scrapbook paper inside, even boring black ones will look cute on someone’s coffee table – plus all those papers that are usually wasted now serve as decoration.

Can you recycle binders at Staples?

Binders are very difficult to recycle because of the metal rings that keep them together. If you have a binder with paper inside, it can be recycled. Staples do not accept binders in their recycling programs directly, but they do take all office materials like ink cartridges and shredding boxes, including your old binders.

Are binder clips recyclable?

Binder clips are an example of a simple office supply that is often overlooked as recyclable. While most people may refer to them as binder clips, they’re also known by names such as paperclips or clamps and can be found in various sizes for use with different thicknesses of paper. Binders themselves have many uses, from storing important documents to holding together reports or presentations – making it one of the more popular items used at home offices across America today! So what happens when your old binders don’t want to stay closed anymore? Are binder clips recyclable? The answer isn’t so black and white, but there are some creative ways you can reuse those loose rings on the binders that won’t close.

Can you recycle plastic three-ring binders?

When looking into whether plastic ring binders can be recycled, it is important to remember that recycling is frequently complicated. It requires sorting and separating plastics from other materials such as paper or cardboard using “sorting.” If the binder has metal rings, it makes this task even more difficult because of their sharp edges, which can catch on equipment and get stuck inside machinery, causing damage to the machines themselves. As such, we would advise not including any metal parts when deciding how you will reuse your used binders, so they do not cause problems for recycling centers trying to sort them out later on down the line. However, this means that you should avoid purchasing new fresh white brand binders since these often come with metal rings.

Final thought

Are Binders Recyclable? Here are some ideas on what you can do with an unwanted binder. Follow these steps to recycle your old, discarded binders and turn them into new things that will help keep your life organized and make it easier for you to find the supplies you need when needed. It’s a great way to use up all of those little scraps lying around in your craft room or office space too.