Deborah over at Simply Thrifty blog offered a great humorous post not long ago entitled 6 Uses for Your Old Bathtub, which speaks creatively for the wonderful world of recycling. Having remodeled and expanded our bathroom not too many years ago and installing a low-flow toilet, it occurs to me that some ideas for recycling your old toilet and sink are in order.
You could make a tub sofa or a nice fish and lily pond for your garden or patio, or just do what we did with our old clawfoot tub – we put it out at the edge of the back yard’s campfire, barbecue, campground and horseshoe area to serve as the 9th hole for the top-nine of our disc golf course. It does double duty for icing down kegs, sodas and juice during our annual extended family gatherings.
Toilets are a little trickier to recycle as yard art without upsetting the neighbors (we don’t have any neighbors, so the old toilet that serves as the 11th and 17th hole of the bottom nine doesn’t cause any uproar), but it can be done tastefully. Depending, of course, on your taste and your neighbors’ appreciation thereof.
Of course, some clever toilet art can spur some great opportunities to plot minor rebellion and civil disobedience with like-minded neighbors, just for the fun of it. The notorious Anderson Township Toilet Planter Protest managed to get just a bit out of hand when people weren’t satisfied just putting plastic flowers in the bowls and political bumper stickers on the tanks, but started planting their toilet brushes too. The teenagers enjoyed it and the protest enjoyed some lively press coverage.
It’s an idea that seems to be catching on in other places too. The BBC recently reported on the infamous Italian Toilet Art Row, and the Eugene [Oregon] Weekly reports about toilets being The Jewels of Junk.
Of course, you could make a nice combination planter-birdbath as a centerpiece to your yard, or just a plain planter as part of a nicely arranged living still life. You could even recycle the old toilet inside the house with a nifty new invention for a Hydroponic Planter Box…
The invention provides a hydroponic planter which doubles as a cover for a common toilet tank. The planter includes reservoir for holding plants supported in a hydroponic growth medium. The reservoir has several openings through which wicks extend to bring water from the toilet tank to the interior of the reservoir. The openings are arranged so that the wicks do not interfere with the flush mechanism of the toilet tank.
Clever, eh? Alternet has a fun list of nifty uses for used toilets in When Good Toilets Do Bad Things. What interesting, clever, artsy or in-your-face things have you done with your old toilets? I’d sure love to hear some ideas, so submit away!
Links:
Protest fence made from toilets (and toilet brushes)