DON'T WASTE THE HOUSEHOLD "WASTE"!

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 63, 6 September 1940, Page 15

DON'T WASTE THE HOUSEHOLD "WASTE"!

Household "waste" is well named. It is waste, and it is wasteful to throw it away. Ninety per cent. of it is useful: rubbish makes garden humus; old hats can become slippers; fat makes soap or hand cream. These suggestions were given by the A.C.E. in a recent broadcast talk:

HEN T look out of my bedroom window these mornings I no longer see a neat little patch of lawn, but a very plump-looking bed of well-lined earth-for last year my landlady and her husband decided to increase production by growing some of their own vegetables. Incidentally, while doing so they found a profitable way of disposing of a whole lot of household waste, Burying in the garden is really one of the most profitable ways of turning all waste plant or animal material to good advantage. For, by doing so, we give back to the soil the substances which plant life takes out, and we maintain its productivity, and the food value of what grows in it. In large gardens it is possible to have a compost heap. Leaves and peelings may be mixed with earth and allowed to decay, but in smaller gardens and in the town where a compost heap might be a nuisance to neighbours, just to bury the waste under six to eight inches of earth will dispose of it, and at the same time enable the plants to get the benefit of it. One of the most convenient garden fixtures for making compost, which I have seen, consisted of a concrete bin, about four feet square and from three to five feet high. It had a sloping waterproof lid, which was hinged to the bin itself. Along the sides at ground level, there were open slits four to six inches wide. The rubbish, etc., was forked in from the wheelbarrow or thrown in on top, and regularly sprinkled with earth and water. As fast as it turned into compost it was removed in spadefuls, through the slits at the bottom. Besides vegetable waste, every household has a certain amount of food waste -even though left-overs, breadcrumbs, etc., are saved and served in attractive ways, and vegetables are not peeled unnecessarily. If you could come to some

arrangement by which some firm would collect anything which you have ta waste, it would be far better than burning it, or putting it in the ash can. From Worn-out Dresses It is amazing what some people can do with the material in half worn-out dresses, torn sheets, old hats, handknitted cardigans and jumpers, or scraps and clippings from dressmaking. So even if you have no use for them and no time to devote to hand work, do not on any account destroy them. Wash and iron anything that is not already clean, and find out if your material would not be acceptable to some society which is making clothes for refugees, or toys for children in hospital, or bandages for first aid work, Making Felt Slippers The officers of one such organisation have. asked me_to. describe how to go about making felt slippers and also how old felt hats can be made into something useful for children’s wear besides slippers and moccasins. I would suggest making leggings for children, also recutting the felt to make children’s hats, also making warm insoles for shoes. Before old felt hats can be used for any purpose the head band and any trimming or lining have to be taken off and the hat scrubbed well, both inside and outside, with a soft brush in good lukewarm suds, After this it should be folded in half from crown to brim and stretched as flat as possible. Then it should be rinsed and, still folded, put through the wringer and hung out to dry. This treatment makes the felt too stiff for many purposes, but it strengthens it and makes it ideal for harder wear as in slippers. Patterns in the various sizes for slippers are most easily secured ‘by splitting open old slippers and taking a paper pattern from them. If it is necessary to piece the slippers because the felt of one hat is not enough to make a pair of slippers, a seam down the centre front and half the slipper of one colour and the other half of another is a satisfactory solution. Another way to piece materials is to have the front half of the slipper of one material and the heel of another. In this case you can avoid a seam at the centre back of the heel. We find bought leather soles are best, but for small soles nothing is better than leather head bands from. men’s hats. These are washed well and given a dressing of clean oil, well worked in. Soles can also be cut from old leather bags, side belts and many other odd pieces of leather. Always stitch a felt lining on to the sole, and blanket stitch the edges together. We find it wisest to blanket stitch all edges before joining them, as it gives extra strength to the seam. The upper edge of the slipper and the strap, if any, must be strongly bound to prevent stretching. A lining of strong, firm calico or gingham also makes for the long life of the slipper.