Upcycling Projects to Try : Number 9 : Bird Feeder

Upcycling Project Number 9

Feed the Birds

Why upcycle?

Upcycling is becoming more and more popular. It’s a form of recycling, but unlike recycling, it doesn’t need to use a lot of energy and resources to process and make a new product. Your ingenuity is all that’s required!

Upcycling is about finding a new use for your unwanted items before you throw them away. You will be amazed at the amount of things you have in your home which are probably cluttering up wardrobes and the garage, when they could be turned into something new, with a little effort from yourself.

Why upcycling is so good for the environment

Your unwanted items aren’t going to be dumped in landfill sites, where they will give off greenhouse gases and leach chemicals into the soil and waterways as they decompose.

You won’t be recycling them, so you will save the energy and resources involved in that process.

If you can repurpose old items to make new ones, it will save you money, and less brand- new goods will have to be manufactured.

Feed the birds

People in Britain have a thing for gardening, and what makes being in the garden better, than hearing the tweeting of the birds, and being able to spot different species at different times of the year?

But it’s a good idea to feed the birds with nutritious foods, as sometimes they struggle to find enough food, especially in the winter.

Over half of people in the UK feed the birds in their garden, and it’s a nice activity to get the kids involved with, to teach them about wildlife.

Make an upcycled bird feeder

Make a bird feeder from bottles you would probably otherwise throw away.

What you will need:

Plastic drinks bottles

Yoghurt pots or milk cartons (make sure they're clean)

Wire or string

Bird seed

scissors.

How to make it:

NB: If you are allowing kids to help, an adult should always do the necessary cutting.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/kids-and-schools/kids-and-families/kids-activities/activities/birdfeeder.aspx

• Cut a hole in the side of your chosen bottle large enough to allow the bird seed to come out, but make sure that it won’t end up on the ground if the wind or rain gets to it.
• Make a few small holes in the bottom of the bottle to allow any rainwater to drain away.
• Hang it with wire, or some string from a tree or your washing line.
• If your feeder starts to look worse for wear out or the food starts to go mouldy, recycle it and make another one from a fresh bottle.

Remember to keep the feeder stocked up, especially in winter when birds find it harder to find food.