Image courtesy of REI.com Ah, the holidays...food, gifts, family...and unfortunately, a whole lot of waste. According to Stanford University, Americans throw out about 25% more trash during the holiday season, adding up to an extra 1 million tons of waste. While that amount of waste can feel incomprehensible, what’s not so mind-blowing is how simple it can be to do your part help minimize this amount. In fact, if everyone saved just 2 feet of the ribbon they would usually toss this year, it would make enough ribbon to tie around the entire world. Here at Roofnest, we’re stewards to the environment. We know the longer we take care of nature, the longer it will continue to take care of us. Small moves can make a big impact this holiday season. One of those is upcycling your gifts and holiday decorations this year.

Upcycling: Reduce Waste This Holiday

Recycling helps eliminate waste, as you know. But how often have you tried upcycling? While recycling is the process of recyclable items being reprocessed into new items, upcycling involves turning that trash right into treasure. Recycling requires specific plastic material in order to be reprocessed, but you can upcycle nearly anything. Clothes, dishes, sports gear, whatever! The benefits of upcycling are significant:

• Reduces costs of materials: Reusing your items and making them into new useful items is bound to save you some money.
• Prevents soil degradation: Certain materials have chemicals that can ruin valuable soil.
• Reduces air pollution: During decomposition, waste materials produce foul smells from the gases it releases.

Not only does upcycling help reduce the negative effects of waste this holiday season, but it’s a great way to tap into your creativity and get a little crafty.

DIY Bicycle Wheel Wreath from REI.com

Image courtesy of REI.com So you’re sold on upcycling, but now you’re looking around asking yourself, “Where do I start?” To that we say, why not start with that bike wheel that’s been sitting in the garage for a good year now? Show off your love for the world of cycling and the environment with a charming bicycle wheel wreath. Not only does it look awesome, but it’s a great way to save on waste and upcycle your holiday décor this year. And depending how you decorate it, you can even use it year-round. No matter what your skill level is in the craft world, this bike wheel wreath is bound to be a project you enjoy both during and after the creation. The best part? It barely takes any time at all out of your busy holiday schedule. Depending on how detailed you get, a bike wheel wreath can be complete in under 10 minutes. Have fun with it, and feel free to really express your personality.

How to Make a DIY Bicycle Wheel Wreath

Image courtesy of Liv Cycling.com To get started, all you’ll need is:

• A tire-free bike wheel
• Gear ties
• Scissors
• Rope
• 6 feet of upcycled ribbon
• 15-20 feet of evergreen boughs, up cycled garland, or other foliage
• A hot glue gun
• Any other fun trinkets you’d like to add to the wreath

Now it’s time for the fun part.

1. Clean the wheel with dish soap.
2. Wind your garland/foliage around the outer rim in a spiral.
3. Wrap the ribbon or other decorative garland around the rim using a similar spiraling motion.
4. With the front of the wheel facing you, glue any ornaments or other trinkets around the rim of the wheel.
5. Place a large bow or other decorations item in the middle of the “top” of the wreath.

And just like that, you have a fun new decoration that pays homage to one of your favorite passions this holiday season. This also makes for a great gift for friends who love to ride, too.

Other Fun Ideas:

The options for decorating your bicycle wheel wreath design are endless. Check out these other suggestions to help add some flare to yours:

• Paint your bicycle wheel before adding decorations to it for extra color.
• Use leftover holiday lights to brighten up your new decoration.
• Use your wreath as a fun photo display by tucking photos into the spokes.
• For a clean year-round look, bunch the flowers in an attractive “bouquet” in one corner of the wheel along with an accent piece and fun bow.

Feeling hooked? There are plenty of other upcycling crafts for the whole family to enjoy. The fun doesn’t have to stop here. Maybe you have to put you bike away on those extra snowy days, but the love for the sport never has to end. Honor your passion and the holidays with your new bicycle wheel wreath. Just be prepared for some neighbors to start copying you. Keep your head in the bicycling game through holiday break by keeping up with latest biking events, tips from the trail, and more »