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The best ways you can recycle, reuse, and donate your old magazines—crafts & more!
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You go to set something down on your coffee table only to find it littered with magazines…again! Your magazine collection is getting out of hand, but how can you shrink your stick? The possibilities for recycling, upcycling, and reusing magazines are endless, and we’ve compiled the best options right here. Whether you have a crafty side or not, you’re sure to find something you can do with your old magazines.

Things You Should Know

  • Recycle clean, plastic-free magazines like you would any other paper—just make sure to check your city’s specific guidelines.
  • Use thin pages of old magazines to wrap presents for any and every occasion.
  • Glue magazine clippings on top of each other to create a collage for bookmarks, decorative vases, and collages.
  • Roll pages of your old magazines into sticks to make picture frames and woven baskets.
8

Picture Frames

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  1. This DIY picture frame is perfect for showing off your photos without breaking the bank. Cut a piece of cardboard to match the size of your picture. Then, tightly roll magazines pages into long sticks and glue the end of the page down to hold your roll together. Finally, glue your magazine rolls to the cardboard —it’s as easy as that! [7]
    • Don’t have a piece of cardboard? Glue the magazine sticks directly to each other.
    • Play around with how you arrange the sticks to the frame. Cut them into smaller pieces and have some going vertically and others horizontally.
  1. Weave magazine rolls together to make your own storage box . This is a fun and easy DIY project that not only looks cute but is super practical! Simply roll up the pages of your magazines into wand-like cylinders, glue them along the edge of a cardboard rectangle, and start weaving. [10]
    • Place a cardboard box inside your basket as you weave to use as a guide.
    • Use magazine pages of all colors to make a bright and bold design, or stick with all black and white pages for a more subdued basket.
    • Not pleased with the color? Spray paint your basket to match your other decor. No one will even be able to tell it’s made of recycled magazines!
11

Gift Totes

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  1. This is an excellent way to “wrap” a gift that’s oddly shaped or too small for the average sized gift bag. To make a gift bag , all you have to do is tear a thick page out of a magazine, fold your paper around the gift so that it fits perfectly, and tape your folds in place. [11]
    • Make sure to use the covers or thick inside pages of the magazine. Otherwise, your tote may rip once you put the present inside. [12]
    • Pick a cover or page that features a celebrity, activity, or product the gift receiver loves.
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15

Coasters

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  1. Tear 6 pages out of a magazine and cut them each in half vertically. Fold each piece in half lengthwise and half again widthwise. Interlock 1 piece inside another by sliding a folded end through another, creating an “L” shape. Continue this interlocking technique, weaving each strip over and under the other. [16]
    • Finish your coaster by folding and tucking the back edge into the last woven strand.
    • Try using different colored magazine pages for a colored-blocked pattern.
    • Use twice as many magazine strips to make a placemat you can set a plate on.
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  1. Why buy pony beads when you can make your own? Cut out a long triangular piece of magazine paper. Smear stick glue on the back of the paper, lay a pencil or knitting needle on one end of the page, and roll up the paper using either tool. Paint Hard Coat Modge Podge over the bead, let it dry, and then slip it off the pencil or needle. [17]
    • The larger your magazine piece, the bigger your bead will be.
    • Try clipping out specific patterns and colors for your beads, so they all look unique.
    • Play around with how you roll up your paper, as rolling from different angles creates different shapes.
    • Use your magazine beads like any other bead, stringing them through elastic thread or cord.

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      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about recycling, check out our in-depth interview with Marty Stevens-Heebner, SMM-C, CPO® .

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