How can I recycle this?

I recently discovered RecycleThis, a site which posts ideas about how to recycle common objects which seem useless. The site began 2 years ago with a post about the uses of pistachio shells. So far, the site lists potential uses for about 300 items and the authors have received over 3000 suggestions for future posts. Three times a week one of the two authors posts a blurb about a new item and then lets anyone comment on potential uses of the item in question. The responses often involve using items for crafts or gardening but sometimes have more utilitarian suggestions as well.

At this point I think the concept is stronger than the actual site. It seems like more features could be added to make it easier to use. For instance, there’s not a simple index of items discussed. Instead, the site’s archives breaks down the content by month and category (e.g. “technology,” “food and the like,” “sports” etc). But after selecting one of the categories users are directed to the actual posts listed in chronological order and not a list of items. The site also features a search function but because there are no tags for posts it is not as effective as it might be otherwise.

There are some especially cool features of the site. First of all, the site is produced and hosted using Free and Open Source software exclusively. What’s more, the authors take most of the photos themselves and post them as Creative Commons (Attribution) License on Flickr. When this isn’t possible, they use free stock photos from Stock.xchng.

I think the community and green-centered aspects of this site are what make it especially interesting. Using free and open source software adds to the appeal but they are also just trying to start a dialogue about living green and thinking of creative solutions to common problems.