ecoLIVING London

Gift cards are a great choice for the picky shopper on your list... but what do you do with all the leftover cards once the gift dollars are used up?

(This also applies to used up photocopy cards or those annoying fake cards that come with some credit card offers (see photo, above). I hope it goes without saying that REAL credit cards should be destroyed whenever they expire, to avoid identity theft and fraud.)

Used plastic cards may actually be recyclable in your community - check your municipal recycling guidelines for more information.

If you can't throw them in your blue box, however, don't despair - there are many ways you can repurpose the cards around your home.

If you've dripped candle wax on your furniture, use a plastic card to gently scrape off the wax.

I've recently been using a card to scrape burnt bits off my cast iron skillet when I've been learning (sometimes succesfully!) to make homemade chapatis and tortillas. The cards also great for scraping dough off cutting boards or counters, or anywhere else that bakers leave sticky dough.

In fact, plastic cards make great all-purpose scrapers. I always keep one or two in my cleaning kit to deal with stuff I'd otherwise use a fingernail or two to remove. They're great for scraping soap scum off shower tiles, for example.

I've also been known to use old iTunes cards as bookmarks in my current reading material.

If you have children around, used up gift cards make great "make believe" credit cards that kids can use with a toy cash register.

Plastic cards can also come in handy in a child's (or adult's!) craft drawer, to trace around, decorate, or use to scrape dried glue off of the craft table.

Some gift cards are really attractive, and hence collectible. Or they could become mementos of a special event like a wedding or significant birthday, displayed in a scrapbook or tied with a bow in a keepsake box.

Have you come up with a unique way to re-use old gift cards? Leave it in the comments below!

Michelle Lynne Goodfellow is a sometime professional organizer, eco-friendly consultant and crayon artist who works by day in nonprofit communications and resource development. Read her eco-friendly cleaning blog here.