Recycled Tarp

I had to write a post to rave about my newest favorite recycling discovery! Good, sturdy tarps are always in high demand around here. From covering up wood piles and animal cages/coops/runs to keep them dry and shaded, to using them to drag leaves around the yard, I am forever in need of tarps. The problem is that they are expensive! They also tear up so easily! Tarps are forever unraveling and falling apart. What could be better than getting even sturdier than usual tarps, for free?! I can't believe I didn't think of this before! I can't take the credit for this revelation, as I read about it in my favorite blog (http://omelays.blogspot.com/). I find so many great ideas there! I had to pass it on.

I put my newest "tarp" on the turkey hoop coop, with the help of my wonderful brother. It measured approximately 15 ft X 22 ft and is made of rip-stop material. It is sturdy, but not incredibly heavy. It is simply a recycled bill board sign! I live in an area that has more than its fair share of billboard signs (as so many of us do). After reading about it, I started paying attention, and saw a bunch of signs being replaced. I simply stopped one day, asked the guy on the sign if he was going to throw it away, asked if I could have it, shoved it in my car, and brought it home! How easy is that?! I need about 20 more! It has an ad for the local news station on one side, but it is blank on the other, so I just turned it upside down. It actually looks far better than the other two I had tied together, and is larger. It is black so it is doing a good job bringing solar heat to the coop during these cooler months. I need to get a white one to replace it with during the hot summer months. How wonderful is that?!

So many of my favorite things put together! Saving money, getting good materials, and saving the earth, all at the same time! Imagine how many are thrown out when they could be used! I hope more people start doing this!