Friday's 3Rs -- Repurposing your bras

It's another Friday, and today the R we're focusing on is Repurposing, with is just another way of saying "Reusing." I touched on this last month in my post, I see Paris, I see France, I see lots of underpants, but I'm happy to introduce a new guest blogger (at least to GG) who has some other cool ideas about what to do with bras you no longer want or need.

Lauren Bailey regularly writes for best online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: blauren99 @gmail.com.

Scented Bra Sachet
click here for instructions

Repurposing Old Bras for Fuel and Other Oddities

The 1960s "burn the bras" American mantra finally made its way overseas, but it's used for a completely different reason other than encouraging feminism—Japanese underwear makers are in the midst of finding a way to burn bras in order to create renewable fuel for industrial use.

Triumph International and Wacoal—the two leading underwear manufactures in Japan—have collected used bras from their costumers since 2008 in order to convert old bra materials (with the exception of the metal under wiring) into refuse paper and plastic fuel (RPF), an alternative fuel that according to sources is just as effective as coal when powering up generators and boilers, but releases less carbon dioxide and costs a fraction of the price. And of course, it doesn’t contribute to depleting the planet's limited resources.

Since the recycling-bra program's inception, the masterminds behind repurposing bras have collectively acquired more than 380,000 bras and generated more than 32 tons of fuel. Wacoal has now expanded its recycling bra-program to its customers in Taiwan in the hopes of allocating more material to make more RPF.

While Americans may not be able to convert bars into fuel just yet, there are some different ways you can recycle them so that you can continue to do your part to sustain the environment. To learn 5 neat ways to reuse your old bras, continue reading below.

1. Donate Them. The obvious choice is to donate your bras. Bras don't come cheap and there are plenty of women and young girls who could need an extra bra or two. So take your gently used and washed unwanted bras to your nearest donation center, homeless shelter, or Goodwill so that someone who needs a bra can make good use of it.

2. Create Lingerie Art. It may sound a little strange, but if you've outgrown some sexy bras or lingerie sets, you can actually place them in a nice frame and create "lingerie art." Why spend big bucks on a sexy poster to decorate your boudoir or bathroom when the materials are right at your disposal?

3. Make a Sachet. One of the easier and more practical ways to reuse your bra is to use the bra cups to make a floral-smelling holder filled with potpourri like the one found here. Put it anywhere that typically needs some freshing up like your sock drawer, closets, the kitchen or even directly in your shoes to create a long-lasting pleasant smell.

4. Bra Purse. With some creativity, sequins, beads and fabric glue you can convert your bra into a fully functional and original fashion-forward purse, like this one found here.

5. New Gardening Tool.  Lastly, no matter whether you choose to use your old bra as a full-fledged planting pot, some handy knee pads as you garden, or just some added support (no pun intended) when growing large vegetables like tomatoes, bras can come pretty handy in the garden.