Eco-Friendly Crafts

By Kelly Siegel

When I was little and had time off from school, my mom always had numerous craft projects ready for me to create!  One of my favorite crafts was recycling old crayons.  How many of you have broken crayons in the bottom of your pencil case and don’t know what to do with them?  Well no worries, we have a project for you – all you need are those old crayons and muffin tins.  Make sure when you are using the oven, to ask an adult for help. 

1) Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
2) Peel all of the paper labels off of your broken crayons and separate the crayons by shades of color (keep like colors together).
3) Spray your muffin tins with cooking spray.

4) Use approximately one cup of broken crayons to make twelve larger crayons.

5) Fill the muffin tins so that they are half full with broken crayons.  Put them in the oven for about 8 minutes. They will melt quickly, so stay close and check on them!
6) Once the crayons have melted, carefully take them out of the oven, and take a toothpick and swirl the wax around.

7) Let them cool – this does take some time. If you would like, you can put them in the freezer to speed up the process.  Once they are hard, pop them out of the muffin tins and they are ready to be used!

This project, and many like it, can double as birthday or holiday gifts for family and friends.  What kind of eco-friendly gifts have you given in the past?  Let us know!

About the author: Kelly Siegel is a student volunteer in the EPA’s Air and Radiation Division in Region 5, and is currently obtaining her Master’s degree in Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  She has a passion for sustainable development, running, and traveling with friends.

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.