Did you know that every year up to 75,000 pounds of broken crayons are thrown away and wind up in landfills across the country? Crayon wax isn’t biodegradable! Let's reuse our old, broken crayons and keep them out of landfills.
Crayon wax isn’t biodegradable, so when it's is thrown away it will never break down naturally. Instead, these broken crayons will be in our landfills for generations to come. Here at Hazel Baby, we LOVE to do our part in preventing unnecessary waste and we recently discovered a wonderful way to reduce, reuse and recycle old broken crayons. This process is so easy you’ll be surprised you never tried it!
You will need:
- A silicone mold in a design of your choice (we chose hearts – spread the love!)
- A selection of different colored crayons that are broken and no longer being used crayons
Method:
1. Soak crayons in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes (this makes the peeling process much easier).
2. Peel wrappers from crayons and break crayons into small(er) pieces where needed. We found that the smaller the pieces, the quicker and easier they melt in the oven.
3. Combine the broken crayon pieces into each silicone heart mold. Have fun coming up with unique color combinations, or just toss them in! Make sure you overfill each mold slightly – the crayons will melt down and take up less space.
4. A step for the grown-ups: Heat oven to 230º and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until completely melted. Once melted, remove and let cool (if you or your little ones can’t wait to see the finished product - 15 minutes in the freezer should do it)
5. Once completely cooled, pop them out and admire the beautiful colors and designs. The reveal of the new shapes and colorful designs feels just as satisfying as opening a box of sharp, shiny new crayons!
Bonus: These new large shapes are perfect for little hands or children working on their fine motor skills!
Happen to have more broken crayons than you can handle? Consider donating to The Crayon Initiative! Through The Crayon Initiative you can mail in your used crayons, and they will ultimately end up in art programs at children’s hospitals across the country. How wonderful is it that something as small as collecting your broken crayons instead of throwing them away could so positively impact not only our environment, but also other children in need!
Enjoy and tag us #hazelbabyfam when you try out this fun up-cycling craft with your family!