Mindful of the need to cut costs in today's economic climate, the Queen was reluctant to splash out on an expensive new evening gown for her Slovenian State Visit.

Instead, she dug out some fabric she was given over 20 years ago and had someone on the sewing machine style into a dress for a white tie state banquet hosted in her honour…

…where is this going you wonder? No, I’m not about to be tell you to dress like the Queen or copy her style but this grabbed my attention as surely we’ve all got clothes and accessories in the closet that we don’t go near for whatever reasons.

Maybe you bought something and a week later you still haven’t worn it thinking “why did I buy this? Or maybe it’s the woolly jumper you got as a youngster with your initials or a choo-choo train stitched on the front?

Well, unlike the Queen your stuff is unlikely to be 20 years old so surely something can be done with it if its no longer in use. Transform some old joggers into shorts or even an old t-shirt into a cleaning cloth (Ok maybe not creative enough but you get the point) - whatever it is it doesn’t need to be thrown away. Also if this story I checked up on is really true maybe we certainly need to do more at our end with our old stuff?

I know for sure I’m going to have a look in my closet and see what can be re-styled. Winter is coming up so I could experiment on maybe adding an extra layer in my jeans with some old tracksuit bottoms… (That idea’s a bit better)

If all else fails and you can’t make something new out of your old stuff then check out Just Give to see what you can do with your old gear!

Over at this web site is a method of recycling chewing gum. As the person explains, 472 million tons of chewing gum  is consumed internationally, creating a stretch of gum that could blanket the United States—polluting sidewalks, streets, and forest preserves. So how do we chew less gum? By chewing it again.

Gum can be re-chewed by simply adding sugar. Once you’ve extracted all the flavor, simply coating your chewed gum in sugar (or Splenda, if that’s what you prefer) can make it taste as good as new. There are additional ways to alter this formula, such as adding hot sauce and cinnamon to imitate Big Red, or mint leaves for cleaning up your stinky breath.

It’s kitchen week here at MTV Switch! Well, not exactly—but after yesterday’s post on the energy saving of convection toaster ovens, we’re here with another entry on how you can do some recycling when it comes to your food.

Here’s an article offering six resourceful ways to reuse waste products from your kitchen, and many of the suggestions are really good ones. The best one, however, is the last: Recycling the ends of your wine bottles. That’s not referring to the bottle itself, but to the dregs of the wine, which can be frozen in ice cube trays and used later on--as a sauce or reduction--for cooking.

Terracycle is an American company that pays you for your trash and then turns it into either stylish or everyday products--such as tote bags, school supplies, and home cleaning bottles. What’s most interesting about the company is that the recycled trash that you buy actually bears resemblance to the trash. For instance, a bag made out of Capri Sun juice bags carries the containers as its design. Surprisingly, the products look pretty cool! Though they can’t pass for designer bags, there is something fun and punky to them, making an easy solution a fun fashion accessory.

Via Treehugger by way of US News & World Report, newsflash: People don’t recycle enough! Why? Because it doesn’t pay! Well, as the article points out, that is totally untrue. Recycling does pay, and they list four examples of ways in which you can get reimbursed for recycling. They are:

• Cell for Cash: Cell phones made after a certain date in time are exchanged for cash. You look up whether your model applies on their website, send them the phone with the charger, and they cut you a check.
• Gazelle: Same as Cell for Cash, except with other electronics. And yes, you still get money for exchanging them.
• Cash for Clunkers: Hasn’t been completely finished yet, but they will buy your old car and use it for scrap metal—which is better than driving a moving smokestack.
• RecycleBank: No money here. But they do give you gift certificates for the items you recycle, which includes exchanges such as groceries for glass/plastic bottles and pharmacy certificates for related products.

Though the summer is slowly coming to an end, there’s still about a month left, and August is well-known for its fair share of outdoor concerts. Between food and beverage, outdoor concerts are notorious for consuming lots of plastic; but one thing they’re not well-known for is recycling. When you’re out in a big field watching music, it’s sometimes tough to spot recycling bins, even if they’re around.

Two college students in New York City have a solution to this problem: Go corporate. This article in Planetsave highlights Wecycle, which is able to pay for more recycling bins and actual recycling by using the bins to sell advertising space. With the money they receive, they install more receptacles for plastic and aluminum while also paying for the transport of the products to recycling facilities. All they need to do now is make them moshpit-resistant.

All too often, people accuse McDonalds of being a huge corporation that's awful for the environment and your body. However, it's difficult to imagine them disappearing anytime soon.

In an act of truly creative recycling, cops in Manila are attempting to create police vehicles that will use old McDonalds cooking oil as a means of fueling their cars. The combination--60 percent cooking oil and 40 percent diesel--isn't ideal. But it does try to kill two birds with one stone, and it embraces McDonalds rather than hating them--a real "alternative" solution. Or at least a better alternative than the super size option.