A friend asked if I could make a cover for her recycling box as she has no front garden and it lives on the pavement. I was wondering how to make it when I spotted an old water tank in a skip.

It looked just the right size to cover a recycling box. So I fished it out and then borrowed a green box from someone’s garden and sure enough it covered it nicely. I don’t think anyone saw me doing this but I can’t help wondering what they thought if they did. It’s the ideal material because it won’t rust or rot and it can be painted if you wish.  All I had to do was cut a hole in the front so the green box could slide in and out.

So I put them together and marked out where I needed to cut. It was at this point I made the obligatory mistake. I always get something wrong. You’ll notice that the tank is open end up. It needs to be the other way round to cover the green box! So when I tried to slide the recycling box in I found I had to cut two semicircles to accommodate the ridge round the top. Tip: With a little forethought you can avoid this step if you try to make one of these.

So I made a cover without spending any money; reduce, reuse, recycle! Here it is in place providing a home for potted plant.