Using Rubbish Removal For Playhouses and Treehouses

The Birmingham Post reported on 20 April 2015 that Clearabee, an environmentally friendly rubbish removal company, had cleared twenty-five playhouses during their first two years of operation. What if the reverse were true? Let’s consider the idea of making playhouses for children from pieces of rubbish removal! Nothing would make Clearabee prouder since one of their primary goals is to keep rubbish out of landfills by recycling and reusing rubbish.

If you think back to when you were a kid, building a clubhouse, a playhouse, or a treehouse was one of the funnest things to do in those carefree summer days! Kids are natural born scroungers too. They are always on the lookout for free materials they can use and rubbish removal piles are the perfect place to scrounge! Kids are also quite ingenious on how to put rubbish to a higher purpose when they are motivated by a fun project like a playhouse or secret clubhouse.

As adults, we sometimes lose our kid-like spirit and ingenuity as we deal with the responsibilities and hassles of adult life. However, for some causes, it is worth putting intentional effort into recapturing some of that youthful zeal and resourcefulness. What could be a better cause than putting a smile on a kid’s face as you help them scour rubbish removal piles to help them make a playhouse — or better yet, gather rubbish before it even hits the streets! Put out a call to all your friends and neighbors, “We want your rubbish to build a playhouse for the kids!”

If you don’t happen to have a kid of your own to help you recapture your youth, you could join a big brother or big sister program to find a child who would be more than happy to help you out in this quest. Teaching a child how to recycle materials, and even upcycle them by giving them a higher purpose, is a life lesson the child will never forget as long as they live. Plus, the bonding opportunity in doing such a project together is absolutely priceless. It builds trust and allows the kid(s) to open up and ask questions they may never otherwise feel comfortable enough to ask.

You may also want to team up with children’s charities such as the UK based charity, Save the Children. Propose a project to them where you would help a group of kids build a clubhouse out of rubbish. You may even be able to convince your local government to allow such a project in one of the local parks! Helping kids build clubhouses or treehouses out of rubbish removal would be a great way to give back to the community and to the environment at the same time! As you’re building it, there’s no doubt you’ll get other kids and adults volunteering as they witness your fun and worthwhile project.

Reclaimed wooden shipping pallets make an excellent frame for an outdoor playhouse, clubhouse, or treehouse. In fact, if you google shipping pallet playhouses and take a look at some of the pictures, some of them turn out so nice, you may be tempted to move the whole family into the playhouse! Large thick cardboard boxes, such as those that contain electronics or appliances, make an excellent starting point for an indoor playhouse. If you happen to see a broken swing set in a rubbish removal pile, you can use the slide portion, which is still usually in tact, to make a fun “exit” from a treehouse!

Discarded building materials from home improvement projects also make wonderful pieces for a one of a kind playhouse the kids will love. For example, pieces of pointed fencing material make great “castle” walls! You and the kids can hunt for unusual decorative items to adorn the clubhouse to make it totally unique! You can furnish it with discarded furniture or make playhouse furniture from items you find in the rubbish removal piles. Discarded bricks and stones can be used to make a cute walkway to the playhouse. Of course, you and the kids can have a lot of fun painting your rubbish removal clubhouse with bright kid friendly colors. For a girl’s clubhouse, you can be on the lookout for old linens to make curtains. For the rest, we’ll just let your imagination run wild.

If you do make a playhouse, clubhouse, or treehouse from rubbish removal, please take pictures and post them to Clearabee’s Facebook page. Let Clearabee know what they have inspired with their solid commitment to keep as much rubbish out of the landfills as humanly possible. Your pictures may inspire others to put their rubbish to a higher purpose as well! You never know how big an idea may get until you try!