Shop vacs are a popular tool amongst home owners, hobbyists as well small shop owners. These shop vacs, especially the wet and dry ones are used for cleaning basements and garages, used to clean up after woodworking projects as well in small manufacturing facilities for debris pick up tasks. While shop vacs are generally rugged tools and do not break down often, they are a mechanical device and chances are you will go through more than one in your lifetime. But before you decide to discard your old shop vac, you may find new uses for it in your garden. We outline three specific recycling uses here.

The first use for the tank or the drum is to store small yard tools such as clippers, small digging tools, small spades, garden gloves, etc so they are all in one place in one container. You can cut off the filter cage using a sawzall and thereby have a lid for the container also. Because they come with caster wheels, your storage container can now be conveniently moved around.

A second use is to use it as a pot for your bigger plants. Just drill three or four three eighths size holes at the bottom for the drainage of water, fill it with potting soil and you have a planter now. Since these drums are generally made of plastic, they will not corrode or rust and you have found a new application for an item that you would have otherwise discarded.

A third use is in the storage of grass seeds, lime and other garden supplies. Again, the provision of caster wheels attached to these containers allow for easy transportability. And since they have a wide mouth opening, it becomes easy to scoop out the seeds or fertilizer materials for use in your garden.