This densely packed compendium from Yankee
magazine takes recycling to the level of extreme sport. Whether you're trying to get that last smear of ketchup out of the bottle, make your cell phone last longer or find a second use for an old terra-cotta pot saucer, this book will explain how. Written in a cozy style, it covers every room in the house as well as outdoor sports and hobbies, lawn and garden, the home workshop and motor vehicles of all sorts. Got some old gardening gloves? Reuse the fingers to cover scissor points or make tiny drawstring bags. This book has Make It Last tips to maximize an item's life span, Fix It Fast tips for repairing in a hurry and Pass It Along tips to get rid of stuff you don't want but can't bear to throw away. For the truly fanatical, each chapter has a “Domestic Challenge” quiz. Just about anyone will find many of these ingenious, imaginative and practical hints useful, but with suggestions like saving old bath rugs for moving heavy appliances, readers trying to simplify their lives with feng shui may want to pass on this one. (Dec.)