It's always good to recycle and reduce the amount of waste on Earth -- but when it comes to earrings, it can be tough to lay aside that itch for the fanciest, most expensive baubles you can afford in order to do your part for the planet. But what if you didn't have to choose between sustainability and glamor when choosing earrings? If you're looking for ideas on how to DIY some earrings for your collection that is both chic and clean, then here's what you need to know.  

Put a Lid On It

Bottle caps aren't the traditional choice for jewelry, but with a little elbow grease and a few easy-to-find materials, you can change these worthless hunks of metal into an accessory to be proud of. Simply take an even number of flat bottle caps (2, 4, or 6, depending on how far you want your earrings to dangle) and poke a hole in them with a small nail, about a half-centimeter to a centimeter down from where the ruffles meet the smooth surface of the cap. Fasten the end jump loop of a chain around the hole, then thread a fishhook-style earring hook through the jump loop on the top of the chain. Repeat as desired.

Lights, Camera, Action

Unused film from old cameras is basically obsolete in the digital age, unless you're an enthusiast with the time (and money) to keep the hobby going. In order to make sure that none of that film goes to waste, however, you can always fashion an incredibly simple, incredibly cute pair of movie-inspired earrings.

Cut the film into any shape you choose, but make sure both shapes have room for a small hole to be punched at the top. Then loop the circle on the end of your fishhook earring hooks around the hole and squeeze it shut (overlap it) with small pliers. They're that simple, but they look so awesomely vintage that you'll definitely get friends asking you to make them a pair, too. 

Paint the Town

Once you've settled into a new house or apartment and finally gotten everything painted the way you want it, it can be hard to decide what to do with all the leftover paint cards you have lying around. True, they're no use to you know -- but if it seems like a shame to throw them away, convert them into a easy and fantastic-looking pair of earrings. Take four colors and use a circle punch to get four perfect circles.  

Then, after punching a small hole at the top of one to affix the earring hook to, cut and layer the remaining colors in progressively smaller half-moon shapes and layer and glue them from darkest to lightest on your original circle, making sure that all four colors are represented. Attach a fishhook earring hook to finish -- though if you're worried about the shapes staying put, you can always cover the whole earring with a clear craft finish.