Always looking for a "bargain", I made the mistake of buying a very cheap garden hose and it was a shocker. If it was even a mildly warm day, the plastic would soften to the point that it would kink terribly, making it pretty much useless. I was left with this big lump of plastic that I couldn't recycle.

As reuse is the second of the Green 3 R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), rather to send it to landfill, I've started using it for a few alternative applications around the place.

Here's some ideas for repurposing a garden hose.

- Use sections as beading to cover sharp surfaces. For example, the frame of my shed is partially made with "top hat" style steel, which has quite an edge.

- Following along the same lines, a length of hose can also be used to cover the teeth of a hand saw

- Use as a grommet for passing electrical cable through a sheet metal surface to help protect the wire

- As padding for wire bucket handles

- By sealing off one end and making a series of very small holes in the hose, you can turn a standard garden hose into a soaker hose

- If you have trees staked, run a section of hose over the rope/string/whatever to protect the trunk of the tree

- Cut up into smaller sections for emergency siphoning or as a funnel extension

If you're a creative person, old hoses can be used as a form of wicker; to make chairs, baskets and more.

Final tip: if possible, spend the extra cash and buy yourself a good quality garden hose. I'm told, generally speaking, synthetic rubber hoses will outlast hoses with made with other forms of plastic and the more layers of ply, the longer a hose will last and be less likely to kink and tangle. A good hose will have a layer of mesh, real mesh, not just a pattern, to give it additional strength,

By investing a little more in a good hose, you'll not only reduce your environmental impact, but save money over the longer term in continuously replacing the cheap rubbish. Additionally, to reduce your hose purchase impact even further, look for hoses that are made with recycled content.

If you have any tips for alternative uses for garden hoses, please add your comments below.