Hello all!
I Recently started working at a convenience store and the vast amount of garbage that we go through is amazing.
my goal is to build a earthship so I want to start collecting materials asap. I also don't have very much money and would like to build it out of as much recycled materials as possible .
I've heard of some very useful ways of recycling things like using old jeans as insulation using plastic bottles and tires as Earth filled walls. using glass bottles as Windows and even melting plastic bags together to make a tarp.

so my question to you today is how can I usefully reuse and recycle these materials into an earthship??
We have an abundance of Cardboard boxes, Plastic bags/wrapping and lottery tickets
Alot of newspapers and rubber bands.
It's almost painful to see so much stuff thrown out that could be used if only I knew how!!

Cardboard and newspaper can be used in papercrete or as insulation (if shredded and treated with borax + DE for bug and fireproofing). But usually not good in earth-contact building of any kind. Maybe for the front wall.

Plastic bags can be used as insulation, too. Could stuff between the tires on the tire walls before plastering.

I read Earthship by Mike Reynolds and that is what got me started...ended up with the whole series...and then I combed the net...

We use bottles, cans, tires, brick, and old fencing more than anything else. When in doubt, build small to experiment, and get your learning curve down...then get bigger. People have been building houses out of whatever they could find for thousands of years.

Good luck!

If you have time to pick and choose your building materials, and a place to store them, the plastic bottles can be used for walls.

http://izzym.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Build-a-House-Made-from-Plastic-Bottles

I have also seen some pretty greenhouses made from clear or green plastic bottles. They would make a great sun-room. You can use glass bottles stacked and mortared together for a wall that lets in light.

If you can get the scrap paper and cardboard bailed you could use them in a straw bale type construction house. It would need to be treated like R. Scott mentioned to prevent pests.

Sorry for the random stream of consciousness, but anything clean and nonreactive could probably be used in some for of construction.