Big Time Recycling

It's a snap to recycle small things, like cans and clothes. But what about those really big items, like planes and trains? Here's what happens when the retired giants of air, land, and sea take on new careers:

JETS Grounded jets make great "staycation" destinations:  Airplanes can be revamped into houses, libraries, pavilions, and hostels, while an entrepreneur in India uses a retired airplane to give "virtual journeys" to locals who can't afford a real plane ticket.

TRAINS Even retired trains can get you where you're going: A Montana-based construction company turns flat railroad cars into bridges. Trains cars also make charming cabins and cafes.

SHIPS Old ships are at home in the water: Retired aircraft carriers (and subway cars) have been intentionally sunk to create artificial underwater reefs. While freighters might be reincarnated as marine habitats, the shipping containers they once carried remain on shore as houses for land-dwellers.