Give your old jars a second lease on life.
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While household products are increasingly packaged in recyclable materials, consider giving these handy containers a second look before tossing them in the recycle bin. You can save money and conserve resources by thinking about creative ways to repurpose peanut butter jars, dairy tubs, jelly jars, ice cream buckets, coffee canisters, food tins and other containers. Household containers may find a second life to corral art and school supplies, store leftover cooked food, house dried rice and beans, package homemade gifts and even grow basil on the patio.
Items you will need:
- Plastic containers with lids
- Glass jars with lids
- Environmentally friendly dish soap
- Clean cloth
- Labels (optional)
- Nontoxic paint (optional)
Separate containers that are safe to reuse from those that aren't. Containers that held plant pesticides, household pesticides and other chemicals may contain harmful residues, making them unsafe for reuse. Bring unsuitable containers to a local hazardous waste collection day, or to a hazardous waste collection site.
Wash remaining containers and lids in warm, soapy water. Remove adhesive labels if the container has any.
Dry containers and lids thoroughly with a clean cloth.
Poke holes in the bottoms of trays intended for planters. Yogurt, cottage cheese and margarine tubs are suitable for starting seedlings and acting as planters for small herbs and flowers. Coffee tins and large food storage cans also make colorful, offbeat planters for shallow-rooted herbs, lettuces and flowers.
Make room in a kitchen cabinet for clean containers that come with tight-fitting lids. These containers may be used for everything from shaking together homemade salad dressing to storing leftover casseroles.
Put plastic containers with lids in a storage bin or crate and place them in your vehicle's trunk. Clean, empty containers come in handy for everything from bulk-buying rice at the health food store to accepting a friend's offer of garden cuttings.
Fill several containers or jars with nails, nuts, bolts, tacks, drill bits and other small pieces. Label the containers clearly so it's obvious what goes where, even when you're working in a dark garage. Bring the jars to the basement, shed or garage where tools are kept.
Place craft supplies in containers. Large tins hold ribbons and fabric scraps, while small and medium clear jars work well to hold needles, pins, stickers, thread, scrapbook paint brushes, supplies, markers and scissors.
Place jars and tall containers on a desk to hold rulers, pens, stamps, pencils and markers. You may find it helpful to keep a large canister on the desk to hold your urgent mail.
Add children's supplies to containers. Peanut butter jars hold markers, crayons and paint brushes, while margarine tubs keep stickers and erasers tidily organized. Your child may enjoy painting and labeling her own homemade storage system.
Stock your bathroom with clean jars. Taller containers work well to keep toothbrushes upright, hold cotton balls and Q-tips and house homemade bath salts. Use glass jars for high shelving and plastic jars near hard surfaces like sinks and bathtubs.
Package homemade gifts in glass jars. Bath salts, gift soaps, personally created herb and spice blends, cookie mixes and potpourri all look festive in jars adorned with pretty ribbons and gift tags.
Tips
- Keeping a variety of clean containers in the cabinet ensures you'll have room for the smallest spoonful of leftover cat food to the remainder of a double batch of chili. In a pinch, rigid containers like peanut butter jars may also be used as cookie and biscuit cutters.
- To save room when storing unused plastic containers, stack smaller containers inside larger ones and keep the lids neatly organized.
- Other types of food containers also work well in gardening. Egg cartons are the perfect depths for starting seedlings, while bottomless milk jugs or plastic soda bottles act as mini-greenhouses in the garden during cold weather.
Warnings
- Do not microwave plastic and tin containers, or expose plastic to hot dishwashers.
- Use only plastic or smooth-edged tin cans and food tubs for your children's recycled storage systems.
- Environmental Protection Agency: Tip 5: Reuse Bags, Containers, and Other Items
- Environmental Protection Agency: Nine Lives of a Peanut Butter Jar
- MyPyramid.gov: USDA: Food Safety Advice for Everyone
- "Container Gardening"; Stephanie Donaldson; Hermes House Anness Publishing Ltd.; 2006
Ellen Douglas has been a writer for more than 20 years, both as a New England-based newspaper reporter and as an editor of nonprofit publications. She has written on health, education and the arts for both online and print publications.
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