Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to throw away and recycle fewer items from your kitchen by repurposing kitchen containers for other uses around the house.
Level of Commitment: Baby Steps
The best part about this mission? It saves money AND the Earth, and it keeps you humble when everything isn’t new and coordinated in your home (at least that’s what I tell myself). It only takes a little forethought.
Consider all the non-food things you might dispose of in your kitchens:
- glass jars
- plastic bottles
- cardboard boxes
- styrofoam trays, egg cartons, etc.
- plastic bags
- plastic tubs
- wrappers of all kinds
I’ve already talked about food waste and just a few simple ways to cut down on that, and we’ve discussed my many uses of plastic bags, as well as how to re-use bags and containers without washing them. I bet many of you already wash and reuse ziploc-style bags, whether you’re supposed to or not according to the manufacturer. Now let’s brainstorm together about ways to repurpose any of the above items (and more!).
To make this work, you need to plan ahead. It’s hard to tell when you might need a little jar or container of some sort. See if you can find a place in your home where you can keep containers awaiting a use.
Here’s my classy organizational system for setting things aside:
I’m always ready to store something, no matter what the occasion!
Added Bonus: Free is my favorite price to pay. I could spend plenty of money on storage containers instead of reusing what I already have, but I’d rather spend it other places.
Save Your Jars!
If you’re trying to cut down on plastic storage containers, there’s no better substitute than glass, especially when it’s free. I save ALL my glass jars, and every time I think I’ve got too many and it’s time to start recycling them, I end up making a huge batch of chicken stock or dehydrating some nuts (this was my weekend activity) or sending some soup to a friend who just had a baby (tomorrow!). Now I’m almost out again! I save jars from:
- spaghetti sauce
- mayonnaise
- pickles
- jam/jelly
- salsa
- peanut butter
- honey
- ETC!
Most of them get used for food, but some end up in other parts of the house like this:
Crayons and colored pencils live in glass jars at our house.
I also use a plastic lid as a palette for my budding artist:
We have a bag of lids in our camping gear to put under candles, too.
Free Toys
Kids are truly simple beings. Some of my kids’ favorite toys are just household objects, like clean laundry or a stack of coasters. We have some seriously free toys in our house:
- Plastic cups from children’s meals at restaurant become bath and beach toys, as do caps from shaving cream or laundry detergent.
- Oatmeal canisters become drums.
- I made this toy from an oatmeal canister with a slit in the top and a bunch of caps from milk, juice and water bottles:
It serves as an “in and out game” toy for 8-18 mos., then a small motor skill toy for toddlers (putting the caps in the slot), then a sorting by color and counting manipulative for the preschool set. And all for zero dollars. 
Oatmeal containers are also great for storing homemade crackers, croutons, and cookies. If you buy potato chips in a can (Pringles), you can wipe that out and store cookies perfectly without breaking them. Great for mailing to relatives, too!
Free Toy Storage
Your kids may be getting some gifts in the next few weeks. I always disliked the toys that come with many parts and no container, because there’s the challenge of “how do I store this without losing any parts?” I can usually find something in my stash:
A plastic container that I don't use anymore for pirate parts.
Three oatmeal canisters taped together for the tall toys - hockey sticks, baseball bats, swords. This was an inspired and much-needed creation!
I use grapefruit bags (get a big bag this time of year!) for lots of things, like big foamy puzzles.
...and even more appropriate for beach toys.
Be sure to save any heavy-duty plastic bag that acts as packaging. This is from a blanket, and it lasted a few years as a puzzle stash.
These styrofoam trays are my nemesis. I get way too many from the reduced produce section at my grocery store, and we can’t possibly do enough paint projects to use them all as palettes (plus you can just rinse them clean). We made one into a manger and use some as trays for works like this color sorting activity, but I’m at a loss for how to deal with the rest. Help!
Free Sandwich Containers
This idea is from Tanya, a reader here at KS. She fashioned these sandwich boxes out of the bottoms of juice and milk cartons. She doesn’t feel too badly if her children accidentally throw them away like she might with an expensive stainless steel version. Aren’t they great?
UPDATE: I almost forgot one of my favorites – Parmesan cheese containers! If you use real Parm like I *should*, this won’t apply to use, but here are the places I reuse the green-topped bottles:
- filled with baking soda under the sink for cleaning
- fertilizer shaker in the garden, also for dusting tomatoes with baking soda/dry milk mixture (label WELL with big black X so no one thinks it’s food)
- full of sunflower seeds for snacking
- with the label still on – full of flax meal for sprinkling on salads
I encourage you to think out of the box trash can this month, start saving items that could be repurposed, and share your ideas in the comments for other ways to get free containers save a few things from the landfills.
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See all of Decreasing Disposables in December here.
I’d love to see more of you! Sign up for an email subscription or grab my reader feed. You can also follow me on Twitter.
If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.
Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money. If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.
I’m pleased to participate in Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tightwad Tuesday, the Festival of Frugality, and Works for Me Wednesday.
Hungry for more? Related posts:
Good morning, Katie! Here’s a post on Frugal Family Fun Blog on re-using block prints from styrofoam trays. I can’t bring myself to reuse something that held raw meat :>) so your produce trays would be perfect!
Lenetta @ Nettacow´s last blog ..Link Roundup – I Smell Popcorn Edition
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I love the idea of making sandwich boxes out of juice cartons!
We use cardboard egg cartons to make fire starters for the wood stove with dryer lint and old candle stubs.
Rebecca´s last blog ..Menu Plan Monday – Week of 12/7/2009
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I love the idea of the packages with zippers for puzzles! My sister-in-law and I use them for storage of clothes. She likes to put underwear in them.
After reading Amanda Soule’s Handmade Home, I’ve been developing a stash of recycled items for art projects. Still figuring out how to store things in that nemesis called my basement!
Barb@My Daily Round´s last blog ..Caught!
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We use the styrofoam trays for holidays and bake sales. This was my grandmother’s trick, to line up cookies of cake squares or the like on recycled styrofoam trays, cover them, and send them off to friends for Christmas or the elementary school for the annual bake sale. That way, no new container is required in a situation where you’re unlikely to ever see them again. The same works for individual portions of holiday leftovers after big family meals.
And, there are places in our area that recycle styrofoam, ps.
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Katie Reply:
December 8th, 2009 at 12:28 am
Em,
Fabulous idea. And what kind of places?
Thanks! Katie
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Twitter: ModernAMama
// Dec 7, 2009 at 3:37 pm
I NEED THESE THINGS!!
I never thought of so many of these things but I love to reuse stuff and also to make stuff myself whenever possible. I especially love the game from old caps and an oatmeal container. I bet my daughter would love it now and my son will love it soon (he’s almost 5 months).
I also like to give my daughter (22 months) empty spice containers so she can use them in her play kitchen!
Kate´s last blog ..Teaching Kids about Chores
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Katie Reply:
December 8th, 2009 at 12:30 am
Kate,
Katie
You bet – spice containers make great shakers, too, even when they’re full. (Just ask my daughter, who is way too close to being able to get the lids off for me to continue letting her play with them!)
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I try reduce our waste daily. We live in the country so anything that can be recycled has to be taken to town. When shopping I try to buy food in things that I can reuse. My mom says my frig looks like a science lab, all the jars. If I don’t grab that empty box then the kids will., instant toy that can be colored and used. I also use empty boxes to mail things in. Your x-mas present is going to come in an interesting box!! Any ideas on reusing sugar and flour bags?
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Katie Reply:
December 8th, 2009 at 12:32 am
Gia,
Sugar and flour bags are not one I had thought of reusing, since they can be recycled with paper. Maybe just for storing rolls or cookies? I wonder…
good ideas!
Katie
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Gia, my mother always used empty sugar and flour bags to put the flour/spice mixture in when frying things. Dip it (zucchini slices, pieces of meat, or chicken livers) in a milk and egg mixture, then drop a few in the bag with flour and shake. Coats things nicely, and you don’t have to wash a container afterwards.
My mother is the queen of reuse. When she would get onions or bell peppers really cheap, she would chop them up and freeze them in an empty bread bag and just break some off as needed. Maybe double bag those onions!!
I’ve been using old aluminum pie pans when sending food where I may not get the container back. (sausage balls to a priest brunch and cookies to my daughter’s pre-school)
I also reuse lots of old containers as toys for my kids. Examples: spice jars, oatmeal canisters, nut cans, cereal boxes and lots more! I sometimes wonder what others think when they see all the “junk” on the floor. But I guess that doesn’t matter, now does it?!
Thanks for the inspiring post, we could all use some new ideas!!
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Katie Reply:
December 8th, 2009 at 12:33 am
Jassica,
Katie
Awesome ideas! Thank you so much for sharing!
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Twitter: rcwant2be
// Dec 7, 2009 at 8:00 pm
are you adverse to food touching the styrofoam in a storage situation? My gma uses them as trays for her homemade muffins & quick breads. Some times she freezes them (slip the tray inside a reused plastic bag) & other times she gives them as gifts right away.
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Katie Reply:
December 8th, 2009 at 12:34 am
Tonya,
Not sure where I stand on styrofoam. It’s a good idea to add rigidity to muffins when freezing, though. If it’s toxic (might be?) one could just put a layer of freezer paper between. Great idea!
Katie
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Hi Katie,
Here’s a double re-use tip: I save all my glass jars from spaghetti sauce, salsa, peanut butter, etc. I also save all my candles that have burned kind of wonky (you know how pillars tend to get all mangled at the top?) or the ones where the wick has all burnt down but there’s a bunch of wax left. It’s slightly time-consuming, but pretty easy to melt down that wax and use it to make new jar candles! I recently spent about $5 for some wicking and wick tabs, and was able to make almost 20 candles of various sizes–all with jars and candles that I already had!
April´s last blog ..Etsy finds
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At one point the Children’s Museum here in Grand Rapids would take donations of styrofoam trays to use when they do crafts with kids…not sure if they still do or not.
Also, we recently received a birthday gift in the mail for our daughter from her aunt and uncle, packaged in a box they made out of an old Cheerios box (similar to the sandwich boxes in the post). The gift was rather light so this might not work for sending heavier packages, but it saved both a new box and wrapping paper, and our daughter loved it!
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Twitter: Kristin_PandP
// Dec 8, 2009 at 3:10 am
Great ideas! I’ve been saving up jars for a while, so I have a nice little stash. I mainly use mine to store broth when I do a crockpot meal. In fact, just today I pulled some broth out of the freezer because dh wanted homemade gravy.
I used a bunch of jars to make garage storage for nails, staples, etc.
http://www.prudentandpractical.com/cheap-and-easy-tool-and-craft-storage-made-with-stuff-you-already-have/
I have quite a few extract jars that I’m clueless what to use them for. Any ideas? And just when I was getting frustrated with the stash of pb jars, I decided to have a holiday cooking day. They’ll be the perfect size for holding homemade roasted nuts, granola, and Chex mix Christmas gifts!
Kristin @ Prudent and Practical´s last blog ..Dresser Drawer to Designer Dog Bed
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The sugar sack comment brought back memories of Catholic grade school (a long time ago) and packing a scrambled egg sandwich in it to eat for breakfast after daily Mass. There were 9 children in our family and we each (at least the younger of us) had our own sugar sack that we used until it practically fell apart. They were great because they were sturdy and lasted a long time.
I like the idea of using a flour sack for dredging food items before cooking. I would think one would throw it away after doing it once, though; especially if dredging meat. But if I can recycle something once, I figure that’s better than not at all.
I keep dry roasted peanut jars near my kitchen sink and when I want warm water from the faucet, rather than let the cold water run down the drain until it warms, I fill the peanut jars with the water and then use it for watering plants or pouring into a used dish or bowl in the sink to soak before washing the dishes.
I’m trying not to buy oatmeal in the cardboard containers because I don’t like to throw them out. I’ve been buying oatmeal in bulk from a natural foods store
(do need to use a plastic bag to put it in), and then at home I put the entire bag into one of my oatmeal containers. Also use them for storing powdered sugar, dried beans, etc., in their original bags.
The sturdy cardboard boxes that I don’t use, I take to a postal center near me. I could flatten them and recycle them with our city pick-up, but the owner of the postal center is delighted to have them. They will pick up free of charge items that senior citizens want mailed, and they pack them in the recycled boxes without charging the person for a new box. It warms my soul to see that everyone wins.
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Katie Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 2:32 am
Anne,
Wow, I am so impressed with the saving water in jars idea. That is a serious commitment to conservation! Awesome!
You can buy (find?) cloth bags for bulk produce and foods, too, and I’ve been trying to reuse my plastic ones when they’re not moist.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Katie
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Anne Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 3:46 am
Do you mean the bigger cloth bags that are used in place of “paper or plastic?” at checkout? I do take my cloth bags into the grocery store with me and continually reuse them, but I haven’t seen cloth bags to use for things like oatmeal, rice, etc. — or for produce. I try to put as many different kinds of produce in one plastic bag so that I’m limiting the bags that I do use. I don’t use an extra bag for bananas. And I usually reuse the veggie plastic bags at home for collecting stuff for my compost bin.
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Katie Reply:
December 11th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Anne,
Places like reusablebags.com and snacktaxi.com actually sell simple cloth sacks just for produce. I don’t have any, but they’re an interesting concept!
Katie
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These are some great ideas! I am always looking for ways to reduce the amount of stuff I throw away. And even though I recycle most of these things, it will still be great to have some ways to re-use them, instead. Thanks for sharing! I’m looking forward to reading through more of your ideas.
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Katie Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 3:43 am
Welcome aboard!
Katie
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You are quite the resourceful one! These are all great ideas!
Kaye´s last blog ..WFMW – Helping Baby Dress
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Anne,
Katie
It simply means you may not have commented before – the computer does it and I have to get time to get to my comments board. They all get approved thought!
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we started saving glass, too, about a year ago, figuring repurposing trumps recycling in energy saved. it’s nice to keep bulk purchases in glass, and this time of year, i’m putting christmas gifts in glass jars, too. i also love little mason jars as juice glasses.
we punch holes in the lids of glass jars and keep baking soda shakers under each sink for scouring and one by the diaper pail.
i mailed out two packages this week in graham cracker boxes, but i really need to try baking my own crackers, etc. to eliminate that packaging altogether…that’s the next step:)
suzannah´s last blog ..sunny day, sweeping the clouds away
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Just this week I offered 70 glass baby food jars on FreeCycle. Someone came and picked up the whole lot for storing her paints. I’m so glad someone else is able to repurpose them!
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Lenetta @ Nettacow Reply:
December 11th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I actually sold baby food jars on ebay – you can read my tips on it here.
We can’t recycle glass in our town.
This year, I also gave several away via Freecycle to the same gentleman that made horseradish last year (from my comments section on the above post). I got a filled jar of the good stuff in return!
Lenetta @ Nettacow´s last blog ..7 Quick Takes – Snowed In Edition
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Love it! I once wrote a similar post about how to reuse cereal boxes and similar packaging for organizing, but there are many new ideas here!
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great post. My grandmother saved every container. She still does and when we go to visit she always gives us some kind of goody stored in a cool whip or sherbert container.
I keep containers too, and just yesterday used two sour cream containers to store my daughter’s art supplies: sequins and popsicle sticks.
What do you think of reusing plastic containers from sour cream, or butter, etc for food storage? honestly I haven’t researched it, I just know that my nanny has been using them for years. She would never dream of buying reusable containers like glad or ziploc.
Kristia @Family Balance Sheet´s last blog ..Odd$ and End$
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Katie Reply:
December 19th, 2009 at 12:51 am
Kristia,
Katie
Those containers are generally plastic number 5, which is not on any danger lists. I wouldn’t heat them in a microwave, ever, but I do reuse them for food. I use glass whenever possible, but for freezing things like beans and broth, I tend to utilize those plastic containers. My thought? I HOPE it’s okay!!
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Stacy Reply:
January 4th, 2010 at 9:16 pm
Hi Katie,
I think that you mean #5 plastic. #5 is supposed to be an OK plastic to reuse, according to my research. I don’t like to put hot things into them or to heat in them, but I do use them because they are handy (read: free after I eat the food that came in them and don’t know what else to do with them because we do not have availability to #5 recycling where I live).
Stacy
Stacy´s last blog ..Giveaway over at Simple Mom
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Katie Reply:
January 5th, 2010 at 1:21 am
Stacy,
You are absolutely right. I had to go check to make sure I was wrong, but no. 4 is plastic bags, and 5 is containers. Both on the “safe” list! Thank you – I’ll make corrections now!
Katie
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