Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Ways to Recycle a Plastic or Glass Peanut Butter Container

In some areas, your plastic peanut butter container (the bottom) is accepted at your local recycling center. However, the lids are usually not. Why not find another use for the entire container? Save yourself money, and keep the Earth healthy. Here are few ways our family found new uses for cleaned and washed peanut butter containers:

1. Make a Button Jar. Fill it with buttons and add to your child's hope chest. Use it to store buttons in your home for sewing needs and craft uses. For an added touch, drill 4 holes in the lid and smooth away sharp edges. On the underside run scrap rope, string or twine (thick) to make the appearance of a button hole. Collect all those extra buttons you receive attached to new clothing and fill the container over time.

2. Wash and dry them to use for gift giving homemade treats.  Be sure to wrap your items before placing inside the container.  Attach a gift card, tie on a ribbon and add a bow on top.

3. Store beads or other craft supplies.

4. Store nails, screws, or other hardware supplies.

5. Drill small air holes in the lid and let the kits catch bugs.

6. Flip the lid upside down for a candle holder or a container to hold small office supplies.  

7.  Use the bottom half for a pencil holder, or decoupage for a small flower vase.

8. Fill it with water, place the lid back on, and take it on the go for painting projects.

9.  When the jar is down to the last bit, fill the jar with cut pieces of celery and take it camping or hiking.

10. Use the lid for a craft template.  

11. Use the lid in the kitchen for cutting biscuits or cookie dough.

12. Store crayons or small colored pencils for taking kids projects on the go.

13. Use them to store dry cereal or other dry ingredients for home, for camping or other traveling.  We crack eggs, pour them into jars and keep them in our ice cooler when camping.  It's great for keeping cheese slices dry in an ice cooler as well.

14.   . . . .will add more as we develop uses for them.

2 comments:

Kim said...

I put homemade fruit salad in them when we go hiking or fishing and need a snack along with us.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Kim, that is an excellent idea. Thanks for adding to the list.