If you’re like me, you’ve got a shelf or box full of empty glass jars in hopes of finding a second use for them. From small nut butter jars to large coconut oil jars, here’s 24 ways to reuse your empty glass jars.
store homemade sauces
Is meal prepping your thing? I highly recommend storing your delicious homemade sauces in your empty jars.
sourdough starter
Using your empty glass jar for your sourdough starter is a great idea. Make sure your jar has been sterilised though.
make overnight oats
I’ve recently started making overnight oats again, and some jars are just the perfect size for a single serve.
make candles
Like to do DIYs? You your empty glass jar for your own DIY candles
store candles
Not into creating candles from scratch, well small jars would be perfect for displaying tealight candles.
money bank
Got loose change and need somewhere to put it? Put those coins into an empty glass jar and turn it into a piggy bank/money bank.
vase for flowers
Use your large (maybe odd shaped) jars as a vase! You could even paint them too.
store hair ties
Need to do some organising in the bathroom? There’s an empty glass jar for that! Those smaller jars would be perfect for loose hair ties.
store hair clips and accessories
For even better organisation, use another glass jar to sort your clips and hair accessories.
makeup brush holder
To further organise the bathroom, store your makeup brush’s in an empty glass jar.
store protein balls
Ran out of containers to put your freshly made protein balls in? Use an empty glass jar instead.
pen holder for the office
Instead of buying pen holders from your local stationery store, use those empty glass jars to organise your desk.
display pieces
Fill your empty glass jars with decorative pieces like rocks and display them around your home. Put the lid on if you prefer to keep the dust out though.
glass for smoothie
Use a glass jar to store your smoothie. you could also add a straw like this one from Flora & Fauna. (i use this and i love it!)
glass for mocktails
Similar to above, pour your freshly made mocktail into a glass jar to change it up!
store tea bags / loose tea leaves
Sometimes the seal on the boxes of tea bags / loose leaf tea just isn’t great, and no one likes stale tea. Use an empty glass jar to store your tea in instead, which should keep it fresher for longer. Double check the recommended storage as per your tea packaging.
store gifts
Do you like to make homemade gifts? You could use an empty glass jar to store it in. Just add a bow (a biodegradable one) and you’re done!
storing leftovers
Sometimes you make more than needed, whether for meal prep or simply on accident. Use an empty glass jar to store your leftovers in.
grow your own herbs
Grow your own herbs on the kitchen bench using some empty glass jars!
store fresh produce
Did you know carrots keep way longer in the fridge when they’re submerged in water? Pretty amazing right, they keep their crunch and everything! If you’ve got a big enough jar definitely consider storing your carrots (or other fresh produce) in them and fill it up with (filtered) water. Just change out the water every few days.
store your dried herbs and spices
If you’re into bulk food shopping I highly recommend using your spare small glass jars to store your dried herbs and spices.
store used batteries
If you collect batteries to be disposed of correctly, then using that empty glass jar to store these would be perfect, then it’s ready to drop off at your battery recycling centre/place. Always check with your local council.
donate them to bulk food stores
If there’s just no other use for your jars you can drop them off at local bulk food stores. Just make sure they accept them before turning up!
put them up on local marketplaces/buy nothing groups
If you’ve simply just got way too many jars (been there) you can put them up on local marketplaces (for free) and buy nothing groups – there’s always someone needing a glass jar for something!
Always try to find ways to reuse, upcycle, repurpose and give to others before recycling. Recycling should be the last option on the list, since not everything can be recycled unfortunately, and ends up in landfill.
What do you use your empty glass jars for? Comment below.
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