If you are looking for ways to reuse everyday items, this post is for you! I am going to share many different ways you can reuse things you normally trash!
Ways To Reuse Everyday Items
It doesn’t matter if you are someone just starting out on the recycle/upcycle idea or someone that has been doing it for years. Either way, you are sure to find some tips and ideas you may have never thought of before. There really are endless ways to reuse everyday items.
Have an item you don’t see covered here that you would like to get some ideas for? I would love to hear it! It may be something I have many ideas on how to reuse and just have not gotten around to posting it yet, so give me a push!
Same goes for if you have an idea for something that I have not included in this list. Feel free to leave comments on how you like to reuse an item. I am sure others would love to hear it as well as much as I would!
Below you will find a clickable image of each item. That image (or the text link below the images) will take you to a page full of ideas to reuse just that item.
I will be updating this list with other ideas as I get to them. So feel free to bookmark this page or pin it on Pinterest and check back to see what new ideas have been added.
Many Different Ways To Reuse Everyday Items
Did you know there are so many different ways to reuse?
As you can see, there really are not too many things that you can not reuse in some way or another. And We have only hit on a few of the everyday items in the house, there are so many more!
If there really is no way you can reuse it, at least try to recycle it. If that fails, then maybe try and make a different choice the next time you are shopping.
Try to get things you know you will be able to reuse or at least recycle. One by one, if we all help out, we can make the earth a little cleaner and healthier. After all, we do have to live here, well unless they really do figure out a way for us to move to space đ
Remember, if you have an idea or a way you like to reuse an item, please leave it in the comments below. We want to hear everyone’s ideas!
Tips To Reduce Trash in Your Home
There is a woman in New York who can fit all the trash she has from the last 2 years in a 16 oz mason jar. This is a pretty extreme case though and it isnât easy to achieve.
But that doesnât mean that you canât reduce the amount of trash in your home. There are a few simple things you can do to reduce the trash in your home and put you on the path of a 16 oz trash can if thatâs your goal.
Buy Packaging Free:
Most foods these days come in some kind of packaging either a box or wrapped in plastic. But there are some stores where this isnât the case. You can buy in bulk, using your own reusable bags instead of the thin plastic ones the store provides.
Bring your own containers and shop at meat counters or butchers. In some places, you can even find milk and juice in glass bottles that you can return. Buy fresh bread that is wrapped in paper or straight from a baker with no wrapping at all.
For non-food items try to eliminate packaging completely or, if you canât avoid it try for compostable rather than plastic.
You can also bring your own reusable shopping bags to the store. That way you do not have to worry about having a bunch of plastic shopping bags kicking around.
I have tried a bunch of different ones and LOVE the ones with zippers on them. Keeps things from coming out of the bag in the car.
Make Your Own Individual Sized Foods:
Now you might be wondering about those individually packed yogurts or your favorite snack bars. For yogurt, buy a large container. They use less plastic than the individually sized containers and you can reuse them around the house.
If you still want to bring yogurt with you to school or work get a small reusable container with a screw on lid. Small glass mason jars work well too.
For those snack bars, check online for a copycat recipe. There are dozens of sites dedicated to remaking every delicious treat you can think of. By making them at home you remove wrappers and you get to adjust the recipe any way you want.
Banish Straws or Buy Reusable:
Straws are one of the most harmful plastic items you can throw away. Theyâre one of the most common things found in the stomachs of dead sea animals. Because theyâre one-time use, not to mention flimsy you will end up throwing away a lot of them in your lifetime.
If you need to have straws, you can buy stainless steel straws. The straws, if properly maintained, can last youâŠwellâŠas long as a spoon might. Be sure when you buy your stainless-steel straw that you also get a straw brush. This will help you keep it clean and bacteria free.
Request Zero Plastic Packaging When You Order Online:
You order a shirt online and it comes in a box. Inside that box is your shirt in a plastic sleeve. Of course, you arenât going to do anything with that sleeve now. Itâs just trash.
Or even worse, packaging fillers. Some companies use Styrofoam, some use plastic pockets filled with air. Both just end up in your trash can.
So, when you order something online request they skip the unnecessary packaging. They may not do it, but if enough people request it often enough then these vendors might get on board.
If you can not get it removed from your order, try to find some way to reuse it to reduce trash and keep it out of the landfills. There really are endless ways to reuse things such as the ideas linked above in this article.
Move Your Bills Online:
One place you can reduce trash from your home is with your monthly bills. Every month you might get up to a dozen envelopes, all of them with those plastic windows. But if you move your bills online the letters will stop.
Connecting them with your bank account and doing everything digitally removes all those bills. Youâll still get statements from your bank from time to time but that isnât really a bad thing.
There you have it! Just a few ways to reduce the trash in your home that are not difficult to do. Though they may require a bit of research before you go out shopping.
Eliminating trash is not only good for your state of mind but also the environment. So, what are you waiting for? Put together a plan that works for your family and get out there!
If you can’t reduce the trash in your home, then try and use a few of the ideas above for ways to reuse the items and packaging you do end up with.
Donna R F. says
WooHoo .. That’s awesome
Anonymous says
yeah
Lora B W. says
Hi, I give lots of treats to my cats. They come in a square canister with s screw top lid. These are the “Temptations” large containers.
Any ideas?
Reuse Grow Enjoy says
Oh that would be a good one for a post idea Lora. It is such a great item and has so many uses. I will add that to my list of posts to do as others may be wondering how they can reuse those large containers too. Until then, here are just a few ideas to get you started.
Use it to store items such as screws, nails, beads, craft supplies, Legos, laundry pods or bath bombs, seed packs, and hair bows. They also make a nice terrarium or pot for plants. In the sping, you can use to flip them over small plants if frost is coming. I am almost thinking you could also make them into a lamp. I would cut a hole in the center of the bottoms large enough for a small piece of PVC or pipe to fit through. Attach the bottom one to a piece of wood (or something else for the base) then run a lamp wire kit through the PVC. You could even fill each container with something like shells around the pipe.
Anonymous says
Bird houses
Reuse Grow Enjoy says
Yes, great idea! They would work really well for birdhouses too!
Dorothy says
Change holders.. flower vases… shaker for fertilizer on plants…
Anonymous says
I buy the bags of temptations and refill my box. Donât know what to do with the bags but they take up less space in the trash.
Darlene W. says
The treat containers are see-through and can use in a tool shop . If you want to turn sideways and put several together on the work table leave lids off when working. Label on lid with masking tape magic markers for nails in certain sizes washers and screws and nuts whatever you have label. Some way make a wooden holder that allows them to be 45 degree angle- easier to get to.
Lisa says
What about vitamin bottles? Not the prescription bottles but like vitamin C bottles. They have the childproof lids you have to press and turn.
Reuse Grow Enjoy says
You could use vitamin bottles in many of the same ways you would reuse a prescription bottle. Depending on the size of the bottle, they work great for storing craft supplies such as beads, pom poms and so on.
Tabitha says
U could put just about anything n them.i have the greenies treat containers prolly bout the same except the lid snaps on.I use mine for my pens , pencils n markers. They are perfect, stackable .
Liza says
My foster son uses lots of syringes for his feeds and medications. What can I do with it once the numbers come off? It doesn’t come with needles
Reuse Grow Enjoy says
There are lots of great ways you can reuse them. Just to give you a few ideas, you could use them to feed baby birds or kittens, basting meats, abstract art painting with kids just to name few. Just be sure they are cleaned before reusing.
Jennifer says
Utilize them to clean wounds with either rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or witch hazel.
Tabitha says
I use em for filling paint pens, giving animals medicine . Or just blowing dirt from keyboards.
Sandy G. says
Small nice boxes like temptation treats are great little trash cans for crafters. Use by your sewing machine or craft chair. I decorated one and then use bread bags and other small bags as liners. If you don’t craft donate them to nursing homes, congregate living homes, special needs centers, ect.
Darlene W. says
Yes. You can decorate them with words and make into a keepsake . Your favorite things you use , like crayons pens pencils are big enough to hold them and cute.
Wendy says
I use ‘Shout’ Color Catchers…sometimes they come out in pretty colors. The are like a paper cloth. I have been saving them for years. Would really like some ideas on how to recycle/upcycle them. The only idea I have is to cut them to decorate homemade cards. Anybody got any suggestions???
Reuse Grow Enjoy says
I have never used them so I am just guessing they are kinda like dryer sheets maybe? If so, they could be used for all kinds of craft projects. You may be able to sew them together too for making things like patchwork bags. You may also want to save them up and use them as stuffing in things like pillows or draft dodgers.
Anonymous says
I would say theyâre more like coffee filters than dryer sheets. A Google search for âcoffee filter crafts for adultsâ got lots of results. You could leave off the âfor adultsâ part and probably get even more. Try on Pinterest too.
Mary S. says
Hi! I just found this page while looking for an idea for those tiny little Pringles cups. Anyone have an idea? I already use left over Pringles cans for all sorts of craft storage, including straws, which I use as bases for horns for the monsters I make. I was recently given one of those little Pringles “cups” and after I finished the chips, I couldn’t throw the thing out! It’s currently sitting in a drawer, waiting for inspiration to hit.
I found a great idea for anyone who sews and would like to give something to their local animal shelter. I saw this on a quilting show. Take an old, clean pillowcase and an unused trash can tha the pillowcase will fit into. Put the pillowcase into the trashcan, folding the hem part over the edge of the trashcan so it overlaps. This becomes a receptacle for your sewing scraps! When the pillowcase is slmost full, and you may need to chek a few times, just take it out of the trash can and sew up thr edge. Then it’s a little pet bed! I thought this was a great idea and am on my second one. I only wish I’d seen that quilting show sooner. But I’ve already started another.
And WHY won’t this program ley me go back and correct my typos?! Oh well They’re there and I can’t fix them. And maybe it’s my computer. Maybe it’s me.
Reuse Grow Enjoy says
Hi Mary, don’t worry about the typos, they happen to me from time to time too. That is a great idea for the fabric scraps, thanks for sharing! As for the little chip cups, if they are the plastic ones they work well to grow small plants indoors!
Peachie says
Thanks for all the great tips! Here one I recently learned about. We buy spices in bulk, and trying to refill the bottles is challenging – I usually use a piece of paper rolled up into a wider mouth funnel than my normal (reusable) kitchen funnels, which have a narrow opening. Recently I watched a friend of mine use a plastic bottle top that she’d cut off for a funnel. I came home and made one for myself out of a used soda bottle, and let me tell you it is a GAME CHANGER! Makes the task of refilling spice bottles so much cleaner, easier and faster! đ Hope this helps someone else.
Reuse Grow Enjoy says
Smart idea! Thanks for sharing.
Christina says
Does anyone have ideas to reuse the large plastic nut containers that are kind of square in shape? I have a black thumb so I canât reuse them for a garden of any type. I canât keep anything alive. Lol.
Margo says
Ask a teacher if they can use the nut containers. They work wonders for organization, especially since they are see through. We use them to hold popsicle sticks, binder clips, crayons, buttons, you name it.
My personal favorite is re-using them in my pantry. I clean them and put bags of rice in them, loose beans, and any other bulk food items – even reside for bulk nuts, chocolates etc
Tracy says
We have these all over our house! I use baking soda, Epsom salt and Borax in multiple areas of my house for cleaning. I use those type of containers for those supplies in the areas I need so Iâm not hauling stuff around or procrastinating because the supplies arenât right there, right then.
And we use them for items we buy that come with resealable bags; the bags tend to flop over and get overlooked in the pantry: transfer popcorn kernels, rice, brown sugar, specialty crackers, etc.
For people with kids: store art supplies, legos, marbles, etc.; use as trash can & emergency pee/throw-up bucket on long road trips; use as water bucket for paint brushes; drill holes in the bottom for drainage and use as storage for bath toys and sandbox small shovels & utensils.
Tausha says
I use old bread ties to make snow flakes. The pop a top lids on green bean cans and all pop a top lids as christmas ornaments or I put a picture on it for wall decor. I strip old fans and heaters for craft projects as well. You can also take an old cat/dog food bowls and turn them into water fountains.
Anonymous says
WE CAN USE OLD NEWSPAPERS AS BOOK COVERS
Reuse Grow Enjoy says
Great idea!