What you do with glass bottles, metal cans, disposable plates and egg cartons after use?  You are likely to throw them out as they are of no use now.

Have you ever thought you can reuse your food packaging?

Yes, many items from your household waste can be used again. They can be used in home decorations or can be the part of the art and craft project of your children.

Besides, you can protect the earth from turning into the large dumping ground. This is because 486,116,066 tons of household waste is thrown out every year, meaning that 50 tons of garbage in a second.

The domestic garbage either ends up in ocean, goes to the landfills or burning plants. Such waste disposable methods can pose great threat to the environment, land and water.

And food packaging makes one third of the total domestic waste.

So, it simply means that reusing the food packaging can make a big difference.

Which Food Packaging Can Be Recycled?

It is essential to know which food packaging is good for recycling. For example, glass bottles, cans and old egg cartons can be used again. But, what to do with greasy pizza boxes, worn out grocery bags and rusted pans? Can you use them again? Although these items are made of recyclable materials, you like to think twice.

In this scenario, you can contact your local municipal recycling service. However, recycling rules may vary from city to city (and can be confusing at the same time). You can check out the recycling database of world.org to know which food packaging can be used again.

A previous use of an item also helps you know if it can become new again. If a glass container that once contained jam has been washed off properly, it can be used again. However, you should throw the plastic wrap covered with two year old cheese.

What to Do with Your Food Packaging?

From home décor, gifts to crafts, there are many creative ways to use your food packaging again. For example, you can deck up a glass jar with some ribbon and voila to turn it into a beautiful vase. Similarly, toilet paper tubes can be made into seasonal craft products for children.

Here we have listed some of the awesome yet simple ideas to reuse the food packaging:

 

Seedlings Starters:

Most of the food containers can be used in your home gardening. For example, you can use yogurt container or egg carton as seedling starters. All you need to make few drainage holes in the bottom of your container. Later, fill it with the seeds.

 

Birdhouses:

A half-gallon milk carton can serve as your birdhouse. Cut a round hole about 1¼ inch in the center of one side nearly four inches from the bottom. Decorate the outside with stickers or paint. Hang it from a tree branch and enjoy bird watching throughout the year.

 

Office Storage:

Jars can be used to store your office supply including paper clips, rubber bands, pens, pencil, and screws.

 

Luminaries:

Create a festive mood by putting lights or other candles in the bottom of glass jars.

 

Plant Containers:

Your soft drink bottles, card boards and carton can be used as plant containers.

You can explore more awesome ways to recycle your food packaging at Pinterest.

 

Bottom Line:

With these simple recycling ideas, you not only bring “trash” back to life, but also reduce the domestic waste output. However, it is equally true that you can’t recycle some of the items again and again. Over the time, they will be worn out, meaning that you have to throw them away. So, it makes sense to create less waste by investing on the reusable things. For example, you can invest in reusable glass or rubber food storage containers and use them instead of plastic bags and wraps. Likewise, buy reusable water bottles and coffee mugs instead of plastic or disposable cups.