Don't Toss Them: 20 Brilliant Ways To Reuse Old Plastic Containers Around The House

Disposable plastic containers which come with food, art supplies, and prescription drugs don't have to be tossed after a single use. In addition to lowering the risk of these items ending up in a landfill, finding them new jobs in your home can save you money and, in some cases, time. Plus, whether you decide to plant a kitchen herb garden in a berry container or dispense plastic bags from a repurposed milk jug, you'll be putting your creativity to good use. This includes creative problem-solving and creativity of the artistic variety, both of which are helpful for turning ordinary plastic boxes and canisters into beautiful, functional home decor, storage solutions, and tools for making your life a little bit easier.

Plastic containers designed for food contact are ideal for additional tasks that involve items you intend to eat. For example, you might harvest strawberries from your garden into a plastic ice cream pail or keep homemade salad dressing in a plastic peanut butter jar. The size of a container can help suggest what alternative uses it would be good for. For example, bottles created for aspirin or vitamins can be useful for storing collections of other tiny objects such as beads, buttons, and safety pins. 

No matter how you choose to repurpose a plastic container, be sure to wash and dry it thoroughly before transforming it. Also be careful about placing hot foods in plastic, as some types of this material release chemicals and microplastics when exposed to high temperatures. For the same reason, plastic takeout boxes shouldn't be put through the dishwasher or used for reheating food.

Have a drawer that's prone to disorder? Organize its contents with a series of repurposed plastic tofu containers. Use your Tetris skills to arrange square and rectangular boxes in a way that maximizes the real estate of the drawer. You can also cut some of the boxes in half to create dividers between some of the compartments. Once it's set up, simply fill each container with a different type of item. Organizers of this style work well for first aid supplies, sewing notions, or prepackaged snacks. You can easily use this tofu box method to achieve expert-level dresser organization.

Seeking an extra place to sit or a spot to rest your feet? A squishy but sturdy ottoman made from a lidded 5-gallon bucket is the answer to both of these quests. Locate a large rag rug or use bed sheets you'd like to repurpose. Wrap the bucket's exterior wall in batting, then wrap a section of the rug or bedding around it. As you pull the fabric's edges together, join them with a needle and thread before hot-gluing any fraying areas. Use a similar process with heavy duty staples to turn the lid into a cushy seat.

Plastic pill bottles are small, but they have big potential as craft materials. Try turning them into sophisticated holders for taper candles. Get a pack of thin, wooden craft dowels and small, short discs (or use the bottles' caps as discs). Paint these items the same color and attach the dowels' bottoms to the discs' centers with a strong multi-surface glue such as Weldbond. Then, paint the pill bottles with a metallic enamel, glue their bottoms to the dowels' tops, and insert LED candles. For a more organic look, wrap the bottles with jute twine.

Cylindrical plastic containers that hold disinfecting wipes can be repurposed into homes for other objects, including cut flowers. Turn one into a patterned vase with chalk paint and painter's tape. Use the tape to mark off the boundaries of the shapes you'd like to add to the container's exterior. You could make flannel-inspired buffalo checks, petite diamonds, a small triangle inside a mid-sized triangle inside a large triangle, or whatever your heart desires. Fill in the space inside the tape with a few different shades of paint and then place flowers in your creation.

Do you lose track of your phone more than you'd like to admit? Give it a dedicated home by upcycling a plastic cocoa powder canister or another container with roughly the same dimensions. Upgrade its exterior with printed contact paper, peel-and-stick wallpaper, or strips of colorful fabric. After that, line the rim with hot glue and then attach jute rope, rickrack, or another type of trim that catches your eye. If you'd like, finish your project with four little feet. You could make these out of wooden beads or sturdy metal bolts.

Seeking countertop canisters for flour, sugar, and other baking essentials? Repurpose plastic coffee containers. They're easy to upcycle with inexpensive craft supplies, and their airtight lids help keep pesky bugs out of your kitchen. One way to upgrade this type of container involves painting it or attaching decorative paper to cover the writing and graphics on its exterior. Trace shapes onto the outside of the can and fill them in with chalkboard paint or apply chalkboard labels. Not into the chalkboard look? Label the containers' contents by gluing cut-out letters to their lids.

Looking for an inexpensive way to organize the cabinet beneath your kitchen sink? Turn plastic takeout boxes into a two-tier storage system for dish soap, extra sponges, and disinfecting spray. Grab a pair of lids that are the same size and decorate them with paint or ribbon. Stand them on their short ends and sandwich two box bottoms between them at different heights, then attach the bottoms' edges to the lids with hot glue. For even more storage space, cut a third box bottom in half and glue one piece to each side of the organizer.

A plastic ice cream container is easy to turn into a basket for displaying pieces of fruit or bottles of scented soap. Try using decorations you already have on hand to elevate its look. You could coil a textural cord around its exterior, attach it with hot glue, and embellish it with beads or buttons. Or, paint the outside of the container with neutral hues and glue pieces of brightly colored fabric to the inside to harness the power of visual contrast. A wire covered with string or beads makes a sturdy and attractive handle.

An extra produce drawer can maximize the storage space in your refrigerator and encourage you to eat more vegetables. Make a no-cost version from a large plastic jug or bottle. A container with two flat sides works well. Turn one into the drawer's base and slice off the other to create a opening for inserting produce. You can cut holes with a diameter of 1 to 2 inches in the sides of the drawer to increase airflow. This discourages rot-promoting ethylene gas from getting trapped around peppers and other veggies that emit it.

Half-gallon milk jugs and similar containers can morph into drawers for holding tea bags and other loose items that might otherwise clutter your pantry. They're also easy to glue together. To fashion a single drawer, find two identical plastic bottles. Remove the short end of one and an inch from the long side of the other. Slide the second bottle into the first with its new opening facing the ceiling. Finally, make a handle by gluing a cap to its exposed face. For extra flair, add a sticker to the cap.

A plastic container that was once filled with laundry detergent pods will happily hold spatulas, ladles, and wooden spoons if you get it countertop-ready with a simple makeover. Coat the exterior with several layers of matte paint. A dark color is a good choice because it's likely to hide letters and graphics printed on the container. Consider spraying over the paint with a product such as Mod Podge Acrylic Sealer since kitchens tend to be humid, then glue a string of beads or a bit of textural rope to the rim.

Need a holder for flatware or napkins? A tall plastic container with a base that's several inches long and a couple of inches wide has got you covered. Slice off its top and apply your ingenuity to the cut edge. Make it wavy or scalloped, shape it into a semicircle, or give it angular points or mountain-esque peaks. For extra charm, cut shapes out of the walls. You could add dollhouse-like windows, cartoon-inspired eyes, or celestial shapes such as stars and crescent moons. Once you've filled your creation, display it on the countertop.

Have multiple plastic containers that would work well for the silverware caddy project? Turn one of them into a soap dish. Use the container's base and an inch of plastic attached to its perimeter to form the main part of the dish. Poke holes in the bottom to encourage water drainage and consider creating a decorative back as well. You could leave a circular piece of plastic attached to the rear of the dish and carve a face into it or make it look like a rising sun. Incorporate a hole or hook into your design for easy hanging.

Conserve space in your bathroom by hanging the dental hygiene supplies you use every day. A lidded plastic box can be transformed into a home for a tube of toothpaste and an electric toothbrush or a couple of conventional brushes. You may be able to fit a spool of dental floss as well. Remove ⅓ of the box's bottom by cutting it widthwise, hot glue the larger portion of the bottom to the lid, and insert a hole or two in the lid to hang your creation on a hook or nail. If weight's not an issue, you can mount the holder with double-sided tape. 

Have numerous piles of tacks, staples, index tabs, and other office supplies that fit nicely in small containers? Make a space-saving, wall-mounted organizer for them by combining a wire grid, sturdy binder clips, and plastic yogurt cups. The bigger your wire grid, the more cups you can attach to it. You could also clip roomier plastic compartments on the grid to store larger items. Consider using rectangular margarine containers, which are great for holding hot-glue sticks, paint tubes, and a range of other craft supplies.

Plastic tubs with round bases and other bucket-like containers designed for cleaning products often make nice wastebaskets for bedrooms, bathrooms, and other spaces that need small trash receptacles. When repurposing a cylindrical container, consider covering some of the plastic with a more natural material. Jute twine is one versatile option. It can be woven or arranged in artistic ways that make your creation look more expensive than it is. Wrap braids of twine around your tub or make twine designs on the sticky side of clear packing tape before gluing the smooth side to the container.

You may need to prop open your front door if you're moving furniture into the house or leave a bedroom door ajar to keep an eye on a small child (or a teenager, perhaps). A brick or a small wooden wedge can do the job, but neither one is particularly attractive. Instead of going that route, make a cute doorstop with a lidded plastic container. Fill it with sand and wrap it like a gift, but use printed fabric and hot glue rather than paper and tape. You can top your creation with a cheery flower or bow.

All kinds of plastic containers (including broken ones) can be upcycled into fairy gardens that add a touch of whimsy to a porch or a table near a sunny window. Sturdy plastic buckets make good containers for potting soil, while smaller boxes, jars, and bottles can be transformed into gnome homes and other dainty buildings with hot glue, pebbles, and sticks. Use weather-resistant acrylics to turn little plastic bowls into mushroom caps and incorporate succulents or bits of moss to complete your miniature world's look.

A cottage cheese tub that's headed for the recycling bin could have a future as a stylish plant pot. Amass a big pile of single-use plastic spoons and cut off their handles. Hot glue the resulting ovals to your container in rows that overlap slightly using an offset layout by placing the tip of each oval in every other row so the edges of two ovals meet in the previous row. Once the whole tub is covered in these plastic "feathers," coat it with water-resistant paint and insert a houseplant or a few faux flowers.

A bowl-shaped plastic takeout container can have a fulfilling second life as a hanging basket for a vining houseplant. Decorate the exterior with waterproof acrylic paints and then punch four holes just below the rim an equal distance apart from one another. Cut four pieces of twine about the same length, and pull each one halfway through a hole. Tie a knot above each hole near the container's rim to secure it. If you'd like, add wooden beads to the twine for extra visual appeal. Finally, make a tight knot with all of the twine pieces' ends to hang it with.