Repurpose An Old Berry Container Into A Handy Organizer For Cluttered Drawers

Kitchen drawers are one of those spaces in the home that seem to inevitably draw clutter. No matter how many times you organize them, the small, unruly items inside find a way to travel about, getting lost in the mess along the way. If you're not looking to throw money at the problem with store-bought solutions, there's likely an eco-friendly answer sitting in the fridge: plastic berry containers. Fruit packages make for great drawer organizers that take your items from cluttered to cute while simultaneously saving the planet from extra garbage. Despite having recycling options for plastics, most products in this category wind up in landfills every year. So, this neat way to reuse them only makes sense — and it's super customizable, too.

The premise here is that these containers are the perfect size to stack inside utensil or junk drawers, helping you to house those smaller, oddly shaped items that don't quite fit into standard organizers. They're also an asset because they're super flexible, making them easy to wedge into a tight spot. The last benefit is that, by giving recyclables a second life, you're paying nothing to solve a kitchen storage issue — it's a win-win. When you think of transforming organizers to maximize a small kitchen, your first thought probably isn't upcycling trash, but it's a surprisingly useful method.

To turn your fruit containers into an upcycled storage solution, all you need is a pair of scissors and the used containers of your favorite berries. Larger species, like strawberries, tend to provide bigger vessels than their smaller counterparts. You can also use the packaging for larger fruits, like peaches or plums, in deeper drawers. If you want to keep the buckets from moving about, pick up some zip ties or double sided adhesive. With these items in hand, you're set to declutter those messy drawers.

Remove the lids from the containers you've chosen by snipping them off with scissors. Then, place them into the drawer to ensure they'll all fit before adding some adhesive to secure them. If you go with the cable ties, simply slide the plastic strips into the holes usually found in the sides or bottoms of berry packaging, or make new ones with scissors. Put your measuring spoons, bottle openers, cork screws, and any other small unruly items inside. You can also customize this project by painting containers, gluing gold string or floral wire to the rims as trim, or cutting the sides off shorter packages and taping them together to make them longer. Once you're done, you'll have eco-friendly storage with no extra cost — and the joy of knowing you've made your home more sustainable.