15 Brilliant Ways To Use An Empty Paper Towel Roll Instead Of Tossing It

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Many household items that we consider trash can actually be DIYed into something far more useful. The next time you use up a paper towel roll, don't toss the tube in the garbage or recycling. It's more sustainable to find a second use for that paper towel roll in your home. Fortunately, there are many genius online hacks and DIYs that use these leftover cardboard tubes as a primary ingredient.

There are many reasons to repurpose your paper towel rolls. For one, the cardboard material is malleable, making it easy to cut up and embellish for crafting projects. The cylinder shape is ideal for making small pockets for organizational purposes. The cardboard material is also biodegradable, which makes it useful for gardening enterprises. Essentially, it's useful for both indoor and outdoor projects. Another perk is that most paper towel roll DIYs only require simple tools like hot glue, scissors, or tape. This makes many of them doable without needing to invest in extra items.

In addition to being budget-friendly and brilliantly useful, upcycling paper towel rolls yourself is a great way to extend the lifespan of this one-use item. You can embrace sustainable living in a small but impactful way. According to Potter Park Zoo, Americans use 80 rolls, on average, per year. Even with efficient recycling programs, that's a lot of rolls being thrown away. Your best bet is to make sure your roll is recycled properly by using it to your benefit with one of the brilliant ideas below.

Office and hobby room drawers can quickly become cluttered with miscellaneous tools and supplies. Tuck colored markers, pencils, highlighters, and other long and narrow tools into individual paper towel rolls, and keep these rolls side-by-side in a drawer. There are no additional DIY steps in this hack unless you want to cut the tubes smaller to better fit the intended space. Don't forget to pair them with a grippy shelf liner to keep them from rolling when the drawer is slid open and closed.

People often use toilet paper rolls to store small cords and cables. For the larger ones, such as surge protectors or extra-long charger cords, use a paper towel roll. This will make it easier to keep bulkier cords contained, and you can toss it in a basket or drawer with smaller cords wrapped inside toilet paper rolls. The larger cords will be easier to spot, due to being nestled in a bigger tube. Optimize the organization even further by labeling what type of cord is in each paper towel roll with a marker.

According to Instagrammer decor with_sandy, you need a 1.5-inch-wide PVC pipe and two empty paper towel rolls to design this charming DIY vase. Cut the paper towel rolls in half and hot-glue them around a PVC pipe cut to about 5 inches (the same height as half a paper towel roll.) Paint over the rolls with a standard acrylic craft paint, and tuck painted drinking straws in the divots between them. The end result is a stylish vase for countertops and tabletops. Fill them with artificial plants. Real plants aren't recommended since the bottom isn't sealed.

The YouTuber Manda Panda Projects turned a paper towel tube into Fourth of July decor by painting the roll red, white, and blue, and using leftover cardboard to craft a cone top. They stuck a wood skewer with braided rope out the bottom to create a firecracker look. Although the original idea was created for the Fourth of July, it's also a great idea for New Year's Eve, especially if it's dressed up with glittery silver paint instead of United States colors.

Create your own 3D wall art from upcycled paper towel tubes. Use a pair of scissors to cut cardboard tubes into slits horizontally and vertically, and press them together to form geometric and floral shapes, such as those in Day with DIY's YouTube tutorial. Form the shapes, brush over them with an acrylic base paint, then spray paint them to get a bold color finish. Either hot glue or craft glue will hold the pieces together. Also add other embellishments, like beads, to give the finished art more depth and beauty.

Take inspiration from Primal Edge Designs on YouTube, and make a multi-tiered organizer for small garage tools. Save up your paper towel rolls until you have at least five on hand, then glue them together in a pyramid shape. Stock each individual tube with commonly used tools, such as boxcutters, screwdrivers, and writing utensils, and lay the organizer on a garage workbench or countertop. Leave the cardboard tubes as they are if aesthetics aren't a concern, or paint them to make your organizer more stylish.

TikToker Mary Terrill shared their process of transforming strips of paper towel tubes into a woven basket. In the brilliant DIY video, they show the steps for assembling cardboard strips in a checkerboard-style pattern. They start by slicing a paper tube horizontally into evenly-sized strips. You'll need multiple rolls, depending on how big you intend to make the basket. This DIY basket can be used as a catch-all tray for countertops or as a storage basket for shelves and closets. Only stow lightweight items, since the cardboard isn't very strong.

If you have cats, you can recreate this DIY cat toy from Leon the Cat Dad on TikTok. Cut paper towel rolls into smaller sections, and seal treats or catnip inside to make a stimulating cat toy for under $5. The original DIYer used staples, however, these pose a risk. Instead of staples, use thin strips of non-toxic hot glue to hold the cardboard together. Just be sure to use small amounts and to take away the toy when it gets destroyed, so your cat doesn't ingest any non-digestible pieces.

Make a stylish jewelry holder from paper towel tubes and vinyl peel-and-stick paper. The original DIYer used a chic pattern, like PracticalWs' Glossy Marble Contact Paper, to mask the cardboard material. They combined the tubes with hot glue, and used a sturdy round tray as the base for their project. This holder makes a great addition to bedrooms and closets. However, avoid putting it in humid spaces, like bathrooms, which will break down the thin cardboard material.

Collect a stack of old paper tubes for this beautiful décor idea. Assemble multiple empty paper towel rolls with a hot glue gun in the same fashion as the TikToker SophisticatedStyle411. Spray paint them with a metallic gold paint to give them an elegant look, and add a string of black beads down the sides of each tube. Set the combined tubes on a small catch dish, like the Beciway Rustic Hexagon Tea Tray, and fill each tube with artificial foliage for a gorgeous handmade centerpiece.

Another hack that upcycles paper towel rolls into stunning décor is this unique fluted vase DIY. You'll need a single paper towel roll and a pack of thin wood dowels or straws per vase. Hold the dowels or straws up to the paper towel roll, and cut the tube to the same height. Then, hot glue the sticks around the exterior of the tube. The TikToker Westwing | Decor made two of these vases and set them atop a marble tray with sparse flowers for a chic look.

If you're feeling extra crafty, repurpose both jar lids and paper towel rolls for a wall décor idea. Start by covering the tube and jar lid in paint or peel-and-stick paper. Wrap decorative tape around both ends of the tube, and hot glue the items together in the same fashion as creando_con_disa's Instagram. To keep a modern look, stick grass-like foliage out of the top, such as the FOIMAS Artificial Grass Plants. Make this design seasonally appropriate year-round by swapping out these grasses with a dried version for the fall and winter.

Although most paper towel roll upcycles are decorative or organizational in nature, there is also a brilliant way to use these cardboard tubes for gardening. As long as the paper towel roll is unbleached, it can be composted. It breaks down and adds carbon, which helps to balance out other nutrients present in a compost mixture. Simply tear up the cardboard and toss it in a compost bin with other waste. It should break down quickly in comparison to being thrown in a landfill, making this decision extra eco-friendly.

If you're looking for an easy, compact way to keep plastic bags under control, Instagram user onplumnelly recommends using an old cardboard tube. Simply stuff plastic grocery and shopping bags into a paper towel roll, and keep this roll tucked on a shelf, in your car's glove box, or anywhere else you need spare trash bags within easy reach. Since paper towel rolls are narrow, they're easy to hide in bathroom drawers and kitchen cabinets, keeping plastic bags close without interrupting your interior design or causing clutter.

Try out Happy Crafty's paper towel trick that'll elevate your dining, by cutting a cardboard tube into one-inch strips. Since paper towel rolls are about 10 inches long, you should get 10 pieces out of one roll. Wrap each strip in a thin piece of twine, like the Crafter's Square Natural Jute Cord, using hot glue to secure it as you go. Once finished, you'll have a rustic reusable napkin holder. This is a great budget-friendly way to upgrade breakfast nooks and dining rooms with a farmhouse-style interior.