Creative Uses for Empty Food Containers

RACHEL BEERY

We are delighted that Rachel is a contributor to our blog. Rachel not only inspired us to create TakeThemAMeal.com, she has been a constant friend, and has modeled graceful hospitality to me for many years.
-Adina Bailey, Co-founder of TakeThemAMeal.com

Do you ever wish you could find a good use for all those food containers you empty and throw away each day? Well, I've got a couple of ideas for you.

First... the Folgers website has free printable labels for those empty plastic coffee containers. I was so excited when I stumbled across this find on Pinterest. Those containers are way too good to throw out. They're sturdy, have an air-tight lid, and are just the right size for filling up again with other goodies after the coffee is all gone.

There are also holiday themed labels so that you can dress up your coffee container, fill it with a treat, and give it as a gift. The labels have a "To: From: " option as well as space to type up a message. I just typed "White Rice" into the message box, and left the "To: From:" box blank for mine since it'll just be used for storage. Here is another website that has printable coffee can labels with pictures of items you could store in them, such as beans, Legos, coins, etc.

Then... I've finally found an easy way to remove labels. I discovered it on this website. I could hardly believe it could be so simple, but it is, and it works. Mix equal parts of coconut oil and baking soda together and rub it directly on to the sticky label. That's it; that's all there is to it.

This paste works miracles on that hard-to-remove goo underneath the labels on those containers you want to reuse. I store mine in a little (recycled) jar, and I've used it to pull labels off of several different kinds of containers: glass jars, tin cans, plastic bottles. I've even tested it out on an extra-large label from this big ole' Costco jug of animal crackers.

To begin with, tear off as much of the label as you can.
Slather the oil/baking soda paste all over the remaining sticky spot.
Let it set for several minutes.
Wipe off the paste and goo with a paper towel.
Use dish detergent, water, and a cloth to scrub off any remaining residue.
For extra-large or extra-sticky labels, you may need to repeat the process, both the paste and the scrubbing.

Our huge jug of animal crackers has been re-purposed into a moss terrarium, that now is also home to a few salamanders. :)

Here are some other ways I've used recycled containers:

Tin cans as herb planters

Baby food jars as holders for art supplies

Cardboard boxes as craft storage

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