Get Crafty! 8 Smart and Cool Ways to Repurpose Food Packaging
Jul 27, 2020 • Ina Louise Manto
All Asians know that the value of recycling old food packaging. We got it from our mommas, who have bamboozled us countless times with ice cream containers in the freezer that turned out to be frozen fish instead. But if you’re looking for more ways to repurpose food packaging and lessen your waste, we’ve rounded up some crafty DIYs you can try as your next project. These food packagings have more uses than you think!
Mesh produce bags
Via Wikimedia
Onions, potatoes, garlic, or even lemons are commonly packed in mesh produce bags. You can reuse them for your next palengke day or hang them in the kitchen as storage for these products, but they can also be used in other ways. When not in use anymore, gather them into balls and tie them up for with a rubber band – you now have a scrub for your bathroom! If you have kids at home, you can also use these bags to store their toys.
Aluminum bowls or dishes
Via Wallpaper Flare
You’ve probably sought take-out and delivery services more than ever during quarantine period, especially when you have celebrations at home. Many of these come in aluminum bowls or dishes, like the trendy sushi bake. Yes, you can reuse them the next time you have handaan at home but they can also be your pet’s new dish!
Tin cans from baked goods
Via The Foodinista
Another popular food trend is dream cakes or baked goods that come in tin packaging. Why throw them away? Remember the classic Danish biscuit tins that would get you excited, only to find out that they contained just a bunch of sewing materials? You can use tin cans for that, or store stationery if you collect them! They’re great storage for stickers and memo pads.
Jars
Via Pikrepo
Don’t just throw out your favorite palaman’s container, especially when they’re made of glass. You can turn them into containers for other food items like nuts, sugar, and spices. Want a quick breakfast? You can make overnight oats and store them into these jars! They can also be used as pen holders and vases. If you’re beginning your plant parent journey, jars make good planters too.
Egg cartons
Via Flickr
Looking for a more affordable organizer than the ones we can find online? Egg cartons are the best way to go! Since work and school are remote now, you can use these cartons to organize miscellaneous office items like paperclips and pins in your workspace. Your dad might even find them useful too, especially when storing and sorting nuts and bolts. Egg cartons would make good planters too, especially if you want to start caring for small succulents that can easily spruce up your space. It can also be used for growing seedlings; just poke a hole at the bottom and you’re good to go.
Soda Cans
Soda cans are pretty useful. If you’re trying your hands at baking but don’t have the tools yet, soda cans actually make a great dough cutter! Trying a new biscuit or cookie recipe won’t be much of a struggle anymore with this new DIY cutter. Also, soda cans make great planters too. You can even play with them, just like how we pretended they were telephones by tying a string to hold two cans. Ah, the nostalgia!
Bread tags
When opening a new pack of loaf bread, do you just throw the lock away and tie a knot to seal it again? These bread tags are actually more useful than you think. They can be used for scraping off dried bits on surfaces like walls, counters, or sinks. If you’re fond of wearing flip flops, you know how handy these tags can be. They’re an instant repair for broken flip flops; use them as a lock for the part that gets detached.
Got more ideas to repurpose food packaging? Share with us below!
