Finding a way to give things that we would normally throw away a new purpose is always a great way to help the environment. We talked about 40 ways that you can recycle household items before and briefly talked about egg cartons, but here are 9 more ways to use empty egg cartons:
Paint Them! - Cardboard egg cartons can be painted with acrylic paints very easily. You can make them go well with almost any space that you plan to use them in by doing this. You may need two coats as the cardboard will soak in the paints easily.
Jewelry Organizing - This works for both types of egg cartons (cardboard and Styrofoam). You can use them in a drawer to organize small pieces of jewelry such as earrings and bracelets.
Organize Legos - You know those pesky little Legos, the single top ones? They can be a pain to find the right color! Especially for your already frustrated four year old! Organize small Legos in egg cartons, you can even paint the carton to look just like a Lego!
Organize Hair Pieces in the Bathroom - If you have children, girls specifically, those little rubber hair bands can make messes fast if they get spilled. Use an egg carton in the bathroom drawer or closet to keep them organized and out of the way.
Nuts, Bolts, Screws - When you’re in the garage and can’t find the right nuts and bolts because they are all unorganized in the toolbox, try putting them into egg cartons. Organize them however you please. Next time you go to find them they will all be in the right places.
Desk Drawer Organizer - Egg cartons work great to organize desk items such as paperclips and erasers. They tend to fit just perfect in most desk drawers as well, or can sit out on top of the desk if you prefer.
Plant Starters - This only works with the cardboard containers. You can start seeds in egg cartons, just place the dirt in, then the seed and then water it. Be sure to have it on something that will catch the water when it drips through. You can then plant the entire carton to help fertilize the soil, it will compost into the dirt. Some people prefer to cut the carton before doing this to make plating easier.
Recycle them. - You can recycle egg cartons in a number of ways;
- Schools and daycares will take them for arts and crafts with the kids. There are plenty of projects that can be done with them, or they can be used as simple paint palettes as well.
- Chicken owners will love it if you give your empty cartons to them. It’s often hard for them to find egg cartons and they don’t like having to buy them to sell their eggs.
- Composting is a hot topic lately. You can place torn up cardboard egg cartons in your compost, or even give them to a friend or neighbor who composts to toss it in theirs. It adds some extra thickness to composts.
Use them to make fire-starters - I learned how to make firestarters with egg cartons back when I was in Girl Scouts and we still make them to this day in my house. Simply place a cardboard egg carton in your laundry room and whenever you clean the lint vent, stuff the dryer lint in the cavities of the carton. Once it is full, melt some wax and pour it over the lint. When you are ready to start a fire, simply break off an "egg section" and place it in your fireplace along with your logs!
Do you have any other uses for egg cartons to share?
