How to Recycle Egg Cartons

Egg cartons are so useful and there are many ways to reuse them, so don't throw them away when you are finished with them! Instead, try some of these ideas for reusing and recycling them.

Egg cartons can be reused by farmers who raise chickens. You can find someone in your area to take them by posting on Craigslist or Freecycle. They often need them for selling their farm raised eggs and will not mind if the egg cartons have another company's logo printed on the outside.

Egg cartons can be used for mixing paints. Kids especially love them because they can put a different color in each pocket. The Styrofoam egg cartons can even be rinsed out and used again. If you don't have children or grand children, donate your egg cartons to a local school or daycare to be used in their art classes.

Egg cartons are useful for storing beads and other craft supplies. I always keep one in my craft cabinet for sorting small items.

Egg cartons can be used as a mold for making homemade soap and sidewalk chalk. Styrofoam egg cartons can be used as a mold for making small homemade votive candles with flat bottoms that can stand up on their own.

There are a number of children's crafts that use egg cartons. When I was little, we used to cut them up and make them into caterpillars. Search online for "egg carton crafts" to see what other things your kids can make from them.

Do you garden? Egg cartons can be used to start many types of seed. They do not hold as much soil as other seed trays however, so seedlings grown in them must be quickly transplanted to the garden.

My great grandmother used to make fun and funky lampshades from egg cartons. Cut out the bottom of the carton and glue the two ends together to make a cylinder where the bottoms stick outward. Make one or two more of these and stack and glue them together. Cut a small hole in the bottom of each cup and press a colored marble into the hole. The hole should be just large enough to hold the marble tightly without it falling out. Hang the shade over a hanging lamp or a table lamp with a low wattage bulb.

Styrofoam egg cartons are not biodegradable, but the paper ones are. They can be composted if you have a compost heap. Instead of buying Styrofoam egg cartons, try to buy the paper type. They are more environmentally friendly.