How to Recycle and Reuse Raisin Containers and Yogurt Tubs

Are you looking for ways to recycle and reuse yogurt tubs and paper raisin containers? Try some of these useful ideas.

You can clean the sticky residue out of your paper raisin containers by spraying the inside with a little white vinegar and wipe with a cloth. If you do not have a spray bottle, pouring a little vinegar on a rag will do.

I like to use old raisin containers to hold spools of ribbon in my craft supply cabinet. The tall cylindrical shape is a perfect fit. Several spools will slide into one container and I can stack them or sort them by style and color. Both raisin containers and large yogurt tubs can be used to hold loose ribbon and other craft supplies as well.

Plastic yogurt tubs can be used for gardening. Large and small containers can be used to start seedlings in before planting them out in your garden. I also like to cut them into strips to use as plant labels. Just write on them using a permanent marker and they will stand up to sun and rain well.

Both raisin containers and yogurt tubs are great for keeping collections of small items such as buttons, beads, and craft supplies. They are easy to label because you can simply write on them with a permanent marker.

Both yogurt tubs and raisin containers can be reused for food storage. Raisin containers are not that great for liquids, but you can reuse them once for leftovers and you can even freeze food in them. They will stack in the freezer much better than plastic bags. Yogurt containers are also good for freezing and storing foods, but they can be used again and again. They are also great for potlucks because you don't have to worry about not having your container returned to you.

I like to use both containers to keep craft projects in. It makes it easy to take them anywhere with you. You can fit a few sewing supplies into one along with a small sewing or embroidery project. If you are knitting or crocheting, put your ball of yarn inside the container. Cut a small hole in the lid and pull the end of the yarn through. You can keep the container in your lap while you knit or crochet and the yarn will not unravel or roll away if you accidentally drop it on the floor.

Yogurt tubs are wonderful for freezing water in to use to keep a cooler cold. The large blocks of ice will not melt as quickly as ice cubes and will keep cold longer.

If you love yogurt, try using your old yogurt tubs to make your own yogurt in. It is much cheaper than buying yogurt and is very easy. Check around online for some recipes you can try.

Do you have kids? Yogurt containers make wonderful bath toys that don't cost a thing. They are also useful for storing homemade play dough and finger paints. Yogurt tubs make great toys for babies. You can also take a few to the beach with you and use them to build sand castles.

Do you know any painters? Both yogurt tubs and raisin containers are useful for mixing and storing paints.

Children can make a bank from a raisin container. Use a knife or Xacto blade to cut a small slit in the lid for them. Wrap the container with a piece of paper and let the kids use paint, crayons, or markers to decorate it.

Yogurt tubs and raisin container lids are recyclable. Check the bottom for the recycle code to make sure they are accepted in your area.

Yogurt tubs are great for holding food or water for a pet if you have to take a day trip with them or if they need to stay with someone else overnight. Whether you keep pets or enjoy watching wild birds, you can store your birdseed in yogurt tubs. It keeps the seed from getting moist and mildewed in wet weather.

Yogurt containers can be used to store wet cloth menstrual pads until you are ready to put them into the washing machine with a load of laundry.

When you are sick, you can dispose of your cloth handkerchiefs in a plastic yogurt tub. When it is full, you can wash the hankies right in the container. Just put in a little soap and hot water, close the lid, and shake well. Wring the hankies, empty the soapy water, refill the tub with fresh water, and shake it again to rinse. Wring them out and hang to dry.

You can use a yogurt tub to store your own homemade paste. It's also excellent for keeping things like baking soda and salt sealed and dry in humid weather. I love using them to store my garden seed. Just drop in a desiccant packet from an empty bottle of vitamins to keep it dry.

If you still cannot find a use for your yogurt tubs and raisin containers, save them and then offer them up on Freecycle.org. Someone will be happy to drop by and take them off of your hands for you.