How to Reuse Plastic Fast Food Drink Cups

I enjoy soda pop, but I limit my consumption. I drink lots more water and iced tea than I do pop. But, when I'm out and about, nothing hits the spot better than a cold fountain pop. I always buy a large drink because they normally come in plastic cups. I'm a slow drinker, and those paper cups get mushy too fast. So I end up taking my drink with me and tossing it in the trash at home. I recycle everything I can-read "Recycling Plastics 101"- The problem is, very few recycling centers accept #5 plastic. We're limited to recycling #1 and #2 plastics in my town. So, instead of just tossing my disposable drink containers, I decided to reuse them around the house. Read this informative article and find out some ideas on how to reuse plastic fast food drink cups!

The BYOC Idea
I heard about a story that was on abcnews.go.com some time ago. It was about the idea to give restaurant customers a discount on their drinks if they brought their own cups. I've never heard anymore about it, so I assume the idea got nixed. It would be a super way to cut down on the use of plastic fast food drink cups. There would be sanitation issues though.

How to Reuse Plastic Fast Food Drink Cups

1. Wash Plastic Fast Food Drink Cups and Reuse Them
A friend gave me this suggestion. People wash and reuse other #5 plastic containers for food storage, so, why not? I can't imagine the plastic snap-on top would hold up very long. According to eco-officegals.com, polypropylene is considered to be "safe" since "They transmit no known chemicals into your food..." I would not heat anything up in a plastic fast food drink cup though.

2. Make Plant Containers Out of Plastic Fast Food Drink Cups
Since cups offer more height than width, you'll need to choose plants with roots that grow more downward than outward. Miniature Roses are just one example. Don't forget to poke holes in the bottom for proper drainage.

3. Use Plastic Fast Food Drink Cups for Kitty Litter Scoops
I've done this for years and they work great. You'll find plastic fast food drink cups in the large plastic containers of kitty litter I buy. Since the cups are made of thin plastic, I put one inside another. The double strength works fine. Otherwise, the plastic fast food drink cups tend to split after much use.

4. Reuse Those Plastic Fast Food Drink Cups As Earrings
According to planetgreen.discovery.com, plastic cups- the disposable ones you buy at the store- can be used to make ring earrings. Plastic fast food drink cups are probably a little heavier, but I don't see why you can't use them too. Read the instructions here.

5. Rinse the Kids' Hair in the Bathtub with Plastic Fast Food Drink Cups
I've done this for years. I also use the same large drink cup to rinse the bathtub out after baths have been taken. It works great. The cups make rinsing hair easy, it saves using a regular cup out of my cupboard, and there's no safety problem with breaking glass.

5. Make Makeshift Megaphones Out of Plastic Fast Food Drink Cups
Another way to reuse a plastic fast food drink cup is to make a megaphone out of it. Cut the bottom off, hold it up to your mouth, and your ready to start barking orders. "Get off that couch and get the grass mowed, hubby!"- "You kids get your rooms cleaned up!" Hee hee.

6. Turn Plastic Fast Food Drink Cups Into Pencil Holders
This is one of my favorite ideas since I have oodles of writing instruments. And, turning a drink cup into a pencil holder isn't hard to do. You can paint it, cover it with decorative paper, glue decorative doodads on it- anything you want to do to spruce it up.

7. Let the Kids Play in the Sand With Plastic Fast Food Drink Cups
Another way to reuse plastic fast food cups is let the kids play with them. Drink cups make fine molds for when the kids play in the sand. They can also be used as scoops and as building components.

Resources
http://eco-officegals.com/2009/01/24/is-5-plastic-safe/
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/fashion-beauty/plastic-cup-earrings.html