Repurposing Glass Food Jars

loocyloo

I keep all my glass jars/pots etc and have been known to buy a particular pudding or jam if I like the jar/dish !


I use old jam jars for jams/chutneys etc - my current ones have been reused many times.
I use glass bottles as vases for single ( or several ) stem flowers, kept as a group on the windowsill in kitchen. Generally with a bit of ribbon or raffia round the neck.
I use the little pudding type dishes for everything and anything!


I did start to use glass jars to store things in in the fridge, but my family seemed to think if it was in a glass jar it would last forever and would not be eaten!


any other glass jars ( and especially those that remain 'aromatic' even after soaking! ) are collected together and go to school who fill them with sweets/party bag favours for the childrens tombola stall in the summer, and in winter - make 'snow globes' or tea light holders at a craft stall at school.

Gaia

My neighbours and i collect together our old glass jars, wash them and offer them on our local Freecycle group. They are always snapped up – I can't remember the last time I threw one in the recycle!

Chris25

Gaia wrote: »

My neighbours and i collect together our old glass jars, wash them and offer them on our local Freecycle group. They are always snapped up – I can't remember the last time I threw one in the recycle!

twice in the last 18 months, I've offered about 50 mini bonne maman jars, most with lids, on Freecycle with no takers

Waitrose on both occasions had v kindly kept them from their cafe for me & I used them at a couple of tea-parties. I know they're not as useful a size as the larger ones but I was surprised no-one wanted them.

DanRobinson31

About a year ago we bought some glass jars for holding things like herbs and spices, they are really handy for that and it also means you can buy much larger packs of herbs/spices from the store and just refill your jars as and when you need to - you save a fortune on this if you are anything like my household. I love how super organised they look and they also came with little blackboard style stickers and a chalk pen - a friend of mine even used the same glass jars (think they were from a website called Roov and super cheap) as wedding favours, filled with sweets, at her wedding. I thought that was pretty creative

Some of the spices I use are admittedly only used a couple of times a year so the sealed airtight lids are a must! I was always finding that the ground spices would solidify in the show bought plastic versions.

missychrissy

I use the large sweet jars eg Roses and Quality Street, for keeping lentils, split peas etc in. They used to be glass but mostly they are plastic now so I have a combination of both.  Years ago I asked in a sweet shop what they did with their empty jars. They just threw them away so they saved me a few.  

I always have a glass jar for shaking salad dressings in.

I have quite a few plastic jars with screw on lids that came from Aldi (fruit used to be in them). I now use them for storing nuts, dried fruit etc.
i have a selection of white plastic pots with snap on airtight lids that I use for herbs and spices. They originally had wine making ingredients in them such as pectolase, citric acid, yeast nutrient etc. They are also useful for making pom-poms as I can draw around them.

Anything that comes in a bag, once opened gets transferred to a container. It does look better when they are all the same shape and size.

missychrissy

I thought it was easier to show you. These are just a few. I know the title of the thread refers to glass but I think it’s important to recycle plastic containers too. I have been using these for years. I have about 20 blue lidded glass jars that did contain Aldi coffee that are very pretty but I haven’t used them yet. They are slightly smaller than the plastic ones with the screw lids. 

I save any jars that have had candles in for one of my son’s partners as she makes her own candles. I can’t throw away a good container.

Teapot55

I’ve been using jars from DE coffee for years now. You can find stuff quickly & they look good. I store what won’t fit in the jar in a box in the original packaging so there’s a reserve for when the jar’s empty. 

Pollycat

DanRobinson31 said:

About a year ago we bought some glass jars for holding things like herbs and spices, they are really handy for that and it also means you can buy much larger packs of herbs/spices from the store and just refill your jars as and when you need to - you save a fortune on this if you are anything like my household. I love how super organised they look and they also came with little blackboard style stickers and a chalk pen - a friend of mine even used the same glass jars (think they were from a website called Roov and super cheap) as wedding favours, filled with sweets, at her wedding. I thought that was pretty creative

Some of the spices I use are admittedly only used a couple of times a year so the sealed airtight lids are a must! I was always finding that the ground spices would solidify in the show bought plastic versions.

They do look nice but herbs and spices should be stored in a cool, dark place - which sort of defeats the object of having nice bottles.

That's why those fancy herb & spice racks aren't a good idea.

missychrissy

You are absolutely right Pollycat. Herbs and spices need a dark cool place. That’s why I like those thick white plastic containers with the snap on lids because light can’t get through. I still like it though when I open a cupboard door and my dry ingredients are stored in matching containers.

[Deleted User]

I use 2 litre milk containers for dry goods, they stack on their sides in the cupboards and hold a good amount.