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Nifty Thrifty:  What do you do with plastic containers?  |
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tinaberry
True Blue Farmgirl
107 Posts
tina
satsuma
al
USA
107 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 26 2010 : 2:19:24 PM
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Ok ladies, What do you do with all those plastic containers? I try to find yogurt, sourcream etc. in anything other than plastic, but sometimes it is unavoidable. I hate to throw them away, we only have 1 recycling center, it is nowhere near where I live. But they are piling up and I need the space.
I have used then for sending leftovers home with visitors, store things like buttons and such, but I hate using plastic for anything I am going to consume unless I don't have a choice.
I need ideas, hope you ladies can give me some ideas. |
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Aug 27 2010 : 08:18:16 AM
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I know what you mean - they are like the plague in my house. Here are a few things to consider.
First, offer them up on Craigs list - you never know!
Second, I use them for starting plants in - poke some holes in the bottom and you have starter pots that do not have to be replanted so often.
Third, I use them to make suet bird seeding molds. You can use them over and over and over and you get the idea.
Forth I have used them to eat up space in large outdoor planters - I do cover them with paper and over two to three years I do replace them so they do not leach into the soil.
Fifth, consider making your own yogurt, sourcream and such - first you will be controlling the ingred's, second you can WOW your friends and lastly you will stop having to come up with creative ways to not feel guilty about plastic...
Good luck and keep up your earth friendly ways.
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.artfire.com
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2916 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2916 Posts |
Posted - Aug 27 2010 : 08:26:35 AM
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| I give them to church for take home after potlucks |
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SusanScarlet
True Blue Farmgirl
317 Posts
317 Posts |
Posted - Sep 14 2010 : 1:06:50 PM
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| If you're using Stonyfield Farm yogurt there is a site that accepts them for fundraising for non-profit organizations. They also accept frito bags and a few other things. I've lost my information but looked into it last year for one of the organizations I'm active in. Search on-line and I'm sure you'll find it. |
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dutchy
True Blue Farmgirl
4427 Posts
4427 Posts |
Posted - Sep 15 2010 : 12:10:23 AM
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Since a few months we have a bag that we put ALL our plastic in, it gets picked up once a month and being recycled into God knows how many items....fleece clothes for one :)
So that is what I do with plastic wrappers, containers and all other plastic that comes in my house. I dislike plastic as well but since it is now being recycled i can live with it...somewhat lol
Hugs from Marian/Dutchy, a farmgirl from the Netherlands :)
My personal blog:
http://just-me-a-dutch-girl.blogspot.com/
Almost daily updates on me and mine :)
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patchworkpeace
True Blue Farmgirl
478 Posts
Judy
Jackson
Michigan
USA
478 Posts |
Posted - Sep 15 2010 : 10:56:59 AM
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1)I save all my plastic containers and jugs for use in the garden. They make a nice "well" for irrigation between plants. Poke holes in the bottom and then you can fill them up with the hose and let them drain out. Saves time watering and don't have to worry about getting the leaves wet on sensitive plants like peppers.
2)Like Grace said, we also use them for starting new plants.
3)I have a lot of buttons, so I sorted them by color and put them in appropriately sized containers - it has saved me a lot of time searching for specific buttons.
4) Another sewing use - I cut up small triangles and squares from little scrap bits for use in quilt borders, etc. It's an ongoing project. Containers make nice storage for these.
5) They make a nice "waste basket" for thread ends when sewing.
Just a few ideas, hope you can use some of them. :-) Judy
Success is measured not by the position one reaches but by the obstacles one has to overcome to reach it. Booker T. Washington |
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Violets November
True Blue Farmgirl
342 Posts
Violet
Exeter
California
USA
342 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2010 : 05:21:36 AM
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Like Grace, I have done the same with plastic to fill up space in potted plants.
When you have a large pot of some sort for a plant, probably non-edible is best, break plastic into pieces and place at bottom of planting container. Then fill in with soil, plant your plant and voila!
You've recycled and you have saved on your potting mix, whether you purchase it or make it yourself!
Plastic jugs with handles, like milk jugs make great scoops for various larger type stuff, like feed in the barnyard.
If your deep freeze isn't full, fill plastic jugs with water for your freezer to keep it colder without so much power.
And the yogurt tubs like the Stoneyfield, Nancy's, etc, are a good size to freeze soups, stews, etc.
I like to use glass to freeze these things, but I have an upright and not long ago one of the half gallon jars just tumbled right out of the freezer and fell to the cement floor.
Judy, I like the irrigation tip that you offered, never thought of that one!
~Violet~
Farmgirl Sister #1669
My blog, http://hiddenacre.blogspot.com/
Our Organic Jewelry, http://www.etsy.com/shop/GaelicForge |
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knittingmom
True Blue Farmgirl
665 Posts
AnneMarie
Edmonton
Alberta
Canada
665 Posts |
Posted - Nov 09 2010 : 10:14:37 AM
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I generally recycle most of them other wise they seem to multiply like rabbits :)
I keep a few around for storage though.
"There is no foot so small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world" |
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tatersgirl913
Farmgirl in Training
28 Posts
Danielle
Aspers
PA
USA
28 Posts |
Posted - Dec 15 2010 : 3:30:26 PM
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Thanks for the tip on starting plants!
I make homemade yogurt and I reuse them for that
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;.." Jer 1:5a
Motherhood is a sweet, sweet moment that lasts an eternity and an eternity that lasts but a moment.
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Nifty Thrifty: What do you do with plastic containers? |
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What do you do with plastic containers?
