Whether they’re leftovers from a takeaway or former lunchboxes that have seen better days, I’d venture a pretty healthy guess that at least one of the cupboards in your kitchen is currently a Jenga tower of plastic. We all have them – old Tupperware boxes or other plastic food containers are one of the most common sources of clutter in our kitchens.
Of course, they initially serve an excellent purpose, transporting and keeping our food safe and fresh for us. But after a while, clips start breaking, plastic starts to discolour and overall they start resembling something we want to keep our food far away from rather than store within.
If any of that sounds familiar, I’ve got the solution. Instead of letting these useful items end up in landfill or creating clutter in your cupboards, I’ve been playing around and found seven amazing sustainable uses for your old Tupperware boxes. From organising the home to giving your garden a new lease of life, here’s how to reuse old Tupperware and plastic containers.
First aid kits
An old trick from my mum to you: small Tupperware boxes make the best containers for travel first-aid kits. They’re robust and sturdy, yet compact, and great for storing all the weird and wonderful things you could possibly need in one neat place. From plasters and antiseptic wipes, to bandages, painkillers and other handy medications. The naturally travel friendly nature of these lightweight boxes makes them perfect for keeping in your car for emergencies, or your handbag, or travel bag when on the go.
Toolkit
Nails, screws and all the other fiddly bits you need for at-home DIY always seem to end up scattered around our homes, and never in a useful place, either – making them impossible to find when you actually need them. Solution: repurposed plastic toolkit in the form of your old takeaway container.
Tupperware’s durable plastic makes it rugged enough to safely withstand nails, screws and metal tools without cracking under the pressure. And keeping all the bits and bobs neatly in one place cuts down on clutter and prevents any painful accidental nail discoveries.
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Slug and pest traps
As long as you have no interest in using your plastic container to store food any more, it can make a really handy pest trap.
If your garden has a problem with slugs, for instance, your Tupperware can come in handy. Slugs have highly sensitive scent organs that seek out the yeasty, fermented odours of decomposing vegetation, so as a side-effect they happen to be big beer fans. Fill an old container with some beer and place it in the affected area of your garden. The slugs will crawl into it quite happily and it’s more eco-friendly than using salt or other poisons, which can have negative impacts on the surrounding ecosystems.
Donate
As always, a great way to ensure your clutter doesn’t go to waste – while ensuring it doesn’t waste your own space – is to look into recycling and donation options. Even things like old Tupperware boxes can be of use to other people.
If your containers are still in good condition but you don’t need them any more, it’s worth passing them on instead of throwing them away. Charity shops usually only take plastic food containers if they’re brand new and still in their original packaging, but you can offer usable tubs through local Facebook groups, Buy Nothing groups or apps like Olio, where someone else may have a use for them. Schools and nurseries may also appreciate spare containers for storing art supplies, sensory activities or snacks, although it’s best to give them a quick call or send an email first to check before dropping anything off.
Bird feeder
Heading back to the garden for this next one, plastic containers can be repurposed into bird baths and or bird feeders to help encourage the wildlife in your home.
Start by cutting two to four openings in the sides of the container using scissors or a craft knife, leaving a 2-3cm lip at the bottom so the bird seed doesn’t spill out. If you’re using a deeper container, you can cut larger holes in the lid instead and fill the base with seed. Next, make a few small drainage holes in the bottom to let rainwater escape and keep the seeds dry. If you like, you can add perches by making small holes beneath each opening and pushing through a wooden dowel, sturdy twig or chopstick to give birds somewhere to land while they feed.
To hang the feeder, make three or four holes around the top edge and thread through some strong twine or wire, tying it securely to create a hanging loop. If you’re using the lid as the top, simply make a hole in the centre and thread through a piece of twine, knotting it on the inside so it stays in place. Once it’s finished, fill the bottom with birdseed and hang it from a sturdy, sheltered branch in the garden.
Art supplies
Much like the DIY bits and bobs, art and craft supplies always seem to contribute to clutter, especially in homes with young children. Gather up and store pens, pencils, rubbers, paintbrushes, glue sticks, scissors and so on into one neat, easy-to-find place to help clear clutter from your desk drawers. Turning one into a sewing kit is also a great idea, making it more efficient next time a button pops off at the last minute (I might be speaking from experience there).
Planters
Food-grade plastic, like the kind used for Tupperware and other food containers, is designed to be durable, lightweight and waterproof. All good features for something carrying your sandwich – but also great features in a DIY planter. The matching lids make handy drip trays, while the flexible plastic makes it easy to squeeze the container slightly and pop out the root ball without damaging the plant when it’s time to repot. That said, older or heavily scratched plastics can degrade over time, and there are concerns that they may leach chemicals into the soil, so it's best to reserve repurposed containers for ornamental plants rather than growing fruit, vegetables or herbs intended for eating.
Start by giving the container a thorough wash and drying it completely, then lightly sand the outside to help the paint adhere. Turn it upside down and make three to five drainage holes in the base, as this will stop water from collecting and causing root rot. You can then decorate the outside with paint or even wrap it in twine for a more rustic look. Once all dry, fill the container with compost and plant it up with small flowers, herbs or succulents that suit the size of the container. Great for repurposing clutter, and for adding some greenery to your kitchen windowsill.
