Reusing Plastic Jugs
August 8, 2012
We drink a lot of milk at our house. With three kids and two adults, we go through about a gallon a day! This means we have a lot of leftover milk jugs. We do recycle our jugs, but we have found there are lots of other great green uses for plastic jugs.
Here are a few unique uses for your leftover milk jugs.
Milk Jug Planters
We use many of our milk jugs as little herb gardens. Simply cut off the middle section of a milk jug and you have an instant planter. Cut off one side of the milk jug and fill it with dirt. Then plant herbs each in their own container. We currently have milk jug planters full of arugula, thyme, mint, and rosemary. Each is separated into its own little jug making it easy to keep different types of herbs or veggies separate.
One great aspect of having the herbs planted in the milk jug containers is mobility. If you plant a garden in a garden box or window box they are stuck in the same spot. If you plant in a mobile plastic jug planter you can move the planters to different locations as weather may deem necessary. We are currently experience 110 degree weather and our herbs were not very happy outside. Luckily, we had planted them in milk jug planters so we were able to move them easily indoors during the hot heat of midday. When it cools off we can move them right back outside.
Milk Jug Rain Collector
If you have a nice flat area of space, you can place a row of milk jugs with their caps off. These jugs can be used to collect rainwater. Cap the jug when it is full and use it to water your garden.
Milk Jug Organizers
Cut the top half off your milk jug and use the bottoms for storage organizers. You can use these to organize your refrigerator, craft closet, or anything that needs a little organization. In the refrigerator you can separate your fruits and veggies easily in these little trays. Have a tray for apples, oranges, grapes, or peaches each to their own. This will make your area looked organized and much easier to clean. Should fruit accidentally go bad, it can happen from time to time, the juice will fall into the bottom of the container instead of all over the inside of your fridge.
Juice Container
This is a suggestion that is the most intuitive. Simply refill your milk jug with tea, juice, water, or any liquid that you need stored. You can use these over and over again by simply washing the jug thoroughly after each use.
These are just a few of the many uses of the fabulous milk jug. What do you do with your used milk jugs?
