Woman shares simple and useful idea for reusing old milk cartons: 'Going to have to try this'

TikToker Rose (@rose_under_cypresses) showed off a great way to make the most of mason jars and leftover milk cartons. 

The scoop

Rose's video showed how she carefully cut out the spout from an old milk carton and got it to fit inside the lid of a mason jar. Tracing the lid outline on the carton helped. Holding the lid against the cut-out was useful for additional trimming. Once the top had been trimmed, the spout could fit into the lid, letting her easily pour anything into the jar without having to unscrew the lid. 

How it's helping

Using hardy containers such as mason jars is a great way to minimize the need for new containers, including single-use containers. Finding practical, sealable containers for liquids can be challenging, but this hack shows it's possible without buying something new. These containers are especially handy at zero-waste stores where shoppers bring their own containers, including for liquid products. 

Besides saving a few bucks, creative recycling also prevents the need to use energy and materials in manufacturing new goods. The more you can reuse items, the less that goes to landfills. Cardboard emits a lot of pollution as waste, so it's best to recycle it given the opportunity. If you're interested in making the most out of old containers, take a look at our guide. 

There are a lot of services that are able to give a second life to used items, including Trashie, ThredUp, and GotSneakers. They make it easy to offload what you don't need and get items to where they'll be most useful — and even provide rewards for the effort.  

What everyone's saying

TikTok viewers were keen to try this hack and make the most out of their mason jars and used milk cartons. 

"Going to have to try this," one user wrote.

"Genius," another said. 

Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics? Giving me money back 💰 Letting me trade for new stuff 👕 Making it as easy as possible ⚡ Keeping my stuff out of landfills 🗑️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.