Woman shares unexpected use for old plastic to-go cups: 'This is a good idea'

This is your daily reminder that nature is pretty amazing. A resourceful Redditor demonstrated just how resilient and low-maintenance it can be.

The scoop

In a post to the r/houseplants subreddit, they shared a photo of their unlikely early success with a money tree fragment. 

They found it on the floor of a grocery store a few months prior, and they put it in a plastic to-go cup with water to see what would go down. 

They revealed that they had low expectations, writing, "I thought I was gonna get a zombie leaf situation at best." 

So far, that fear hadn't come to pass, and they excitedly revealed that "it looks like it might grow into a real plant!"

They didn't have a "before" picture to share, but it sounds like the plant had come from modest beginnings.

How it's helping

The Redditor's creative move is good for the planet on a couple of levels. 

For one, it's a great way to repurpose some plastic and save it from the recycling bin, or worse, a planet-heating landfill. 

In the latter, plastic can take centuries to break down while shedding worrisome microplastics that find their way into the ocean and our bodies.

Another plus is saving some money on a pot for a small plant and adding some pleasant decor to your residence for free. Plastic to-go cups are just one of many items that can find a new life instead of ending up in the trash.

How much time do you spend taking care of the plants inside or outside your home? Several hours a week 🧑‍🌾 One hour a week ⌛ Less than one hour ⏳ I don't have any plants 😢 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Similarly, silica gel packets can be reused as useful moisture absorbers. Meanwhile, a glass jar can seamlessly become a new water bottle or to-go coffee vessel. Plastic bottles have an array of different uses in the garden that can save you from shelling out for new products.

What everyone's saying

Redditors admired the hack and backed plastic to-go bottles as ideal for money tree props.

One wrote: "OK, this is a good idea! No advice, but thanks for the prop setup tip."

"Those to-go cups are actually super awesome, if I'm super serious about a prop succeeding, I go get it a small McDonald's water to live in," a seasoned user revealed.

Meanwhile, the original poster anticipated a potential problem with some plastic lids.

"If the plastic straw pokey things are too sharp u can melt them with a curling or soldering iron," they divulged.

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