Crafty social media user shares hack for reusing old pill bottles while keeping household safe: 'That is super helpful'

Many of us have those plastic pill bottles that typically hold prescription medicines filling up our junk drawers or recycling bins.

A Redditor has shared a smart idea on how to reuse these bottles while also keeping people in your household safe.

The scoop

Shared by a user in the r/upcycling subreddit, the idea is simple but effective.

"Pill bottle reuse idea: sharp item disposal," the Redditor wrote.

In the post, the user shows the blade from a paper cutter in such a bottle. But it could easily be used for other types of blades, needles, or any small but sharp item.

How it's helping

Figuring out worthwhile uses for plastic can make a huge impact on the environment.

Each year, tens of millions of tons of plastic trash are produced by United States households, but only about 5% of that is recycled, according to a Greenpeace report. 

Further research by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development finds that global plastic waste is expected to triple by 2060 and that about half of it will end up in landfills.

Properly recycling materials is undeniably helpful, but reusing pill bottles is also a smart way to help achieve a circular economy — keeping potentially wasteful items from the trash by reusing or recycling them.

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What everyone's saying

The post was a big hit in the Reddit community, particularly among the subreddit's craftier users.

"That is super helpful!" one commenter said. "I never know how to safely dispose of sewing needles — I will start a sharps bottle for them."

Some commented that they use the bottles for safe storage of things such as razor blades, while others mentioned that these bottles can not only be upcycled, but also recycled.

"I can keep them safely together until I have enough to ship for recycling," one user said about the bottles. "I also have a big one for my used syringes so I can take them to town for proper medical sharps/hazardous waste disposal."

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