Person reveals why you should never throw away old pill bottles: 'That's actually brilliant'

One Reddit user shared a clever workaround for keeping track of medications by turning something most people already have into a durable, customizable system.

Instead of buying a new pill organizer, the user repurposed empty prescription bottles, labeling each one with a day of the week. The result is a low-cost hack that keeps meds clearly separated while giving old plastic containers a second life.

The scoop

The hack comes from a post on Reddit's r/ZeroWaste community, where a user shared a photo of their DIY system made from reused prescription bottles. 

As they explained in the caption, "I wanted one of those daily/weekly pill containers, but had enough spare plastic around."

Each bottle had its old label removed and is newly marked with a letter corresponding to a weekday using a marker or label. Pills for that day go into the matching bottle, creating a straightforward system that works just like a traditional pill organizer but without the added cost.

Because prescription bottles are child-resistant and designed to protect medications from moisture and light, they are actually better suited for long-term storage than many cheap organizers. The bottles can be tossed into a bag, stored in a drawer, or lined up on a shelf without worrying about lids popping open.

How it's helping

Keeping track of daily medications sounds simple — until the pill bottles start piling up. Store-bought weekly pill organizers can help, but they are surprisingly expensive for what they are and often made of flimsy plastic that cracks over time. 

This hack saves money and helps keep you organized. Weekly pill organizers typically cost anywhere from $5 to $20, and they can be bulky. This solution costs nothing if you already have empty bottles, and you can easily take the day's medication with you on the go without carting around the entire week.

There is also a real environmental upside. Prescription bottles are notoriously difficult to recycle in many areas, which means they often end up in landfills. Reusing them keeps hard plastic out of the waste stream and reduces demand for new plastic products. Less plastic waste means less landfill crowding and a lower risk of plastic pollution reaching oceans and ecosystems.

Beyond organizing pills, old prescription bottles can be used for many other things, from creating mini survival kits to holding and protecting your earbuds. 

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And for readers looking to declutter their homes, there are many organizations that can help — and some even offer added perks for recycling your old stuff.

What everyone's saying

Commenters were inspired by the idea, both for its cost-saving and waste-reducing benefits. 

"Thank you so much for this. The fiancé and I keep talking about buying one of these, but like you, we have a few empty pill jars I just can't bring myself to throw away," one commenter wrote. 

"That's actually brilliant and my ADHD will be defeated," another added.  

A third summed up the hack, saying, "Great idea!"

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