Home cook sparks conversation over how to reuse food container lids: 'We have a few sad lids too'

The plastic lids on your old Pyrex containers don't always last, but one home cook on Reddit found some suggestions on how to repurpose them instead of letting them go into the landfill.

The scoop

In the subreddit r/ZeroWaste, a Reddit user asked people for tips on how to reuse spare Pyrex lids. 

"Have a few cracked lids for Pyrex food storage bowls...also a few that just don't have a tight seal anymore," the user posted. "Anyone have any ideas on ways to reuse/upcycle?" 

The community had a few hacks for reusing the Pyrex lids. One person suggested using the lids as plates for cat food, while another said lids were effective for plant drainage. 

"We have a few sad lids too, and I use them for mise en place when I'm cooking. It's like a little plate with a lip, lets me hold chopped herbs and veggies and stuff," said another Redditor.

How it's helping

Repurposing containers and packaging is good for your wallet because it saves you money on new kitchen and household items. It also saves you a trip to the store or time spent looking for products online, making it an easy and convenient way to replace items around the home. 

Reusing Pyrex lids also helps divert plastic from landfills and the ocean. Plastic can take hundreds of years to decompose. In the meantime, it breaks down into microplastics that impact our health. 

When possible, it's best to opt for plastic-free alternatives to everyday products because they are higher quality and will save you money on single-use items in the long run. 

What everyone's saying

Members of r/ZeroWaste have shared their gripes with Pyrex lids for years, so finding a new use for them helps the subreddit's goal "to minimize our overall environmental impact."

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One Redditor who uses Pyrex lids to prep ingredients for meals also said they liked that the lids were durable enough to toss around the kitchen without breaking.

"They still have to be washed when I'm done cooking, but at least they don't break when I invariably drop them in the sink," they wrote. 

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