Clever individual shares smart way to repurpose empty prescription bottles: 'Not rocket science but thought I'd share'

There's something to be said about finding your own special way to help reduce the amount of waste that ends up in our local landfills. Whether it's big or small, it just feels like you're doing your part for the greater good. 

For one eco-conscious Redditor, not only did they discover a way to reuse their old prescription bottles and save money on buying new storage, but they also came up with a clever life hack to help watch their waistline. 

Posting to r/ZeroWaste, the Redditor revealed that they fill their empty prescription bottles with nuts. And as it turns out, it provides a useful container for anyone who is keeping an eye on their calories but still enjoys an occasional snack. 

"Not rocket science but thought I'd share," wrote the original poster. "Buy a big bag of mixed nuts at Costco. Fill 15-20 at a time. Keep in the car, in my home office, purse etc. Low cost and portion control!"

In many cases, prescription bottles are not accepted with the rest of your curbside recycling. There are drug take-back centers across the country that offer drop-offs that can accommodate disposal of these containers, even if they still have pills inside. There are also some organizations that take them as donations to repurpose.

For those looking to repurpose their empty bottles themselves, there are numerous ways that you put them to use. Much like the original poster, empty and cleaned-out prescription bottles can house an assortment of miniature items such as jewelry, makeup, spare buttons, and even art supplies.

According to an International Union for Conservation of Nature brief, over 507 million tons of plastic waste is produced around the globe every year. Despite the amount of plastic that we create, less than 10% of plastic waste is recycled. A large portion ends up in landfills or littered throughout the environment. 

Plastic waste can disrupt delicate ecosystems by releasing harmful chemicals. The slow breakdown of plastic releases microplastics and nanoplastics, which have associated human health risks and contaminate air, water, and soil, affecting wildlife on land and in our waterways. 

In the comments section of the Reddit post, many users shared their experiences with prescription bottles. 

One user pointed out a need to wash the containers: "Be careful when reusing medicine bottles. Some medicines can leave residue."

Should we be making prescription bottles out of paper? It's about time! ✅ I need to see it to believe it 🤔 It'll never work ❌ I don't care 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"I have a couple of these in my drawers at work," noted another user. "One has antacid chewables and the other has Vitamin D capsules."

"Yes! I keep brown sugar for my tea in one and keep it in the work kitchen," wrote one more commenter. "I have gotten comments, but they were all positive because my workplace focuses on sustainability and we're all kinda like this."

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.