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Woman discovers brilliant way to reuse old food jars instead of throwing them away: 'So satisfying'

"I get so giddy when this happens."

"I get so giddy when this happens."

Photo Credit: TikTok

You know that frustrating feeling of having a dozen containers and a dozen lids, and none of them fit each other? One Tiktoker clued us in to an ingenious hack to solve that problem.

The scoop

"I realized that the cutie lids of my favorite jam jars fit my favorite pickle jars," user plantbased.baby (@plantbasedbaby) said, demonstrating how they use the latter as a travel mug for iced coffee. You can swap out lids from other glass jars for this purpose since many of these lids are a standard size.

@plantbased.baby the girls that get it 🫙🫶🏻🌱 #upcycle #upcycled #reuse #reducereuserecycle #jar #glassjar #jars #glassjars #coffeejar #bonnemaman #jam #jelly #pickles #girls #girl #sustainability #ecofriendly #sustainable #lowwaste #slowliving #excited #happy #littlethings #plantbasedbaby ♬ Pirouette - James Quinn

If you are trying to reduce the amount of plastic you purchase from the grocery store, you might notice you now have a lot of glass jars instead of plastic. Of course, these can be recycled, but why not reuse them before recycling?

Simply remove the label, then upcycle it into a plant pot, a vase for cut flowers, storage, or a to-go cup for iced beverages — the options are endless

For any time you need to seal the jar, that's when the helpful lid swap comes in. Rather than be stuck with a lid featuring the logo from a pasta sauce or pickle company, this Tiktoker opted for a more aesthetically pleasing gingham lid.

How it's helping

Reduce, reuse, recycle. It's a simple motto that reminds us that while recycling is important, it comes after two other tenets of the philosophy. When you reduce your plastic purchases by opting for products packaged in glass, you can save money and avoid contaminating your food with forever chemicals present in plastic.

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And once you have all the flower jars, iced coffee cups, and various containers you need, you can simply recycle any extras since glass is one of the most recyclable materials in the world and can be recycled endlessly with no loss in quality

Rather than contributing to a landfill, scientists have used glass to make fire-resistant building supplies, protect our eroding coasts, and create new glass.

What everyone's saying

"I get so giddy when this happens," one comment said.

"I am a pickle jar girl, too. I make tea in mine," another Tiktoker added. 

Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to buy a refillable product?

Saving money 💰

Reducing plastic waste 🗑️

Using less shelf space at home 💁‍♀️

Getting easy refill deliveries 😎

Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"So satisfying," a third user responded.

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.

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