Upcycling is super fun and a great way to live a more sustainable life. With all the Youtube videos and posts about upcycling, it can be overwhelming to look at things and see them as having a purpose completely different than their original use. In our house, my roommates and I have found easy ways to repurpose things, which is a lot easier and quicker, that we have bought and give them a new life.
One of my new obsessions is jars. Pickle jars, olive jars, salsa jars, there’s no limit. Jars are my new favorite things to keep after its initial purpose (once all that food is out) and find a new way to use it. Two of the easiest ways is to use them as cups or as nice tupperware.
As cups, they’re cute and prevent you from ever needing to buy cups using your own money. As tupperware, it won’t leak and likewise prevents you from needing to purchase tupperware. With that, it’s less plastic for making tupperware. It’s a win-win.
A mason jar repurposed to be used for tea. I also like to use it to hold my overnight oats to eat for lunch.
Another great use is to use jars for different kinds of decor. I’ve been having fun propagating my pothos plant in them throughout my room. Photo by Molly Landaeta.
An old pickle jar with pothos plant propagating in it. Photo by Molly Landaeta.
On the trend of jars, I’ve saved old glass bottles and used them also for plants and as watering “cans” to keep around my room for my plants, as well as other places to propagate my plants. Photo by Molly Landaeta.
An old Hubert’s lemonade bottle used to propagate my pothos (can you tell I love my pothos?). Photo by Molly Landaeta.
Ceramic pots for plants. Photo by Molly Landaeta.
Teavana bottle used to water plants.
Plant in jar. Photo by Molly Landaeta.
Above is a Starbucks honey cold brew bottles originally saved and used as decor but later packed with soil to plant in. This is the very first thing that got me started in saving glass jars. I thought these were too pretty to just recycle (and are sold right in the C-store, go get some)!
An Izzy’s bottle saved from Chipotle used as another watering “can” for my plants. Photo by Molly Landatea.
A pure leaf bottle used for the same thing! Photo by Molly Landaeta.
A kombucha bottle used to hold some fake flowers in my roommate’s room. Photo by Molly Landaeta.
Another good thing to use are old candles. After melting the wax down, you are left with super cute and unique containers. My roommate melted her lemongrass candle down to plant one of her succulents in.
An old candle used as a pot. Photo by Molly Landaeta.
Each of these projects is as easy as cleaning the container, taking off the label and then finding a new use for these things. This is one of the easiest ways to implement more sustainable practices in your life while having unique decor. Don’t let upcycling or repurposing be any more difficult or daunting than it needs to be!