Guide to Recycling Glass Jars Around Your Home

The first thing people think of when they hear the words green living is conserving energy and recycling. Well, that is pretty much what it is about, but recycling is about more than sending paper, plastic, metal and glass objects to the recycling center. Reusing items to keep them out of the landfill and give your home a unique touch is just if not more helpful than simply placing them in the recycle bin. I hope I can give you a few useful tips about how to live green by recycling and reusing glass objects around your home.

Simply Was and reuse Empty Food Jars

Empty glass jars from food items can be washed and reused for storing homemade jams, pickles, sauces, pie filling, or leftover meals. You can also use them to put away the uneaten half of a can of fruit, vegetables, broth, or sauces. They don't take as much room in the refrigerator as plastic containers and they can be easily frozen for longer storage or even resealed. However, for freezer storage and resealing make sure there is at least a half an inch of space between the top of the jar and the food. Glass jars are also useful for storing the contents of an open bag of dry rice, beans, popcorn kernels, or dried fruits.

Decorative Reuses for Glass Jar Recycling

Some glass bottles make cute decorative elements without much alteration.  Peel the label from glass bottle such as those used for Fuse drinks, Snapples, or other beverages and use them as a vase for a single flower of for a small bouquet. They also make perfect vessels for colored sand art pieces. Glass food jars can be used as candle holders, or to make your own jar candles.

Craft Projects from Glass Jar Recycling

Decorating the outside of glass jars to use them for storing various things is a good way to add character to the jar and bottles you want to reuse. You can also fill the insides with bath salts, colored sand or even oil, water, and food coloring for a homemade lava lamp. In addition, with special equipment and training you can use glass blowing or reclaiming techniques as a way to make ordinary glass bottles into works of art.

Utility Uses for Glass Jar Recycling

Glass food jars with lids are a much better container for extra screws or nails than leaving them in the little cardboard boxes or ripped plastic bags they come in. The extra supplies will stay much better protected and are harder to spill. Clear glass jars also makes the contents easier to identify at a glance. They can also be used in a craft or office area to organize buttons, ribbons, spools of thread, safety pins, paper clips, push pins, and other small items.

Remember, every glass item you recycle, reuse, or remake contributes to a better planet and a green living lifestyle that will change the way future generations look at garbage. Recycling glass is very important to help keep the environment green. Each time you recycle a glass jar you are helping the environment and the world around us.