Reuse Pill Bottles: 10 DIY Tips

From Networx' Sayward Rebhal:

I'm a pretty progressive gal. I make "Socially Conscious, Totally Fabulous" my mantra, and I've got my green routine down to a science. Mostly.

My kitchen and home are practically plastic-free. I buy my beans, grains, sugars, flours, oils, vinegars, syrups, and anything else I can, in bulk to save on packaging. I've eliminated toxic cleaners and I make my own beauty products. For the most part, I'm about as low-waste as a girl can get.

However. There's one piece of the plastic puzzle that I've found as-of-yet unavoidable. Pill bottles! My vitamins and supplements and over-the-counter medications and, on rare occasions, prescriptions. You can't buy vegan vitamin K2 in bulk (yet!), and you can't bring your own glass jar to the pharmacist (yet!). And so I end up with a stash of empty plastic bottles.

Maybe you do, too. Some of these can be recycled (check into your city's program) and some of them cannot. But what about re-using? You can put those pill bottles to good use around the house! Here's a few fun ideas:

All tips courtesy of Networx

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Comments

[juliet12]

09:55 PM on 02/11/2012

Pee and Poop samples for the vet.

[ECJIM 3ABTPA BONHA]

02:28 AM on 02/08/2012

Great for camping or sea kayaking.

[Lenape105]

01:08 AM on 02/08/2012

The most common size pill bottle is just the right size for quarters.

[trailerguy]

11:09 AM on 02/07/2012

they also make great slat and pepper shakers, for camping ir travleing

[trailerguy]

11:00 AM on 02/07/2012

plastic milk bottles with handles, cut off top and the top makes great scopes for dog food or whatever. sut the top of pop bottles for funnel.

[trailerguy]

10:42 AM on 02/07/2012

more tips, i take hangers back to cleaners once in while the give me credit fot ehm. I also put those cheap vases in dishwasher and return to florists. Deli containers, i wash and put cereal in them that keeps it fresher, and you can put milk right in it, great if your are traveling. Alos when i travel i only take what ii need of my meds, incase i lose the whole bunch.

[trailerguy]

10:34 AM on 02/07/2012

when i go walking inwood i carry one with matches the other bandaids, asprin. and a whistle

[trailerguy]

10:20 AM on 02/07/2012

another use , i buy candy in bulk, MM and such and use them so i can carry a small quantity with me . Iwas them of course

[trailerguy]

10:17 AM on 02/07/2012

i peel labels off and have been useing them for years to store change,screws, little pieces and parts.

[gerdani8]

06:01 AM on 02/07/2012

I use the ones that are 3.5 inches tall for detergent when I go to the laundrymat. A tall bottle about one inch in diameter will hold several dollars in quarters. The bits for my electric screw driver fit perfectly in a small pill bottle. Another large bottle holds my lancets for disposal. Push pins and paper clips can be stored in other pill bottles(separately of course). I did use one for shampoo on trips last year(driving, not flying). Use your imagination to find more uses!

[trailerguy]

10:17 AM on 02/07/2012

when i used to go to laudermat i did same thing

[captainindustry]

05:22 AM on 02/07/2012

Fill them with vinegar and baking soda, then put them in the bags of those pesky trick-or-treaters for a nice Halloween surprise.

Keeps them off my lawn, that's for sure.

[trailerguy]

10:18 AM on 02/07/2012

i bet tyour house gets egged or worse

[WonderingNThinking]

04:45 AM on 02/07/2012

I like the idea for board game pieces.

[WonderingNThinking]

04:44 AM on 02/07/2012

I used to love saving and using film containers for paperclips, buttons, etc.

[Lenape105]

01:09 AM on 02/08/2012

Pixel containers aren't as useful.

[WonderingNThinking]

04:41 AM on 02/07/2012

Eliminate the pill bottles by growing vegetables for vitamins. Saves even more on the environment because their as local as you can get.

[lalate]

02:55 AM on 02/07/2012

I buy spices from the bulk jars at the supermarket (saves a lot of money) and I use the pill bottles as spice bottles for traveling to timeshares with kitchens.