Recycling Empty Containers for Useful Purposes

Instead of disposing empty packaged containers that comes along with drinking chocolate, cocoa powder, milk powders etc. that usually are made from thick cardboard paper, they can be reused in our homes itself by just upscaling them a little bit. I often do this - a small part I play in the process of recycling and reducing the carbon footprints. This post contains the tutorial on how I often recycle them. Keep reading till the end for suggestions and tips on decorating them and using them for various other purposes too.

Materials required:

Empty containers, some decorative sheets, satin ribbons, beads for decoration, needle & thread, glue, a pair of scissors.

Empty Packaged Containers 

A4 colored sheets, ribbons and beads for decoration

Procedure:
I had a couple of empty containers I wanted to reuse for storing stationery materials. I used the same procedure to decorate both of them.

Step 1:

The procedure is very simple. Just cut out strips from A4 sized colored sheets and glue them on the containers' outer surface. I left the inside of the containers untouched for they were already coated and lined with a silver sheet. If the container's inner surface is damaged, you could certainly cover it from the inside.

Step 1: Glue the paper strips on the outer surface of the containers

Step 2:

To decorate the container further, I used a satin ribbon and some beads. I had saved some satin ribbons from an old dress of my kid and used it for decorating this container. Instead of gluing the beads, I used a needle and thread to attach the beads to the ribbon permanently. 

Just measure the size of ribbon needed by rolling it around the surface of the container and cut the required length, keeping a little margin to glue it later.

Step 2: Satin ribbons, some beads, needle & thread

Step 2 (contd.): Using a needle and thread to attach the beads to the ribbon

Step 3:

Once, the ribbons with the beads are ready, just glue them on to the surfaces as required.

Next, make a simple bow using the ribbons. I didn't have to make the bow, since I had saved this from an old dress of my child. Once, I glued the ribbon around the top of the container, all I had to do was glue the ready-made bow onto it - a quick and easy way to recycle old clothes.

Step 3: Adding ribbons with beads and
a ready-made bow to the tall container.

Step 3 (contd.):
Ribbons with beads for the short container

Step 3 (contd.): Glue the ribbons to hide the joints
where two colored paper strips meet.

Done:
So just in a few easy steps the container is ready for use. I used the short one for storing pencils and the tall one for storing other stationery items.

Done: Pencil holder ready for use

The Stationery holders are ready to use

Suggestions and Tips:

• You can also use gift wrappers or other decorative sheets to cover the surface and decorate them further. 
• These containers can be used for various other purposes. It can also be used in your kitchens for holding knives/spoons, etc. as a cutlery stand.
• You can also use them for holding spoons, straws, etc. to match the themes for your parties or other events. A couple of years ago, I made one to hold spoons for a 'Frozen' theme birthday party for my daughter with a painting of the Olaf character on it and all the kids loved it. 

Olaf Spoon holder for 'Frozen' themed birthday party

• Another spoon holder made for 'rainbow' theme birthday party. All I did was glue strips of seven different colors onto the surface of the container and a rainbow spoon holder was ready in a few minutes.

Spoon holder for 'Rainbow' themed birthday party

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