SO.MANY.GLASS.JARS. HELP!

[ephemeralcas]

marinated artichoke hearts. salsa. pickles. peperoncinos. just a few of the things I buy that are in glass jars that I just HATE throwing away (throwing them in the recycling bin) . but I already have way too many of them as leftover containers.

is putting them in the recycling bin just the best option? or do other people have fun uses for them?
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[DiaMarie]

I use them as vases and to put snacks in (granola, trail mix, etc.). Sometimes I fill them with snacks or herbs, add bows or ribbons, and give them as gifts (they make great end-of-year or holiday gifts for teachers). I also store seeds in them, especially the little ones that spices come in. They can be used in many different crafts (painted, stones or seashells glued on, cut to make candle holders, etc.). I have pet fish and mice, too, and I store their food in them. It's a shame they can't be used for canning or jam, though.

 

[ephemeralcas]

yeah I just used one as a vase to give my partner some wild flowers the other day. I think I will keep trying to utilize them in that way, so that someone else has to deal with them! muahahaha.

 

[sumi]

I have about 20 glass jars of assorted sizes sitting in the kitchen, waiting to be put to use/recycled and I'm loathe to toss anything potentially useful I decided to do some googling for interesting and handy uses for them. And I found some brilliant ones too. One that comes to mind, that I really like, is attaching the lid of the jar VERY FIRMLY to the underside of a shelf and then screwing the jar back into the lid, leaving it hanging under the shelf. These jars can then be used as storage for all sorts of things, dried food/herbs in the kitchen, screws, nuts, bolts etc in the workshop/shed/garage…. Buttons etc in a sewing room? What I also love about this is that it takes up otherwise unused/unusable space under the shelf, which is awesome if your space is limited.

 

[tortoise]

Except for baby food jars, I recycle glass jars. And I have so many baby food jars I may start recycling them too! From what I've been learning, glass is recycled efficiently. Oh the other hand, plastic that goes through the recycling channel might end up in landfills anyway (!!!), and recycled plastic is usually low enough quality that virgin plastic must be added. So I'm feeling peaceful with recycling glass, and focusing on reducing plastic coming into my home.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I make tinctures in them and vanilla extract. I reuse them for their original purposes, but use as soon as possible and don't keep them for long term.....home canning. If I give away some fig preserves, I rather use a Ragu jar, than one of my precious masons.
I also live in a flood zone, so if I have a very wet spot, I dig a deep hole, about the size of what I'd bury a labrador and bury about that amount of bottles to drain the area and make the ground a bit higher....covering the bottles with tar paper or something. So really.....I never throw away glass. I'm really too cheap to buy much in them anyways, because I do my own canning a bit, but what glass comes here, stays. Even the broken glass......I just bury that deeper.

 

[Britesea]

@tortoise if you still have the tops for those baby food jars, I will pay the shipping for them! I love them for making ointments and such to give to people.

 

[tortoise]

I have the tops! I will send you my extras - when I figure out how many extras I have! Please send me a private message with your address.