Trash To Treasure

Every now and again, there’s an opportunity to see things with a different perspective. Something that may be headed for the garbage, can be transformed from trash into treasure. Recycle or reuse and give garbage another purpose.

Sometimes you have to strip something down to see it’s potential. Here’s an example of how I’ve given a second chance to a simple household products. By recycling and reusing, I transformed future trash into cute little home accents.  

Gravy Master is browning sauce. I use it to deepen the flavor of stews and gravies. The initial label is a very obnoxious orange color – traffic cone orange to be exact.

Peeling off the label and giving the bottle a good scrub helped to remove the paper and the glue, and finally reveals the bottle’s unique shape. It’s now the perfect little bud vase, complete with interesting curves and ridges.

I can’t count the number of times, the kids have run inside with a single little daisy or dandelion and we’ve used this little bottle. It’s been given a new life and is at home on our kitchen window sill.

Want another idea? Oui!

Recently I discovered Oui, a french-style yogurt from Yoplait. While the yogurt was thick and delicious, the jar was adorable. Trash? I don’t think so.  The glass is pretty substantial and has a nice, thick curved lip and I’ve cleaned up a couple of them to use in different ways.

Right now I have a Oui container, serving as a new home for my air plant. There are a lot of possibilities for this little trash treasure. I can see these being used as juice glasses, a votive candle holder, or even a paper clip organizer – anything that needs a cute little container.

The next time you’re ready to toss something out, stop and take a second look. Try reusing or recycling to transform and you’ll see another purpose shine through.