Most everyone uses eggs. We boil, scramble and poach them. We make sandwiches, quiche and omelets. We use them in cookies, squares, breads, pies and more.
Depending on the size of your family, most of us could easily go through a carton or two of eggs a week. But what do we do with all of those left over egg cartons?
Whatever you do, don’t throw the carton away. It still has a long life and a variety of uses.
{The exception being if an egg has cracked in the carton. If that happens you don’t want to reuse the carton may be contaminated with salmonella.}
Wondering how you can possibly re-use an egg carton? Check out these Dozen Awesome Uses for Your Old Egg Cartons.
You can compost cardboard egg cartons. We have a community curbside composting program so this is where many of ours go. You can also:
- Recycle them.
- Pass along to a friend or neighbor who keeps hens.
- Tear up egg cartons and use the pieces instead of packaging peanuts the next time you need to mail something fragile.
- Transport mini cupcakes, squares, delicate cookies or tarts.
- Use them when scrapbooking. Keep small buttons, embelishments and paper scraps organized while you are working by placing them in an empty egg carton.
- Egg cartons are the perfect way to organize all you small stuff. You can use them to store craft supplies; office supplies; jewelry; small hardware items such as, screws/nuts/bolts/picture hangers.
- Use to store Christmas ornaments.
- Make everything from a flowered wreath to a bird-feeder. Check out some of the awesome ideas I found on Pinterest.
- Use as a palette for the kid’s paint projects.
- You can use egg cartons for germinating seedlings. Just plant a seed in each egg compartment with a little bit of dirt. Cartons also provide an ideal place to hold bulbs during the off-season.
- Make fire starters to use when camping. {From Lifehacker}
- Donate to a local elementary or preschool for collages or art projects.
I would love to hear your ideas.
Do you save your egg cartons?
What do you use them for?
Tammy Bell says
Those are some pretty good ideas, I always think about what I could do with them but end up tossing them. Definitely going to try a few of these.
Monica Parlee says
I know what you mean Tammy! I have the option of curbside compost which makes it fairly easy. But I like to do that as a final option. Sometimes I have to force myself to reuse them even before tossing in the compost!
InezbyDesign says
These kinds of egg cartons are terrific for making paper!
Catherine White says
They make great fire starters, when combined with crumbled up newspaper, I’ve used them for saving some ‘special’ Christmas ornaments. They would be a great place to put those nuts and bolts of a project you are working on so as not to loose those small pieces that need to be replaced. Using them as starters for seeds are a great way to keep the seed an seedlings in place. Just slit the sides and plant the whole thing in the ground.
they also make great holders to wrap Christmas garland or lights around to save from being so tangled for the next year.
Louise says
i reuse my egg cartons regularly and if I don’t need them for repurposing around the house I recycle them. But please note you should not reuse them for any food. It just isn’t safe given where the eggs come from and the salmonella risk.