Love berries, but not the plastic punnets they come in? There are a few ways to dispose of the punnet responsibly, by recycling them (just be sure to look at the plastic number indicated on the bottom of the packet before tossing it). Or, reuse them for various household needs.
Reduce, reuse, recycle is a phrase we’ve all heard since primary school, and it’s time to put one of the most important ones into practice — reuse!
We were inspired by the Instagram user, Rachel Mansfield (@rachlmansfield), who shared six different ways to repurpose your empty berry containers. With her tips, you might never throw a berry punnet into the bin every again.
Hot tip: Before you start, just make sure you have cleaned off any residual berry juice and dried out the containers thoroughly.
Storage
An average berry punnet is about 12.5 x 7 x 10.8 centimetres wide and deep which gives sufficient space for keeping small items you have laying around the house.
You could store stationary like crayons, markers, craft suppliers, pens, staplers, paper clips, and loose change that are on your shelves or in your office space.
You could also leave them in the bathtub or washroom to store bath toys, as it helps to drain the water after playtime and keeps the area nice and tidy.
Organisers
Need to make space on your bookshelves or drawers? These berry punnets can help. Cut out the top flap and slot them into your drawers to store earrings, make-up, or anything that’s been cluttering your space.
These are economical and zero-waste ideas that will save you space and mess.
Take-Away Containers
If you have larger berry punnets, like 500g or 1kg, save these to store lunches and snacks. Keep fruit, sandwiches or even muesli bars for your on-the-go lunches for the week or to transport lunch to the park.
Seedling Schools
If you’re trying to grow your own patch of greens at home, these punnets are useful in-betweens from seedlings to adult plants.
Related: How to Start a Vegetable Garden When You Only Have a Balcony to Grow On
Add some dirt to the plastic container, plant your seeds in it, water it, and leave it under direct sun. When you notice the seedling has grown roots, you know they’re ready to pot in the soil in a ceramic pot.
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