No-Impact: Reusing glass jars

This will be the first of an ongoing series to share the ways in which our family is becoming a No-Impact group of humans (and animals).  You’ll find tips, creative ways to reuse and simple ideas to decrease your impact on the environment.

Reusing your glass jars can be fun and save money!  When shopping at the grocer, select products like salsa, coconut oil, apple sauce, etc that come in glass jars.  Since glass is generally easier to recycle  and does not contain BPA found in most plastics, you can do yourself and the environment a favor by

Clockwise from top: Juice Jar as rice container, applesauce jar as grape container, salsa jar for nuts, coconut oil jar for water

avoiding food products that are packaged in plastic.  Jars with metal screw tops work the best for storage.  When your jar is empty of whatever foodstuff came inside, give it a good washing, scrub the lable off and let it dry thoroughly.

You can keep a spare cubbard for glass jars so they are handy when you need the perfect sized jar.  Some common uses around our house:

• Portable water jars.  (We use salsa sized jars instead of sigg bottles.  They fit in most cup holders and allows you to see if the jar is clean or dirty)
• Countertop storage for oats, grains, nuts, etc.
• Big jars are perfect for making Ice Tea in.
• Jars of every size are a great way to replace food storage plastics like gladware and ziplocks that only help to add to our landfills.
• Small glass jars like an empty Burts Bees facial lotion, baby jars or empty spice containers make perfect q-tip holders or cotton pads for the bathroom.

Let us know how you have reused your glass jars around your home!