Does your family go through carton after carton of eggs? If so, you might be wondering what to do with those sturdy, multi compartment cartons. It never feels quite right tossing them in the trash or recycling! Instead, take a look below at 25 Creative Ways to Reuse Egg Cartons that you can try. You will never look at egg cartons the same way again!
25 Creative Ways to Reuse Egg Cartons
1. Use as paint cups. Drop in your craft paints so they stay separate. Recycle when done for easy clean up.
2. Use as seed starters. Simply poke a hole in the bottom, add soil, a seed, and watch them grow. When you are ready to transplant them you can plant the entire cup in the ground.
3. Donate them to your child’s school. They can no doubt use them for craft time.
4. Store your Legos in them. The separate cups are a great way to keep them separated and organized.
5. Use them to organize beads and buttons. They are great for keeping small craft supplies in place.
6. Use an egg tray to hold your spices. Measure out the spices for your recipe and just drop them in the carton until needed.
7. Use them for compartments to organize small hardware. Egg cartons are perfect for nails, screws, bolts, and nuts.
8. Keep hair barrettes and ties organized. Just drop the small accessories into the egg carton and store in your bathroom drawer.
9. Keep fragile items safe when moving. Simply line the bottom of the box with the cartons, curved side up.
10. Toss them in your compost. If your egg carton is cardboard, there is no reason that you can’t toss it right in.
11. Create drawer dividers. Remove the lids from the cartons and place them in drawers for small objects. You can use the non divided side for pens, pencils, etc.
12. Use them to carry food on-the-go. Egg cartons can carry small pastries, mini cupcakes, or even deviled eggs.
13. Make your own educational games for kids. The cartons can be used to sort items by color, size, shape, etc.
14. Catch water drips. Place the flat side of the carton under your pots so water doesn’t pool on the tabletop.
15. Catch popsicle drips. Poke your popsicle stick through one of the egg tray cups (just snip one away from the rest) and the cup will catch the drips.
16. Craft a caterpillar. Cut the cups into singles and string them through yarn to create the caterpillar.
17. Make a 3D collage. Cut the cups into singles and glue them to poster board to create some cool 3D art.
18. Keep seeds safe. During the planting season keep your seeds divided and safe until needed by storing them in an egg carton.
19. Organize your jewelry. The small cups are great for keeping earrings paired up and necklaces from tangling.
20. Make mini light shades. Cut the cups apart and poke twinkle lights through them. They make the perfect light shades.
21. Use them as spacers. When organizing shelves you can use the entire egg carton as a spacer to figure out the placement of your items.
22. Organize those silly bands and mini rubber band bracelets once and for all. The small cups are perfect for organizing these small items according to color.
23. Keep Christmas ornaments safe. Just open up the carton and place small ornaments inside each space.
24. Keep light bulbs safe. This same technique mentioned above works great for keeping small light bulks safe and secure.
25. Store your collections. Whether it be rocks, arrowheads, or marbles, egg cartons are perfect for getting the job done.
Bonus: Use old egg cartons to make an Egg Carton Flower Wreath!
See how purposeful an old egg carton can be? Give these tips a try!
More Creative Uses for Household Items
10 Frugal Uses for Wine Bottles
10 Creative Uses for Old Socks
10 Frugal Uses for Paper Clips
10 Frugal Uses for Coffee Filters
10 Frugal Uses for Binder Clips
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Paula says
I decorated empty egg shells with ribbon (this ribbon is no longer available) for Easter. When it is time to pack them away, I use the clear, empty egg cartons to store them in until the following year.
Jennifer says
We fill them with dryer lint, drizzle with melted candle wax (leftovers or thrift store finds) and use them for firestarters 🙂
Alea Milham says
That’s a great idea!
Kristen Whitney says
Or transport mini muffins / cupcakes
Alea Milham says
Great idea!