Creative Ways to Reuse Yogurt Cups

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My children go through a ridiculous amount of yogurt. every week at the grocery store I must spend 15 minutes just picking out new flavors and brands for them to try. Breakfast, lunch, smoothies, and dips are all great ways to include more yogurt in your diet.

The more yogurt you eat, the more yogurt cups I have to recycle. I have tried making my own to eliminate the plastic waste but my kids just don't like it as much. Homemade yogurt just seems to be less rich, creamy and flavorful than the stuff I buy at the store.

Recycling these small plastic containers is good...but finding new ways to reuse yogurt cups is even better. If you have a family full of yogurt fans and need to find creative ways to reuse yogurt cups, here are a few that I have come up with.

Want to repurpose those old yogurt containers? Here are a few ways to reuse, repurpose, upcycle and otherwise find new uses for small, plastic containers.

Wash your old yogurt cups out with hot, soapy water, fill with potting soil, and plant your seeds. Let your seedlings grow indoors until the chance of frost has passed then transplant into the garden.

Have artistic kids? Reuse yogurt cups by filling with kid safe paint and letting your kids paint you a picture or two. Check out my other tips for stocking a craft closet for your kids.

Reuse yogurt cups as toys in the bathtub or to hold bathtub crayons. Large yogurt cups can be used as a bucket to rinse shampoo out of your child's hair.

Store food in the freezer easier in large yogurt cups. Write on the container lid with sharpie on freezer tape to remind you what is inside.

Keep rice, beans, and pasta in large yogurt containers for storage on your pantry shelves. Read my post about organizing the pantry for more tips.

Ever have a party and want to send guests home with leftovers? Reuse yogurt containers as a 'take out' container that you don't need to worry about ever getting back!

Make yogurt cup bracelets with your empty container. Cut strips of yogurt containers apart with a sharp knife (like an exacto knife or razor blade). Then, wrap ribbon around it and hot glue the ends together to make festive yogurt cup bracelets.

Spices are much cheaper if you buy them in bulk rather than those tiny little glass jars. You can store bulk spices in old yogurt containers in your pantry. They are also good for your own herbs and spices when you grow them in your garden and dehydrate them.

Use old yogurt containers for sorting practice for your toddlers. Put all the red beads in one container and the yellow in another. Ask them to sort rocks by color or see how many acorns will fit in one and practice counting. The possibilities are endless!

Fill your yogurt cup halfway with whatever juice you prefer. Cover with foil. Insert a wooden ice pop stick through the foil and pop in the freezer. Now you have a home made ice pop that is healthier for your kids and you didn't have to spend money on fancy molds.

This works just as well for fancy ice pop recipes as well if you decide to purchase an ice pop cookbook and get creative!

• 10 Creative Ways to Reuse Wine Bottles : Don't throw out empty wine bottles! These DIY wine bottle crafts and other creative ways to reuse wine bottles will help you reduce your carbon footprint and save money.
• Uses for Coffee Mugs As You Declutter Your Kitchen : Are you trying to declutter the kitchen this month? Here are a few ways to reuse coffee mugs around the house.
• Upcycle Candle Jars into a DIY Succulent Garden: If you love indoor gardening, you can upcycle candle jars into a DIY succulent garden.

Before you reuse yogurt cups in these creative upcycling ideas, make sure to clean them well first. Check out How to Clean Stuff for info but here are a few tips:

1. Just start with hot, soapy water. Don't put them in the dishwasher. Wash them by hand and dry thoroughly.
2. If there are odors in the container, dissolve four tablespoons of baking soda in one quart of warm water. Pour into the container and soak overnight. Then rinse and air dry completely.
3. Spry with nonstick spray before filling with tomato-based products to protect from stains.
4. Do not microwave them to reheat food!

Do you have any other creative uses for yogurt cups?

Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She has two college aged kids, one husband and more pets than she will admit to. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire but left her career in science to become a stay at home mom. Years of playing with LEGO and coloring with crayons had her craving a more grown up purpose to her life and she began blogging and freelance writing full time. You can learn more about her HERE.