...of Good
Stewardship
Talk It Out:
What to Do with Old
Medicine Bottles
(Posted 5/31/04)
"Do any of your readers have any suggestions about what to do with
empty prescription Bottles? I hate throwing them out and they are
generally not recyclable. Thank you." ~ Anonymous
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Responses:
"We use empty prescription bottles quite a bit:
for electronic parts (my husband has a home workshop)
for sewing machine needles and pins and buttons
for small makeup brushes and little short eyeliner sticks
for M&Ms and other little bits of candy
for change for the laundromat
Be sure to tape over or remove the label." ~ Ellen
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"I am a quilter and recycle all kinds of stuff mostly because
some of the 'quilting' related items are often expensive. I store
needles and pins in them for traveling so there are no pinched
fingers. I also use them to throw away old needles from my machine
or broken hand needles so they are not sticking out of any garbage
bags. Small buttons or other embellishments have found their
way to old medicine bottles as well. Another use which my children
love is to tuck a love note in there and hide it in their lunch
boxes, hence no messy notes with leaky juice boxes, etc. Hope this
helps." ~ Camille
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"My veterinarian is always happy to receive my old medicine
bottles. He is able to fill prescriptions for pets using these
bottles. You could check with veterinarians in your area."
~ Tracy
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"Clean
them out thoroughly; I use my dishwasher.
They are GREAT for:
1) Holding homemade spice mixes -- to keep or to give.
2) Use to store buttons, snaps, hooks and eyes, etc.
3) Also safety pins.
4) Small amounts of dried herbs and spices (not necessarily homemade
mixes)
5) Small screws, nails, etc.
6) Traveling - to hold cotton balls, Bandaids, make a small first aid kit.
Oh my, I am sure there are more. I just can't think.
Give to your daughters to hold small 'stuff' she wants - like hair
decorations, etc.
Your sons can store rocks, metal pieces ( my son was a junk collector).
If the lid melted in the dishwasher, use the bottom as a vase in a small
pretty container to hold flowers or greenery.
My mother used to wrap with Christmas wrap or pretty ribbon and use to
hold a money gift.
Oh my, well, that is all I can think of." ~ Kathleen in (very muggy)
Florida
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"Check with your local church. Our
preschoolers use the medicine bottles for different crafts during Vacation
Bible School." ~ Anonymous
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"Ideas for re-using prescription
bottles:
- They are great for holding small craft
items + sewing needles
- Great for holding coins in
vehicles that don't have coin holders
- I keep one at work, and if a button
comes off my clothing at work I just pop it in the prescription bottle
and into my purse. It is much easier to find the pill bottle in my
purse than a single button that has fallen to the bottom of my purse
- The wider prescription bottles
often are a perfect size to hold cough drops, mints or hard candy
-Good for holding nuts, screws,
and small nails
-They will hold vegetable & flower seeds that you are sharing with a
friend." ~ Linda
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"I have found a multitude of uses for
old prescription bottles. I am thinking of the pill bottles here (not
liquid medicine bottles).
- Keep spare medications in your purse, suitcase, etc.
- Peel off prescription label and use for travel sizes for vitamins,
supplements, over the counter meds. Just write contents on bottle with a
sharpie permanent marker.
- Dried herbs - Again, label with permanent marker.
- Small items like buttons, screws, picture nails, common pins, etc.
The permanent marker label can be washed off with a scrubber pad and the
bottles can be reused and relabeled again and again." ~ Robyn, Ash
Fork, AZ
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"My
favorite thing is using these bottles for carrying parking change in my
car. I keep a bottle of change so I never get stuck if there's no
change in my wallet. Also, it doesn't take up much room in my trunk
or glove compartment. They're also perfect for storing tiny items such as
craft beads. Another idea is to place several on a table and put a
small flower in each for a pretty grouping. Other decorative items
could be used as well. Children might like to play with them for
digging in the dirt or for making doll items. Be sure to soak and remove
your prescription labels, even if you're just throwing them away. I
leave nothing in my trash that has information about myself on it." ~
Anonymous
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"I put safety pins and hair pins in
tall bottles." ~ Janice
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"Sort those loose buttons by color;
great to get the color you want quickly. Also, wooden matches are
kept dry for camping trips. Q-tips, sewing needles, straight pins,
small screws, washers, etc." ~ Jan
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"I give my empty prescription bottles
(with labels removed for privacy) to a neighbor. His church does
mission work in Haiti; they help supply a medical center that serves the
poorest of the poor. The doctors at this center often need to
dispense a week's worth of pills from a bottle that contains hundreds of
pills. They use the empty prescription bottles for this purpose, so that
their patients can take their medicine back home with them. I
actually found out about this collection program by asking the pharmacists
at several local drugstores. You may also want to call and ask local
churches, maybe even soup kitchens, homeless shelters, etc. I HATE
to throw something away if somebody can still get some use out of it!"
~ Becki in Logansport, Indiana
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Editor's Note: Thanks to everyone who took the
time to respond.
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