For a lot of people, milk is consumed daily in our households. We put it in our coffee, in our cereal, use it in our cooking and as a cool and nourishing drink…It’s a huge part of our diet, providing us with essential calcium and nutrients to keep us strong and healthy. And if you have kids, it might feel like you’re going through litre after litre every week!
But what becomes of the old milk cartons and bottles once used? Luckily, all milk bottles are recyclable in Australia, ensuring that if recycled correctly they will be repurposed, saving the environment from unnecessary waste. So, make sure after you finish your bottles, you’re washing them out and popping them in the recycling bin!
But what if you could reuse your own milk bottles at home? Who said they need to be a single use item! There are many ways to creatively upcycle your milk bottles at home, giving them a new life and helping with common household chores.
So if you love delicious milk as well as helping our environment, we have listed below a few of our favourite ways to upcycle your milk bottles at home:
- Make a watering jug out of your milk bottle
Turn your old milk bottles from trash to tressure!
Once the bottle is empty, wash it, carefully puncture holes in the lid of the milk bottle using a sewing needle or pair of scissors and voila! You have a purpose-built watering bottle for your garden.[1]
- Handy storage containers made from milk bottles
Need storage containers for your pantry or workshop? Why not upcycle instead of buying new!
Simply wash your old milk bottles, trace a line to cut from the top of the handle, down and around the side of the bottle, then cut leaving the handle intact. What you’re left with is a handy storage vessel including a handle which you can feed a rod through to hold each milk bottle container in place.[2]
- A scoop or trail for the garden made from milk bottles
Need a scoop or trail for the garden? We’ve got you covered! Trace a circle around the top of the bottle handle and another through the handle and towards the bottom of the bottle like the image above, then cut out the shape. Now you have an upcycled and sturdy shovel for use around the home and in the garden. [3]
- Milk bottle seedling planter
Often when you need to germinate seeds, its easier to do it in smaller planters before transferring them to a larger pot. But, instead of purchasing more plastic seedling pots sure to end up in landfill, consider using the base of a 1ltr milk bottle. [4]
Simply cut the bottom of a 1 Ltr milk bottle off, starting 1/3 of the way up the bottle, then add soil and your seeds and you have a seedling pot!
- Milk bottle pot plant saucer
Sick of your pots draining onto your floor and creating a mess? No need to buy an expensive pot saucer, upcycle your milk bottle! Cut off the bottom ¼ of your 1Ltr or 2Ltr milk bottle depending on the size and use it as a tray to sit your pot in, capturing all of the drips.[5] Then, pop it into your nice display plant pot and none will be the wiser!
So, the next time you finish a bottle of milk, try upcycling the bottle as well. Make sure to tag us at @pariscreekfarms with your creations!
View the full Paris Creek Farms organic milk range here.
Are you looking for creative recipe inspiration to enjoy with your delicious organic dairy products? If so, you might like some of our other articles:
Gooey and Delicious Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Made with Greek Style Yogurt
The Health Benefits of Quark & Oma’s Quark Cheesecake Recipe
What the Quark? What It Is, Health Benefits and How to Use It
For the Love of Yogurt: 10 Tempting Recipes
5 Delicious and Indulgent Baked Brie Recipes
[1] 16 Creative ways to reuse and upcycle milk jugs, Kate Liam, 2015
[2] 16 Creative ways to reuse and upcycle milk jugs, Kate Liam, 2015
[3] Make a milk jug shovel, TinkerLab, 2020
[4] Grow your own garden with milk jugs, community health alliance
[5] 16 Creative ways to reuse and upcycle milk jugs, Kate Liam, 2015
