17 Reasons to NEVER Throw Out Your Yogurt Containers

I am not sure who is more into recycling these days at our house, my kids or me. They definitely ask questions every time I put something in the trash about why it cannot be recycled, which certainly gets me thinking and keeps me on my toes. One of our favorite containers to reuse are yogurt cups. I wash them after we enjoy the yogurt and I save them. We eat yogurt everyday, so that is a lot of yogurt cups!

Chances are, you can find a way to reuse a yogurt cup every single day. In fact, I am sure it would be pretty easy.

Below are 17 reasons why I save mine.

1. Bath Toys - These make the perfect bath toy. Punch holes in the bottom for a neat waterfall effect. Throw a few into the bath and watch your little ones play!

2. Worm House - Summer is coming so grab those yogurt cups and head outside to do some digging with the little ones! They can keep their worm finds in there for a little while before letting them back into your plant bed. You will be shocked at how long they will spend making the perfect “home” for their worm friends!

3. Seedlings - Of course most containers are good for seedlings, but yogurt cups are just the right size! Punch a few holes in the bottom for drainage and plant away. I especially love these Koru yogurt cups because of their transparency. The kids LOVE watching their seedlings grow! What better way to teach your children about root structures.

4. Guitar picks - Yep, you are reading it right. This thickness of plastic is generally a good gauge for guitar picks. Either grab a punch like this or just cut out your own!

5. Sand Toys - Just like in the bath, punch holes in the bottom for a great sifter. Use it to make sand castles or as a container to collect seashells. Once again, it is a great cheap alternative and they come in all different sizes!

6. Crayon Holder - Play a color separating game with your preschooler by using each one as a container for different colors of crayons. With multiple siblings, you can give each one their own “set of crayons” when coloring if sharing isn’t exactly working. 😉 Here is another way of turning your yogurt container into a crayon holder.

7. Portion control for snacking at home - Many times I have a hard time judging what a small handful is, but it turns out the size of a yogurt cup is perfect for this (single serving of course). So, grab some almonds, goldfish, crackers, whatever, put them in your yogurt cup, and snack away.

8. Bangle Bracelets - Check out this cool craft/tutorial by Dreamy Colours. You can make bangle bracelets out of your yogurt cups. C is going to be all over this when I show her! It would be great for a get together with girls!

9. Rock Salt Scoop - We always have trouble pouring rock salt straight from the bag during those icy winter months. Keep a yogurt cup in the bag to decrease the amount that you use and for easy spreading.

10. Cat Food Scoop - Use it as a scoop for dog or cat food.

11. Box Top Saver - We are inundated with box tops these days and save them for both children’s schools. It is nice to have a container with each child’s name on it to keep those box tops. I have even seen some people save the plastic top to the yogurt and cut a slit in it so the box tops can’t fall out.

12. Paint containers - This is especially useful for those small projects where you may not want to lug around an entire paint container. It is also useful for separating colors when the kids are painting as well. I also use this as a water cup for water colors too.

13. Bird Seed Scoop - Spring is the time (well really so is winter, summer, and fall) to fill up your bird feeders. I keep mine stored in a sealed container with a yogurt cup in there to help with scooping.

14. Easter egg dying - When you are using natural dyes, they don’t give you those neat cups to dye your eggs in. Stock up on yogurt cups throughout the year and use them when the time comes.

15. Snow Toy - We listed bath and beach, but why not use them to make snow castles??

16. Protect your cup holders - These fit nicely in the cup holders of your car for nice long trips where it may be more economical to buy one bag of a snack and divvy it up by using yogurt cups! Hand a yogurt cup to each kiddo so that they can have their own little container and you can put one right next to you for yourself too without getting crumbs in the cup holder. (I hate crumbs in the cup holder!!)

17. Bead Container - This would be a great way to store beads on a roadtrip for that crafty little girl that can’t stop making necklaces. Again, fits great in a cup holder!

Now, these are my 17 favorite ones…for now, but I feel like every day I am thinking of new ways to use those yogurt cups! Like crafts…the crafts are ENDLESS with these. What are your favorite uses for these?

Make sure to check out my other “upcycling” post: 19 Reasons NOT to Just Throw Away Egg Cartons

Because I love connecting with people, this post is also linked to: Fabulously Frugal Linky and Thrifty Thursday

About Lauryn Blakesley

A woman out to explore, celebrate, and enjoy everything that my community and living locally has to offer. Blessed with three beautiful children and an incredible husband, our family embraces adventure while dreaming of what is to come. Lover of knitting, running (although mostly after little ones right now), the color orange, fun accessories, fall, tea, and a clean kitchen floor. I spend my days in awe of my family and trying to teach my three to treat others as they would want to be treated.

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