Comments on: How can I reuse or recycle glue stick tubes?

By: I Brand

I Brand — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:49:36 +0000

Fill empty tubes with melted paraffin wax and keep them in an airtight container with waterproof matches. Place this container with your camping supplies or emergency kit. Paraffin is the product used in fire starters; available in your local grocer’s canning isle. Simply trim off a little onto the lower pieces of wood (even damp wood) and light ‘er up! Paraffin guarantees your fire will light every time. Great for fireplaces, BBQ pits, and and a whole lot more. Paraffin can be used as a lubricant like WD40 in places where WD40 won’t work; such as a light bulb that won’t screw into its socket. However, when lubing a light bulb, be sure to wipe off any excess as the product is highly flammable yet safe enough to eat. Did you know it’s in most every candy bar you consume? A lot of other products, too! Paraffin is one of those versatile products you simply can’t live without. You can also use them as jewelry travel cases to keep your necklaces from tangling as long as pendants are small enough to fit inside the tube. And how about using it as a money camouflage product? Nobody will every know where you’re hiding that folded $100 bill for emergency purposes! Place it inside your boots that are also in your emergency kit. These are off the top of my head but feel free to run an engine search on the uses of paraffin and HAPPY RECYCLING!

By: Jo Turpin

Jo Turpin — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:50:38 +0000

Hi Heather,

I work in a primary school and, as you can imagine, we get through quite a few glue sticks (although not as many now the budget is a bit tight).
We are also a keen eco school and would be very glad to forward our empty glue sticks to you. (They are sometimes in a bit of a mess.)
Please email me if you would like us to forward our supply to you. We would only be too happy to help.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Jo Turpin

By: Heather Jenkins

Heather Jenkins — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 20:42:36 +0000

I am always looking for empty glue stick containers for my work with children with behaviour problems. I use them to hide little log books and memory joggers and they keep them in their pockets. I will gladly take them off your hands, please get in touch!!

By: Lizzy

Lizzy — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:10:06 +0000

use them to fill with homemade deodorant (about the consistency of slightly ‘sandy’ lip balm) ….I know I thought ‘eeew gross’ when I came across making my own deo – but now I’m smelling incredibly fresh.

(In case you wanted to know , I make it from very finely ground chalk powder, bicarbonate of soda ground very very finely in a pestle and mortar, enough coconut oil for it to stick together, and a few drops of tea tree oil)

By: ???

??? — Sun, 10 May 2009 01:51:04 +0000

the crayon was great. thanks for the info.

By: Amberjet

Amberjet — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:50:30 +0000

I can’t remember the website where I saw the idea, but you can fill it with melted butter and then keep it in the fridge for use on toast, corn on the cob, etc.

By: angela hunter

angela hunter — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:07:28 +0000

You could reuse your old glue stick by making it into a retractable blusher/ face powder brush. Clean the old glue stick out, use scrap fabric and old necklace beads stuck on with pva to cover the writing on the cover. Cover the lid in a similar way. Cut the head off a blusher/small paint brush drill a hole down the centre of the remains of the handle and stick it on the retractable sprial part in the glue stick container so that the head can be full retracted when not in use. PVA should work for this. Show your friends, and encourage them to reduce, reuse and recycle.

By: jordan

jordan — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:28:29 +0000

ellmers has a program

By: lennyb

lennyb — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:14:31 +0000

try this. clean out an old gluestick
then remove the guts what you have left is a tube and a screwcap or a push on cap.
take the cap from another identical stick and glue it to the other end of the tube . now you have a little tube that can be used to hold various things{money,toothpicks,survival kit, etc}
dont forget to recycle the leftover bits.

By: ABPryor

ABPryor — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:48:10 +0000

Great idea!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Office recycler

Office recycler — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:16:07 +0000

If they’re small ones, try making your own lip balm and filling them full of that. Or maybe if you’re into cycling, fill one full of grease for keeping in the saddle toolkit. If you’re into camping, they’ll keep your matches dry.

By: Trish

Trish — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:15:47 +0000

Pour melted crayon pieces into it. Make it into a crayon.

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:17:10 +0000

How about giving them a good wash, filling them up with cordial and putting them in the freezer. Then when frozen, take the stick and knob out the bottom of the tube and you have lollies! Only thing I’m not sure about is how water-tight those things tend to be.

By: Lynsey

Lynsey — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:57:42 +0000

The only thing I can think of is to cut the lids down so that they are a lot shallower and to pop a picture in it, bit of magnet on the back and voila – a fancy magnet for your fridge. They would make great presents if you chose the images to suit you recipient!