How can I reuse or recycle jars with shaker tops?

Spice jars with shaker topsWe’ve had an email from Natalie:

I’ve got a few plastic pots that I don’t know what to do with. They had herbs and ground pepper in so they have shaker tops or one side shaker, one side pour. Any ideas?

We use lots of spices so bulk buy them in bags and refill tubs like that for culinary convenience – so that’s one option.

On a slightly bigger scale, we’ve got a (very clearly marked) old table salt bottle filled with bicarbonate of soda – the bicarb comes in cardboard boxes to start with and the pour function makes it easier to, well, pour and the plastic bottle protects it better from moisture.

Any other suggestions?

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9 Responses to “How can I reuse or recycle jars with shaker tops?”


  1. Nicole says:

    Could they be filled with water and used to water plants?

  2. kairon13 says:

    Use for storing and sprinkling glitter and tiny beads for card-making.

  3. Anonymous says:

    i smell jewlery orginizinggg!

  4. Kevin says:

    You glue two matching lids top-to-top and then drill a hole through them both (or use lids with matching holes). You screw the two jars to their respective lids, adding sand or bb’s to one would make an hourglass timer.

    You could add or remove sand to match it to the time it takes to do common kitchen tasks: soft-boiling an egg, seven-minute frosting, making toast, baking cookies, boiling noodles, etc. You could make timers for everything. You’d be awarded bonus points if you match the former contents to the task.

  5. Hester Jane says:

    When my children were little they used them in their play kitchen. We would put beads in them so they could pretend to season their cooking. See photos and other ideas at my website.

    http://www.funinthemaking.net/2008/06/03/children%E2%80%99s-play-kitchen-seasonings-ideas-for-spicing-up-imaginative-play/

  6. Pat says:

    you can refill clean ones with talcum powder, the small bottle of talcum powder is nearly as expensive as the larger ones. Or fill with cornstarch instead and use that as a substitute for powder.

  7. Pat says:

    Make your own colored sugar and cinnamon sugars and use those bottles instead of buying the pre-filled bottles.

  8. Nastia says:

    Fill them with confectioner’s sugar to sprinkle on baked goods.

  9. Uluska says:

    They are useful to plant tiny seeds, just shake them onto the soil.



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