How can I reuse or recycle Ferrero Rocher boxes?

ferrero-rocher-boxWe’ve covered cardboard chocolate boxes before but Roger has asked specifically about plastic Ferrero Rocher boxes:

I know for legal reasons etc you might not be able to mention the product name, but every year the ambassador spoils my family with masses of trays of various sized ferrero rocher boxes. I am just looking for suggestions of what these could be used for.

They seem a waste to just bin, obviously, but i have about 5 and all i can think of is some form of cultivation tray. The boxes are sturdy but don’t particularly seal well, i was going to use one as a sandwich box, but they don’t fasten well.

Any tips on how to make an easily accessible hinge and locking mechanism for these would be great.

As Roger says, the flat single layer ones would be useful as seed trays – or underneath seed trays/planters to stop water draining all over the place. They’re a good shape for using as sprouting trays but my experience of them is that they tend to shatter quite easily if you try to cut into them/drill holes in them so drainage might be an issue.

I remember having one of the smaller/taller ones as a misc bits box as a kid and they would be useful for similar general misc storage as an adult too – they’d be perfect for nails, screws & random bits for the DIYer or buttons & beads for the crafter – they’re clear so it would be super easy to find things.

Any other suggestions?

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20 Responses to “How can I reuse or recycle Ferrero Rocher boxes?”


  1. Cipollina says:

    I am a FR junkie, and almost everybody gives me a box on gift-giving occasions, so I have quite a few.

    I haven’t found any other use for them than storage, though:

    The small ones I use for sewing stuff – they’re great for that, because you can see exactly what’s in them without opening. Shirt buttons, machine spools, needles, red threads in this one, green threads in that one…

    The big one-layered ones I use for yule ornaments – (tiny tree, tiny ornaments). Each colour has its box/es. This year the tree was clad from the silver boxes.

    I got a big heart shaped FR box once – but couldn’t find any use for it, so I gave it to my 9yo niece. She keeps her “jewellery” in it.

  2. Laura K says:

    My mom uses these as her secondary jewlery boxes. For places like by the bed, in the bathroom & for the jewlery she wears the most.

  3. Bobbie says:

    You could use the box as a base to decorate. It would make a very pretty box to use by the bedside or anywhere really.

  4. Lynsey says:

    If you do want to use it as a lunchbox how about just putting some elastic bands around it? The red ones that the postman drops all over the place would be good although I would wash them first! They would be good used in drawers as open ‘trays’ so that those little fiddly bits don’t get lost (batteries etc)

  5. Alice says:

    There was a recent previous post on what to do with those charity/awareness raising rubber bands now they’re going out of fashion – they’re perfect for keeping FR boxes shut.

    I have a couple with sewing things in them, they hold reels of cotton really well and the transparency makes it easier to find the colour you want without getting them all tangled up. Good for embroidery threads too.

    If very bored you could probably make a version of the cardboard fish tank with them http://kidkadoodlekrafts.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/awesome-aquarium/

    Or maybe fill it with pebbles to hold candles or insence – if you used glass beads or other transparent things the light would shine through it.

  6. Karen says:

    How about using for:

    Children’s crayons
    pens/pencils/erasers
    little toy pieces
    playing cards/game pieces
    push pins/thumbtacks/elastics
    stamps/paper clips
    organizing medication bottles
    loose photographs
    rolls of film
    gift box for homemade cookies/fudge etc.
    batteries
    post it notepads
    cookie/biscuit cutters
    icing/frosting decorating bag tips
    food/icing/frosting colour bottles/pots
    garden seed packets
    birthday candles
    nametags
    recipe box
    notecards/envelopes
    Christmas light replacement bulbs
    small dog/cat treats

    In the bathroom-
    cotton balls/make-up pads/Q-tips
    lipstick
    first aid supplies/Bandaids
    hair ties/ribbons/barettes/clips
    nail varnish/polish bottles
    make up brushes
    eyeliner/lipliner pencils

  7. Emily says:

    you could use it as a holder for photos maybe (:

  8. Since the plastic is quite brittle, the box is unsuitable for heavy duty or frequent use. My friend Serina set up a nature club for children from low-income families and uses FR boxes for the Club museum. Line the boxes with tissue and put items for display inside. So far we have moulted snake skin, some seaweed, unusual seeds, snail shells and dead insects on display. It keeps things neat, visible and accessible at a very low cost.

  9. Andy Walker says:

    You could use them to soundproof any rooms that may need soundproofing.

  10. MSunflower says:

    Unfortunately they break so easily that every time I have used one for storing anything I’ve had to end up throwing it out due to the plastic snapping. :(

    But I imagine you could decoupage these from the inside or paint them…that would look pretty cool!

  11. If you cant come up with a reuse idea for it please dont put it into you general waste recycle it instead!
    To make sorting and thus recycling plastic easier, the American Society of Plastics Industry developed a standard marking code to help consumers identify and sort the main types of plastic. If you google recycling plastic these codes are displayed, tt will be a number between 1 and 7 highlighting the type of plastic. Most councils mixed recycling collections will take certain types of plastic and recycle it for reuse in manufacturing.

  12. Alice says:

    Find anyone who identifies or breeds moths, the smaller (16 chocolate) boxes are really brilliant for putting the moths in while identifying them (before releasing them). They are also the same size and shape as commercially available larval breeding boxes.

    Great for kids to collect any beasties they are interested in as you can get the invertebrates into the box easily and have a good look at them.

  13. David Ballantyne says:

    The 16 chocolate size boxes i use for storing and displaying some of my model soldier collection, with these boxes being perfectly clear and also quite strong, they are ideal for this purpose.

    I would love to know where i can obtain a good supply of these boxes without having to eat loads of the chocs, although i do quite like them.

  14. Hawaiian Librarian says:

    Library patron just “gifted” me w/ 13 empty double FR plastic boxes that were about to be discarded @ Costco/Sam’s Club [warehouse-type store]. I’m turning them into a holiday crafts class making Christmas Memory Boxes” that we’ll decorate simply w/ ribbons, snowflake stickers, and paper diecut shapes. Wish me luck!

  15. Rainy says:

    Hi, my mum uses them for home made fudge, the reason I ended up on this website was trying to find empty boxes people wanted to recycle.

  16. Gerard says:

    You can use them to display miniature cars. The boxes containing 16 Rochers are perfect for most 1:43 models. Bigger models (like tanks) can fit into 32 Rochers boxes.

  17. Sue says:

    The flat square ones look great as a gift box filled with home made cakes/pastries/chocolates in individual paper cases with a ribbon round and a gift tag covering the FR label.You can even stack two together and just use the one lid for a family sized gift.

  18. Dominique Adam says:

    I love Ferrero Rocher boxes as butter dishes. They are the perfect size for a block of butter!



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