How can I reuse or recycle muffin/cupcake cases?
(Oooh, alliteration!)
We’ve had a Compost This email from Charlie:
Can I compost those paper fairy cake cases?
I’m presuming the question is about used ones rather than a box of new ones (you’re not going to use them? Freecycle!) and the answer is a big, definite ‘maybe’.
The tiny cases I’ve got in my cupboard seem to be just paper so I’d probably risk those but other ones – particularly muffin cases and ones on bought-in cakes – tend to feel waxier. It might be that they’ve just been treated (supercalendered to make glassine) and are still just paper, but it also might be that they’ve been treated with a plasticizing agent, which may or may not be natural, and so may or may not be something you want in your compost heap. If you’re not sure of the composition of the material, it’s probably best leaving them out.
(If you’re baking at home and your cakes are always going to be eaten in the home, it might be worth getting some reusable cake cases – although they tend to be made from silicone so have a higher initial impact than paper ones.)
Thoughts?
Just be careful as food stuffs like this can attract mouse and rats.
To keep them away, make lots of noise around the compost as they dont like to nest in noisy sites. Also putting chicken wire around entry points stops them getting in.
Maybe the cases as in the plastic, transparent cases the cupcakes are in?
(At least here they are usually sold in those) I rarely buy cup cakes, but last week my hubby got some for us – and that cupcake plastic case/holder is just perfect for starting some plants in.
If you make cakes in these, and have ninja origami skills, you could make simple boxes out of greaseproof paper to bake your cakes in, however, this may not be practical if you have a load of little cakes to make.
I agree with Anna. I used the muffin cases for growing small herbs. It works great as a small liner in planters. It helps prevent the water from leaking through.