How can I reuse or recycle Strepsils “handy tubes”?

Hey team. Apologies for the lack of a post on Friday – I was ill with my second cold of 2011 (which, given it was only the 7th of Jan, I thought was pretty good/bad going. I’m in the constant coughing stage now, such fun.) I spent the whole day in bed wishing I could get a sinus transplant – only momentarily distracted by the new DEFRA 2009-2010 recycling stats by area report – numbers are the best medicine ;)

Those who know that Strepsils are a vaguely medicinal lozenge for sore throats will probably be able to see that the inspiration for this post came from my sick bed.

For years, they’ve been sold in blister packs but now you can get them in plastic “handy tubes” too. I would imagine that the tubes use more packaging per tablet than the blister packs but they seem considerably easier to reuse, and reuse often, than blister packs.

The tubes are sturdy plastic, just less than 2cm/an inch in diameter and about 10cm/5ins long. The lid pops off but re-seals securely – the new camera film canister, perhaps?

The tube I’ve got smells strongly of “honey & lemon” so I’m not sure I’d want to use it for food items in the first instance but it would be perfect in a sewing kit – somewhere to keep needles, buttons or other small fastenings, or even a whole emergency kit for carrying in a handbag. As the top’s seal feels at least water-tight, it would probably be great for taking small quantities of shampoo or conditioner (etc) when travelling.

Any other suggestions?

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9 Responses to “How can I reuse or recycle Strepsils “handy tubes”?”


  1. Su says:

    I use Berocca tubes, which I presume are similar, for carrying all those fiddly, little knitting accessories (needle, crochet hook etc) around with me. Very similar to a sewing kit I know.

  2. bookstorebabe says:

    Matches and such for when one is hiking/camping/fishing?

  3. ecogrrl says:

    how about recycling them with your hard plastic, or do the recycling centers there not accept hard plastics? or (you won’t like this) don’t buy things in packaging you can’t recycle? :)

    • louisa says:

      Hehe, I don’t mind you saying that – it’s the most important thing. ;)

      There isn’t a resin code on tube so I don’t know what type of plastic it is. My guess would be 2, HDPE, possibly but I’m not sure. What I do know though is that it’s probably going to be easier to recycle – once identified – than the old blister packs, and it is certainly more reuseable in the meantime.

  4. Could it be used for collecting £1/$1 coins in?

  5. We think it would be HDPE but much better to reuse lightweight plastic like this is any productive manner possible.

    Ideal for keeping little sharp things out of the way of the kids. Drawing pins. You could also use them to store loose fuse plugs or any other little bits and pieces.

    Reuse first recycle later if it’s no longer fit for any purpose. Recycling is never the automatic best solution for any material.

  6. I use them as pill containers when I am travelling, and also as containers and sorters for small items like beads, buttons, nails and screws. I can also wind ribbons or yarn for reuse around the tubes and tuck one end of the ribbon / yarn securely into the lidded section.

  7. SMW3 says:

    My first thought was that they’d be great for sorting and storing beads, but then I realized that I need them! Kids study simple and complex machines. We examine Rube Goldberg’s creations and ask the kids to design one of their own. We are doing Camp Invention next week at my school and I’d love a bag of them for Camp each year.

    Check your local schools and see if they could use them for lessons or afterschool enrichment classes. Offer to host a class yourself and teach kids ways to find ways to upcycle household items like this. PTAs often arrange afterschool classes, so you may want to contact one at a local school.
    Sandy

  8. Ulechka says:

    Great for keeping in it a stick of chock.



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