Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to use empty prescription bottles? Unfortunately I receive many medications on a monthly basis and I really do not want to throw them out. I have been using the large ones to collect spare change, mainly quarters for laundry. Thanks for your feedback!
By Myrna from Bronx, NY
I use to put buttons, beads and other small crafting, sewing and jewelry making supplies in. Make a good bug catcher too if you can see through them to amuse the kids for awhile.
Donate bottles to local pet shelter for adopted pets for meds.
Use for spices bought in small amounts in health food store. Use for shampoo, conditioner lotion when traveling or going to gym. Use for water to rinse brushes for kids or adults while painting.
I save my empty prescription bottles and take them to our vet. They can reuse the bottles whereas a drugstore cannot. They're always very grateful.
I put sewing needles, pins, extra bobbins, buttons, etc. in them.
Can I legally reuse my prescription bottles? I put flax seed in empty ones. Do I have to take the label off?
By Karen
Just wanted to give you another way to store stuff would be to use spice bottles. Just wash the labels off and re-label.
Yes you can. And yes, you should take off the labels if for no other reason than 1. you can see what is inside and 2. thieves won't be tempted.
I use them for crafts, quarters, camping stuff and so much more. Good luck!
voices.yahoo.com/
It is not illegal to re-use an empty prescription bottle for another purpose, but it can be dangerous unless you remove the old label. Be sure to label any container with what it actually holds so that no mistakes are made.
I reuse mine all the time. However always remove the labels from the bottles. Then when you use them, I write on the outside (with a sharpie) whatever I put inside the bottle.
I have used them for taking a small amount of handcream in my purse, put aprins in them, toothpicks in them. The list can go on and on. Just always be sure to write what you put in them.
Hi - are you asking this question for your own personal/family use? If so, then it is okay to reuse as others have responded. If for other reasons - then I would not reuse.
How can I earn money with old medicine bottles?
Angelica from Thomaston, GA
I think you woud have to make sure that they are TOTALLY clean - no residue at all - and the label peeled off. You could put small things into them and maybe decorate the outside somehow? and sell them as some sort of unique gift for older kids, put homemade lip balm or lotion into them, Market them as travel holders for safety pins/toothpicks/sewing kit.
Good luck with this. Remember that one man's trash is another man's million dollars!
What do you mean by medicine bottles? Do you mean plastic prescription medicine containers? I wasn't aware you could earn money with them. Could you give anymore info? Were you wanting to making something with them, or Sell the empty containers? You need to be more specific as I don't know for sure what you mean.
I have tons of empty prescription containers that I've pulled off the labels and 'cept for saving a few for my own use, plan to see if I can donate to an animal hospital for them to dispense pet meds.
I don't know that you can earn a lot of money with pill bottles they do however, have uses. We run a bird rescue and toys are very expensive. I sometimes use the bottles as foot toys for the smaller guys.
If we are speaking of used prescription bottles. I have taken stock. I use the larger ones to store cone/stick incense. I also use the larger ones to store fresh,dried herbs. The smaller bottles I use as vitamin organizers. I glue 7 to a box, and marked each lid with the corresponding letter of the week. My daughter makes jewelry, so we use the small bottles for findings and beads,etc, etc,.
Are you referring to old, glass medicine bottles?
ok a friend online gave me this and im giving it to you .make sugarscrub there are lots of online reciepes and put them in bottles and sell on ebay as samples of your homemade bath scrub. as you get orders start saving glass bottles and start using them for larger quanities.and make sure you put in your ad they are purchasing a homemade product and you use recycled glass containers. my friend out in the midwest did this and is doing very well with it.by the way you could also bring them with you and give samples to all the people you deal with everyday. it may take alittle time but they will buy. good luck and god bless
I do not want to make money. But I think it is a waste for me to be throwing them away the plastic prescription medicine containers. Yes some of them I have used to put screws and long nails plus cotton balls in them what about the rest. Some one will come up with what can be done with them I hope. Thank You Marion
Just an idea. I have alot of empty orange plastic medicine bottles and I use to throw them away. One day it snapped. I took a board, 2x4, and screwed the lids to the bottom side of the board and then attached the bottles to the lids. I labeled all of them for my husband. I use the for screws nuts and bolts in the garage. He loved it. Hope this helped someone. Thanks!
If you mean vintage bottles, many people like to collect them. I would think you could put them on consignment at a local antique store or sell them on eBay.
Any suggestions what to do with pill bottles? Crafts? Donation to organizations?
Any and all suggestion appreciated!
Pill bottle uses
There are many craft ideas for pill bottles. You can use them to make a wreath, some peple make storage bottles out of them for their sewing cabinets. There are so many things you can do with them from making snowmen to a piggy bank. Here is a site that should get you started using up all your old pill bottles. homesthetics.net/
You could do lots with pill bottles.
If you're a seed-saver, pill bottles are a good place to store the seeds. be sure to label the bottles.
This is NOT my auction, but what I do is sell them on eBay:
www.ebay.com/
This lot of 135 pre-owned empties sold for 29.16. Now the SELLER paid for shipping, so he/she probably netted $20 after fees and postage.
For those that have any damage to them and are in a number my town recycles, those go in the recycle bin.
Probably the biggest use right now is for storing craft materials as they are ideal for for all the small pieces used in this line.
Sewing - needles, buttons, pins, even zippers, sewing kit for travel/car/purse
Fishing - hooks, faux bait, sinkers, fly fishing supplies, (some are waterproof but not all)
Jewelry - store earrings, bracelets, necklaces, etc
Jewelry - supplies for making jewelry
Sell - these can be listed for sale on eBay and other sale sites but they are not fast sellers. Check eBay for examples of all size lots and prices are up and down all the time. Place a 'watch' on any you would like to if they sell.
Probably a lot that I have never seen or even heard of so check Google for more. Here is one site to check out:
www.diyncrafts.com/
Has anybody figured out a use for those blue cases that some prescriptions come in?
By sheila hagen from Boise, ID
Do you mean the blue flat dispensers that you have to pop out the pill daily? What a waste and a "pain" to deal with. Wonder which genius dreamed those up! Would be nice to think up a use for the old ones but I don't have a clue sorry!
If you find a local crafter on freecycle.com, you can donate them.
People find that quarters for the laundry work great in them. You can use them for camping to keep matches dry, esp' if they are the kind that seal well. You can roll stamps inside, keep office supplies and first aid in your car or dorm.
Here is something that I did and submitted. Just keep in mind, tiny, airtight, see through, and if you don't need them, donate them to the local crafter's guild. They will erect a shrine to you!
www.thriftyfun.com/
Now, if you are talking about the ones that flip up, then those are great for buttons, separating coins for parking, keeping fake nails apart, bead storage and more then there is room in my brain at 3:36am!
I haven't found a use for them so I just recycle them with our other plastics once a month. I make sure I peel the labels off first. Our garbage company takes plastics numbered 1-7!
I like them because the days are labeled and I can remember if I took my pill that day. I also take the plastic foil thingy out (don't know what it's called)
and throw it away before recycling.
This is a page about making a pill bottle first aid kit. Having a mini first aid kit in your purse or backpack can come in handy.
This is a page about making a pill bottle hide-a-key. It is easy to have a weather proof hidden key outside your home to make sure you can always get inside.
Rather than throwing them away or into the recycle bin, you can make many creative projects using medicine or pill bottles. This is a page about craft ideas for used medicine or pill bottles.
A great way to reuse your prescription bottles is as a car air freshener. You can drill holes in the lid and put some scented oil on cotton balls inside it. This is a page about prescription bottle auto air freshener.
Use one of those old prescription bottles banging around in a drawer to make a small, portable sewing kit. This page contains ideas for making a prescription bottle sewing kit.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
I have a zillion empty old prescription bottles, the plastic kind and don't have the heart to get rid of them. I know they could be used for something. Any ideas? - Murph
My husband and I have a lot of medicine bottles that I throw away. I hate throwing them away if they can be used for something else. Could someone give me some ideas on how to recycle them?
Anyone have any ideas of what to do with old prescription bottles? I have been saving them for a long time. I want to use them for something useful or crafty, but haven't thought of anything yet.
Does anyone have ideas for using medicine bottles? I have a bucket full of clean, empty plastic pill bottles. Hate to just toss them.
