Reusing coffee buckets

[mommajo143]

our office has lots of old/empty red plastic coffee cans - we go through a can of coffee every week or two... Before we throw them out anyone have ideas on ways to use them? Seems so wasteful... They all have lids & we have a variety of sizes (1#, 2#, 3#)...

 

[verleniahall]

https://www.pinterest.com/explore/plastic-coffee-containers/

 

[FigmentFinder]

This thread disappointed me. I was wondering who was serving refillable buckets of coffee.

 

[tvguy]

I'm older, all my old empty coffee containers are metal. I have nails and screws in some in my garage, my wife has clothes pins in them in the laundry room, I have matches in one next to the bbq in the back yard. Great storage containers.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We also use them in the garage for storing nails, screws, etc

We also start saving them when we know we have an upcoming paint project. The grips on them make it easy if you're standing on a ladder and cutting in along an edge. (Or if you're kneeling down doing baseboard trim.) Way easier than carrying a big can.

Most of the time though they just go in the recycle bucket.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Ask some teachers. I bet there are uses for them at schools.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Great for throwing change in them as well.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Great for throwing change in them as well.

Just what I was going to suggest! If you look on Pinterest, the red ones with the black tops make really cute Disney-themed coin jars. I have two in my house, one has "ears" on the top made with black foam and two yellow buttons on the bottom part (to look like mickey), the other one I didn't make so cutesy but my kids put disney stickers all over it.

Or you could paint them in coordinating colors and then put them on a shelf to organize all your little odds and ends in a pretty way.

 

[scrapquitler]

It's been a long time since I used cans of coffee, but when I did we always had our scrabble tiles in one. I also used them for crayons, legos, perler beads, whatever small toys the kids were playing with at the time.

 

[hsmamato2]

I love the pinterest ideas...these are great storage containers for all kinds of things,and you can make them look so pretty!

 

[Hikergirl]

I don't have any coffee buckets but I do have alot of those big peanut cans. I mod podge scrapbook paper over the outside and use them for storage of craft items.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Ask a teacher or if you go to church, ask the children's leader. I teach kindergarten music and I'd use a bunch and make a set of classroom drums for my kids to use.

Years and years ago when coffee cans were made of metal my grandma saved 7 of the same size and she and I made a footstool together. One can in the center and the other 6 around the edge to make a circle. I can't remember if we tied a rope around them to hold them together or what, but we put padding all around them and then sewed a cover for it. I still have it in the corner of my room.

 

[smokeyblue]

Why wouldn't you just recycle them? Seems like the most useful and practical solution.

 

[Stephanator]

I use one for my kitchen countertop compost container and empty it each day or two into my composting bin outside.

 

[fauna74]

Empty coffee cans are on the list of "Needs" for our local animal shelter. Maybe look into donating them to a local shelter?