21 Ways to Recycle Empty Prescription Bottles
Posted on Thu Dec 6 2007
Recent coughs and ear infections in my household have left me with a pile of empty unrecycable RX bottles sitting on my kitchen counter waiting for me to figure out what to do with them. I hate to throw them away, but Wednesday’s curbside recycling doesn’t recycle this kind of plastic here and my CVS pharmacy doesn’t recycle or reuse them either. In an effort to find new uses for them I searched online and I have compiled a lists of these tips below.
Before reusing any empty prescription bottle in anyway take off the labels, so no one has access to your personal information and then clean and sanitize the bottles thoroughly.
STORAGE
1. Store seeds inside the bottles and then label the bottles according to the seeds they hold. Seeds that need to be kept cold can easily be placed inside the fridge in these bottles.
2. Glue several bottles next to each other and use the glued collection on your desk as a storage system for all your tiny things: rubber bands, paper clips, hair pins, needles, nails, bolts, screws, matches, etc. Or just place some fresh flowers inside to brighten up your office.
3. If you need a coin holder to place in your purse or your car, place your loose change in the prescription bottles. No more looking everywhere for change especially if you need to pay the toll.
4. Use these bottles to store Barbie’s high heels, jewelry etc.
DONATION
5. Donate your empty prescription bottles to your local vet, animal shelters, Some places will take prescription bottles and reuse them to fill prescriptions for the animals.
6. Some free clinics also take empty prescription bottles and reuse them. Ask if you can donate yours to the free clinic in your area. Right now North Point needs large prescription bottles.
7. Homeless shelters sometimes take empty prescription bottles. Call your local homeless shelter to find out if they do.
PETS
8. Makes a nice rattle/toy for cats (not babies). Put some dried beans inside and close it tight. Then let them play.
ART
9. If you like to paint decorative pieces and buy paint in large sizes to save money you can transfer some paint to these small containers to work on one or two projects at a time without using up all the paint or letting it dry up.
Food
Note: I have read in several places that it is not wise to use prescription bottles for any kind of food storage due to the residue that some prescriptions leave behind so please use caution if you decide to use any of the food storage tips below.
10. Here is an early valentine gift idea that involves reusing brown prescription bottles. Susan from Houston, TX fills hers up with chocolate kisses, relabels them "Rx for a Happy Valentine's Day, lots of hugs and kisses!" and then gives them to the people she loves.
Caution: Putting candy in a prescription bottle can confuse a child. Please be careful about where you place these reused prescription bottles and your real ones. Children can’t tell the difference between one and the other.
11. Turn prescription bottles into saltshakers. Paint the bottles or leave as is. Poke tiny holes in the caps then fill them with salt or pepper and use them as saltshakers.
12. If you pack salad for lunch a prescription bottle is a tiny storage place to store some salad dressing.
EMERGENCY
13. You never know when your clothes will rip or you’ll loose a button. A Mini Sewing kits would come in handy in a case like this. Some prescription bottles are big enough to store some needles and thread and maybe more.
14. A tiny emergency kit for a cut or scrape can fit in a prescription bottle: band-aids, cotton balls, q-tips and some tiny alcohol wipes.
15. Use to neatly store plastic bags in your purse in case you suddenly need a plastic bag, say during a car ride with someone that tends to get motion sickness
CRAFT
16. As part of a quilting tip quilt designer Mark Lipinski suggest to store thread spools in prescription bottles to prevent it from tangling. See how here.
17. Melt them and make them into jewelry. This is supposed to be a fun kids craft. For instructions on how to melt certain types of prescriptions bottles go here.
Note: I do not know what kind of pollution this release in the air. For less air pollution maybe they can just be cut into pieces.
18. Make tiny maracas
19. Store buttons, beads and other small craft items in these bottles.
20. Make a Snowman Christmas Ornament out of a prescription bottle. For directions go here.
21. If you live in Canada you can contact PHARM-ECOLOGICAL ON-LINE!. They work with pharmacies to recycle plastics including prescription bottles.
Most pharmacies don’t recycle prescription bottles because in some cases pharmacies don’t have the equipment or manpower to do it. Prescription bottles have to be cleaned and sanitized before they are reused.
Feel free to leave more tips or any comments below.
Resources: Thriftyfun
18 Comments so far!!
I love to use mine when traveling for liquids and creams like shampoo and conditioner. The flip top lids that come on my bottles, when placed the right way to make the bottles child proof, absolutely do not leak! Also, for boaters, use these bottles for things you don't want to lose in the water. vice versa, they are air tight, thus won't sink.
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What about concerns of contamination? Collecting my mom's bottles, which stored blood pressure medicine... makes me feel a bit uneasy of donating them, say, to the animal shelter.
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If you are dedicated to the recycling of these bottles and you don't mind a little trouble you could always wash them out before donating them.
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For those of you who lock yourself out of the house once in a while (certainly I have never done this!!) put a spare house key in the bottle and bury/hide it in a flower pot or garden area.
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I am a Pharmacist with Target and have been recycling our plastic prescription bottles as well as prescription stock bottles for months now with no problems. Most pharmacies are not set up to take customers bottles back to be recycle, but that does not stop customers from doing it themselves. At Target all of our bottles are made of #1 plastic (even the colored rings) so they are easily recycled. Just peal off or scribble out your personal information and toss the bottle in with your own recycling. Recycling processors wash all of the plastic by machine before using it for making new products so fear of drug contamination should be of little concern.
(Oh, and I do realize that many pharmacies do not have #1 plastic bottles... that's just another good reason to transfer your prescription to TARGET!) -- Thanks!
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I just came from refilling my prescription at Target in Alexandria, VA and not only would the pharmacy tech not recycle to bottle I brought to show what I needed refilled, she refused to take the bottle to throw in her trash can. Yours is obviously not a national program.
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I think that I personally have way too many Rx bottles, so trying out these "creative" uses for bottles would end after about 20 bottles. And I read where someone is making an art project out of them. THEY WILL STILL END UP IN THE LANDFILL.
How do we go about convincing the makers of these bottles to make them recyclable? I know a friend of mine just throws them in her recylable bin, but that DOES NOT mean they will be recycled. They are probably thrown out or the whole pile of recyclables is considered contaminated and the whole kit and kaboodle ends up in the landfill anyway. I'm saving mine until a better, more sustainable solution comes along.
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My husband uses larger prescription bottles for replacement ends on our shovel handles. He selects a bottle just a little large than the handle and then twists it on. That way they will never fall off. Then he puts electrical tape around it so it won't hurt our hands. Works great!
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Thanks for the good tip Maja, good on your husband to be so creative :)
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This response is to ANDY THE PHARMACIST FROM TARGET. I am a Pharm Tech at Costco and a student with intensions of applying for Pharmacy school this summer. I'm trying to organize a way to develop a local system of recycling the stock bottles from all the surrounding Pharmacies. This has been a goal of mine since I've worked in the Pharmacy. I'm hoping the success of such a project will increase the competivness of my future application.
Anyways, you sound very knowledgible in your response about Target's own recycling program. I would like to ask you a few questions if you would be willing to help me. Thanks!
email: kra_10@msn.com
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Lets forget about recycling the bottles for a minute and think about re-using them...for exactly what they were meant for, rxs. I know that many people take regular monthly medications. They should be able to bring our rx bottles back to the pharmacy for our refills...no need for a new bottle and no worry about contamination...same drugs are going in them. We tend to forget about all of the air polution that is made when we recycle....reusing and upcycling are better choices!
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Many christian mission trips going to places such as Haiti set up mobile clinics in area villiages where these empty RX bottles can be used. Check your local churches for these mission trips or you can probably find something online if you google it. The group I go with is heartsforhaiti.org based in Southern Indiana.
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Can this site be trusted, was one of my first thoughts! I like the ideas, but some of the pop-ups are bizzare! Ha ha! Humorous, but bizzare! Nice ideas on helping our animals and shelters, though!
*Nicholas*
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Being a knitter and crocheter, I can hardly wait for my husband's larger bottles. I store crochet needles, shorter double pointed knitting needles, stitch markers, etc. It certainly keeps my knitting bag clutter free.
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Where you purchase your perscriptions that is the place where the bottles should be returned for a discount on your next perscription.
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That's a great tip Lorraine :)
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Empty Rx bottles with childproof caps are an excellent way to safely discard "sharps" in household trash........syringe needles (for insulin dependent diabetics), bent sewing pins and needles, ruined thumb tacks, staples, toothpicks, the possibilities are endless! That way no one gets "stuck" taking out the trash.
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In my town, discarding "sharps" in anything other than an approved "Sharps Container" is the same as just throwing them in the trash, and can get you fined. Though it could be a solution for travel as long as you bring them home and dispose of them properly.
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I always like to be well prepared for any situation, whether it is traveling or going to the store. My Sister and Mom laughingly refer to my purse as 'Aunt Staci's Magic Purse'. If you need it - I most likely have it!!! I use bottles for items such as first aid kits, sewing kits, toothpicks, small hair accessories, wrapped hard candy, Pepcid Complete, etc. My Nieces and Nephews know to never get into my purse without asking, but to be on the safe side, I create colorful labels with a picture of what is in each bottle. I have one section of my purse reserved for these items. The absolute best use that I have discovered for certain sized bottles is to safely transport nail polish or trial sized perfume bottles - both in my purse and my luggage.
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I have some larger Rx bottles that i use to store my lancets(diabetic testing) in and recycle the boxes.
I also have a ton of them in my tool box filled with nails, screws, nuts, bolts etc.. I mark the bottles with the sizes.
They also work well in tackleboxes for hooks or whatever. Helps keep a tacklebox organized, and hepls to eliminate some hooked fingers.
I also use them for mini First-aid kits for the family. some different size bandages, couple neosporin singles, and a few alcohol prep pads. They can be thrown in a bookbag, briefcase or whatever.
I also use some of the longer ones to keep drink mix singles in to store in my backpack.
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I use them for putting in those doggy poop bags. Since i camp a lot and we have a leave no trace, it's a good way to hold a roll of the bags. I have no dog, however it's doubled as a sick bag too.
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I use Walgreens pharmacies, my bottles are #5's. Everything but a #6 is recyclable in my area (St. Louis). I suggest that if you have family in other parts of the country, have them check to see if they are recylable in their area, if they are, take them when you go to visit and put them in their recycle bin.
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Like Mark, I've been storing my used lancets and used strips from my Bloog Glucose meter in a prescription bottle when I test at work. I just save it until it is full and take it home to dispose of in my Sharps container. I love the pharmacy recycle idea. I would think that if it's my own bottle, there should be no contamination issues.
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