February - Reuse-it item: Milk Bottle Caps

There are a variety of fun, creative ways to reuse milk bottle caps. Here are some ideas that our bloggers have come up with. Add your own ideas in our comment section below!

Sarah
This DIY checker set uses lids all of the same colour and puts stickers on them to make two teams, but milk jug lids come in so many fun colours that no decoration is needed. This got me thinking that you could also use milk jug lids as replacement tokens in all kinds of games. Lost a checker piece from an otherwise full set? Substitute a milk jug lid. Not enough poker chips? Milk jug lid. Tiny top hat from your Monopoly game went missing? You guessed it: milk jug lid!

Mallory

As someone with an abundance of lamps without lampshades, finding this little project was almost an act of divine intervention! All you need is milk bottle lids, a needle with some string, and something circular (maybe an old coat hanger bent into a circle?). You can get as creative as you like with different colours hung in patterns or some spray paint for a nice uniform look for a truly personalized work of art and household practicality!

Tamara

Do you like putting up lots of photos, postcards, coupons, etc. on your fridge? A fun way to brighten up the outside of your fridge is to make magnets with plastic milk bottle lids! Just save those lids, wash 'em, buy some magnets and use a glue gun to stick them on!

Another cute idea? Write notes on the lids and pop them in your children's lunch boxes so they'll receive a cheerful message when they eat their lunch at school :)

Lana

This watering can made from a pierced milk jug lid and milk jug is ridiculously simple and also brilliant.  No more uncontrolled glugs from the water bottle for my plants!  Soon they will be showered with gentle droplets. 

Tutorial at A Journey To A Dream 

- Reuse Centre Volunteers

Halloween Tutorial - Milk Jug Lid Spiders

Nothing gives away your age like being obsessed with pipe cleaners and pompoms. Yup 70's child front and centre! Except when I was little they actually were for cleaning pipes and only came in yellow from the smoke shop. Hard to believe I'm only mid 30's right?

Moving swiftly on, just made these for the little guy and had to share, tons of fun, pompoms, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, ribbon, and ... milk jug lids, heaven.

Milk Jug Lid

Glue on your pompoms.

Glue on two more for eyes and 2 googly eyes.

Wrap base of lid in ribbon/bias tape just to hide the ugly plastic. If you have plenty of pompoms you could use those instead.

Cut a small piece of pipe cleaners for fangs and 8 Z shaped pieces for legs.

Glue on fangs.

Flip him/her over and glue the legs in place, hold on to each one for 5-10 secs to make sure it's glued properly or it will come off when you start rearranging the legs.

Flip it back over and play around with the legs until it either sits or stands.

It's ok they're tame, just don't feed them after midnight! (Ancient movie reference ahoy!)

- Emma (Volunteer)