What a Way to Recycle!

Jeanne Johnson Ortego
by Jeanne Johnson Ortego
5 Materials
$2
2 Hours
Easy
I was desperately in need of some storage solutions, but couldn't find anything to suit my needs in the stores (that I was willing to pay for, anyway), so I started looking around my house to see what I had on hand that I could use. I am sick of trying to get a drill or other hand tool and having to dig through tangled electrical cords, often having to move one to get to another. Also, I hate leaving my bottled water in its plastic wrap in the fridge, but also hate when my bottles fall over if I leave them loose. This is what I came up with:
Raw Materials for storage; i.e. Recyclables
I gathered the materials that I wanted to use, then went to work.
Checking the size needed.
I marked where the duct tape reached on the roll, then cut about 1/4" smaller so that tape could be turned in on edges. Then I cut the paper towel roll to fit the tape.
Next, I rolled the tape around the cardboard, cut it and taped the ends over the edges. One storage solution done!
Tired of the mess!
Using a wire lid holder that I had on hand, I grouped my corded drills and staple guns and glue gun and used the wrapped paper towel rolls to gather up the cords. The I placed them in the slots for the lids.
So much neater and easier to use!
Now to tackle the mess in my refrigerator! I measured the boxes to make sure that they would hold the bottles securely, even if they weren't full. Then I took some decorative floral sticky backed paper and cut it to the size of the inside of the boxes. I lined them with the paper strictly for the look, and then placed them in the fridge to hold up the water bottles. I ended up using three separate boxes because they can hold differing amounts of bottles securely.
Once I had the boxes lined, I filled them with water bottles. I love it, because now I can rearrange the bottles and space as needed, rather than having a huge case of water taking up all the premium space in my fridge. Best of all, these ended up not costing me anything extra, because I recycled the materials! Don't worry, I recycle the bottles, too!
Resources for this project:
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Frequently asked questions
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  • Linda Orwick Reed Linda Orwick Reed on Jan 06, 2018

    Great idea. Looks nice. I read that the air should move freely in the frig, so wondering if the boxes would constrict that? Boxes and tight fighting is good for the freezer though. Maybe as you can afford (or find sales) wire containers, replace the boxes with them in frig. Again, great idea.

  • Jan Drayton Jan Drayton on Jan 08, 2019

    I wonder if the cardboard in the refrigerator would still absorb moisture even with the covering? fun idea.

  • Regina Sue Hite Regina Sue Hite on Feb 02, 2019

    Can this be used on counter tops?

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  • Terry Terry on Jan 26, 2024

    Jeanne, I think you have done a wonderful job! I do the same with boxes that I get from my local Aldi for the shelves in my pantry. I cover them with wallpaper that I bought for less than a dollar a roll at my local Habitat for Humanity REstore. Loaded up on that stuff for all kinds of projects!! I also use toilet paper rolls for all kinds of cords. For extension cords I mark the length on the TP roll. Would have never thought to cover them with duct tape to make them sturdier. Great tip. Since you recycle your water bottles thought I’d let you know of a good way to upcycle them: you can cut the top and bottom off of them to store the more heavy duty cords that come on power tools. They work great for that. I use a few plastic trays from Dollar Tree for my fridge. One is a shallow tray (11x15x4) and the other is a bit larger (11 1/2 x 17 1/2 x 6 1/2). The taller ones are great for taller items and the shallow ones fit on those shallow shelves. The best thing about both is that I can slide them in and out to get things in the back! No more lost items hidden in the rear of the shelves to go bad!! Those plastic trays are not flared like most bins you find. I also use the taller ones for my freezer. They are only $3 and shallow trays are $1.25. Probably cheaper than the contact paper you use to cover your boxes. But your boxes look great and if that’s what works for you good for you for upcycling!! Job well done.

  • Terry Terry on Jan 26, 2024

    Sorry that was so long! I forgot to say I loved the idea of using a pot lid holder for the power tools! I would never have thought of that. We store most of our power tools in a file cabinet in our garage and adding a pot lid holder to each drawer would probably help a lot the smaller tools. Going to give that a try! Thanks for the great tip!

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