How to Recycle Old Coffee Mugs

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 29, 2022 References

Coffee mugs seem to multiply on their own over time. You may want to recycle some old mugs because they’re broken, old, or seem to be taking over your kitchen cabinet. Fortunately, there are some options out there that will allow you to keep those coffee mugs out of the landfill. To recycle old coffee mugs, you can use them for a creative purpose, as storage, or even give them away if just you want them out of your sight.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Getting Creative with Old Coffee Mugs

1
Grow small plants in the coffee mugs. They are for good growing small houseplants like herbs, cacti, and succulents. All you need to do is add a little soil and add the plant or seedling. Put the mug in a place where it will get a lot of sunlight, like your windowsill.^{[1]
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- Try to avoid watering it too much because the mug doesn’t have a drainage hole.
2
Make a candle inside of the mug. Candles also seem to accumulate all over the household through the years. Get rid of some of those candle holders and glasses while reducing the amount of mugs in your cabinet by combining the two! All you have to do is melt some wax inside of the mug, add a wick, and then you’re good to go. Light up the candle and relax. Just make sure not to grab the mug for coffee in the morning.^{[2]
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- Making candles on your own is also a great way to save money.
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3
Crush the mugs and use them as drainage rock. Let out some frustration by crushing up mugs for a useful purpose. Put the mugs underneath a thick cloth and crush them using a mallet or hammer. Don’t get too crazy, but crush them enough so that you end up with small pieces. Then, use the pieces as drainage stone at the bottom of flower and houseplant pots. The small bits of ceramic work as well as gravel for encouraging soil drainage.^{[3]
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4
Give the mugs to your kids for crafting projects. Let your kids release some creative energy by giving them coffee mugs to craft with. This is a cheap and easy way to let your kids develop the artistic talent you know they have. Allow your children to decorate the unwanted mugs with acrylic paint, construction paper, or other decorative materials. When finished, the mug can be used as storage for colored pencils or other small objects.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Old Mugs for Storage

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Use the mug as a gift holder. This works best with a mug you don’t want that isn’t stained or too personal. No one wants to receive a coffee stained mug that is labeled with your name (unless they share the same name). Put candy or some other gift, like a gift card, inside of a clean mug. Wrap a ribbon around the mug and give it as a small gift to someone from work, school, or to a friend.^{[4]
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2
Use the old coffee mugs to store pencils and pens. Maybe you received that mug that says #1 Dad twenty years ago, but you can’t bear to part with it. A coffee mug also makes a great pencil or pen holder for your desk. Enjoy the sentimental value while organizing your office space.^{[5]
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- If you have a lot of mugs that need reusing, you can store office or crafting supplies like staples and paperclips inside of them.
3
Store your toiletries in a mug. Never use your partner’s toothbrush by accident again by using an old mug to separate toiletries. You can also store your toothbrush and toothpaste in one mug and keep things like your hairbrush and razor in another. Be sure to put the mugs in a place where they won’t be easily knocked over by a sleepy person early in the morning.^{[6]
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4
Make a storage unit with three mugs and a piece of wood. Use your old mugs for something practical and decorative. You just need three mugs, an adhesive, and a piece of wood. This works especially well if the three mugs match, but it’s not definitely not necessary. Evenly space the mugs on the wood, attach them, and hang up your work wherever you’d like. You can store things like towels, keys, or whatever you want in them.^{[7]
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- Make sure the coffee mugs are secured really well before hanging the piece up, or you may accidentally end up with material for a mosaic.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Getting Rid of the Mugs

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Donate the old coffee mugs to a thrift store. If your mugs are perfectly fine but unwanted, donating them is a good option. Thrift stores that sell housewares will usually accept donations of unwanted mugs, but it doesn’t hurt to ask any local thrift store. Then your old mugs can be enjoyed by someone else until they’re broken or ready to be recycled again.^{[8]
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2
Ask your recycling program if they accept ceramic. More and more recycling facilities are accepting materials outside the usual aluminum, glass, and plastic categories. Do a quick search online to see if any recycling programs in your area accept ceramic for recycling. Keep in mind that many programs that recycle ceramic exclusively mainly accept large bathroom fixtures like toilets and sinks, so make sure they accept coffee mugs before traveling there for no reason.
3
Hand over your coffee mugs to an artist. Mosaic is a popular and super cool style of artwork where images are pieced together from bits of broken glass, ceramic, or other materials. Local artists may be interested in crushing your coffee mugs for use in environmentally friendly mosaic art. Plus, art supplies are expensive, so this could be a big help for a talented artist.^{[9]
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- Advertising the mugs on a classifieds site like Craigslist or Freecycle is an ideal way to get in touch with artists.
4
Sell the mugs in a garage sale. Get rid of your old mugs, along with other unused items, and make a little cash at the same time. Just be sure that the mugs you’re selling are clean and unstained. Slap a price tag on them for a cheap price and wait for them to sell.

Community Q&A

Question

What happens to mugs when they are no longer needed?

Community Answer

This article gives examples of what you can do with your mugs after they are no longer needed.
Question

How do I get rid of old stained mugs?

Otterly Badgerific

Top Answerer

Try reuse before disposal. You could use them to grow plants in, such as seedlings, cacti or annuals. Or, you could use them for watering things in the garden, holding pens on a desk, measuring quantities in the kitchen/for crafts/for DIY work, taking them camping, etc. Or, you could donate them to a charity store if they're in good condition overall. If they're really bad, they could be broken into bits to line the bases of plant containers for good drainage or given to schools for "smashing" competitions at school fairs.
Question

Do charity shops accept old mugs in good condition?

Otterly Badgerific

Top Answerer

Many do if the mugs are in good condition overall. Mugs with chips, lost handles, bad stains, etc., will likely be tossed away or not accepted by the charity store. Also, it's a good idea to ask if they want mugs, just in case they have an over-supply.