How to Reuse Empty Pill Bottles

Last Updated: May 25, 2021 References

There are many uses for empty pill bottles. You can use them to store coins, office supplies, jewelry, and any number of other small things. You can also make things out empty pill bottles, including jumbo crayons and nail polish removers. If you’re really crafty, you could turn an empty pill container into a neat little holiday figurine, too.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Empty Pill Bottles for Storage

1
Prepare your empty pill bottle for use. Before you reuse your pill bottle, heat up some water to boiling, pour it in the bottle, and wait 60 seconds. Peel the label off, then rinse and dry the empty pill bottle before using it.^{[1]
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2
Keep your office items in empty pill bottles. Many people keep loose items like paper clips, thumb tacks, and so on in their desk drawers. But these items can be hard to find unless they are collected properly. Empty pill bottles offer a great solution to storing these office supplies. If you wish, you could label the top of each empty pill bottle with permanent marker to indicate what is in it.

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3
Hide a spare key in the container. Stick a spare key in the pill container. Plant it in the lawn near the back of your house or somewhere out of the way. Don’t bury it too deeply. The white top of the pill bottle should be parallel with the surface of the ground. Place a fist-sized rock over the pill bottle in a location where it would not seem out of place.^{[2]
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- This will allow you to hide a spare key outside your home. In the event you’re locked out, you can get back in by using this key.
- Hiding the key in the pill bottle protects it from rain, which could cause it to rust.
4
Store jewelry and cosmetic items in the pill bottle. Bobby pins, hair ties, and other small fashion accessories are often difficult to store properly, since they get lost in regular drawers and storage containers. Empty pill bottles make perfect containers for these items. Use one for bobby pins, another for earrings, and so on. If you wanted, you could tape a label on each so you know what’s inside.
- If you have a taller empty pill bottle, you could store your eyeliner and makeup brushes in it.
5
Place your cotton swabs in the pill bottle. Cotton swabs are great for cleaning small tubes and fine objects. But their small size also makes them hard to store. Most people just keep them in the box they come packaged in, but if you wanted to keep them somewhere more accessible, you could just store them in an empty pill bottle.
- If you are not able to seal the pill bottle with the lid, that’s okay. You can just leave the pill bottle on your bathroom counter and recycle the lid, or place it somewhere for safekeeping (in the event that you ever want to put your empty pill bottle to a different use).
6
Fill your empty pill bottles with lotion for traveling. If you’re traveling, you are often unable to bring regular containers of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. You could buy travel-sized versions of these products – or you could be thrifty and just pump a bunch of these hygienic plasmas into an empty pill bottle.
7
Stash your earbuds in an empty pill bottle. Stuffing your earbuds in your backpack, handbag, or pocket could cause them to become tangled or damaged. Instead, extend your earbuds to their maximum length and untangle any knots. Fold them in half three or four consecutive times, then place them in an empty pill bottle. Your earbuds will then be safe and ready for use the next time you want to use them.
8
Store seeds in your empty pill bottles. If you have a green thumb, you might want to store some seeds away for next season. Place your dry, cleaned seeds in empty pill containers. Place the containers in a cool, dry location. This will keep them safe and ready to use when the seasons change.
9
Organize your piping tips. If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen and have a large collection of frosting piping tips, sort them by size. Label a corresponding number of pill bottles with the various piping tip sizes or descriptions. For instance, if you have three piping tips that excrete a star shape, write “star” on the bottle cap and stick the piping tips in the empty pill bottle.^{[3]
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10
Craft a portable sewing kit. You can make your own little sewing kit inside an empty pill bottle. Pack it with two needles, a spool of white, navy, or other common colored thread, and a few buttons. On the inside of the cap, glue a small pin cushion.^{[4]
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11
Carry matches in the pill bottle. Matches have their own proper place – the matchbook or the matchbox. But if you’re taking matches out camping and get caught in a squall, your matches could be ruined. Carrying your matches in a waterproof pill bottle means you won’t have to worry about that anymore.
- Don’t forget to cut the striker off the matchbox or matchbook and tuck it into the pill bottle along with the matches.
12
Make a coin container. Instead of keeping coins in your cup holder, center console, or just rolling around in your wallet, place them in an empty pill container. Put the container in your vehicle and use it to pay at parking meters, drive through restaurants, and toll booths.^{[5]
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13
Make a fire starter. Dab a cotton ball with petroleum jelly. Work the petroleum jelly into the cotton ball by pushing it across the surface with your fingers. Wad the cotton ball up and stuff it in an empty pill bottle. Take the pill bottle on your next camping trip. Cotton coated with petroleum jelly will burn longer than will regular cotton, so it’s a good way to get your fires started.^{[6]
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- You should be able to fit three or four such cotton balls into your empty pill bottle.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Crafting With Empty Pill Bottles

1
Make a nail polish remover tub. When you’re ready to take off your nail polish, stuff the empty pill bottle with cotton balls. Sprinkle some nail polish remover over the cotton balls. Dip your finger in the in the bottle and twist. Repeat for each digit you wish to remove nail polish from.
2
Make some jumbo crayons. Take a bunch of crayons of a single color and strip them of their paper covers. Drop them in an empty tin can. Place the can in the oven on low heat. Check the oven intermittently. After about 10 minutes, the crayons should be melted into a colorful goo. Pour the melted crayons into an empty pill container.
- After two to three hours, the crayon should be cool. You could try to ease it out of the pill container, but you’ll probably have to crack it open with a hammer.
- For extra fun, melt crayons of many colors, then add different colors to your empty pill bottle in successive layers. Then you will have a multicolor crayon that changes color as you use it.
3
Make a candle holder. Glue a small tealight candle to the top of the empty pill bottle. You could also turn the empty pill bottle upside down and use the wider top as a more stable base, then glue the tealight candle to the bottom of the empty pill bottle instead.^{[7]
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- You could glue two or three empty pill bottles together to make a taller candle holder.
- To give your candle holder a pleasing appearance, dip it in a glossy paint. You could remove the cap before doing so and paint it a different color.
4
Write a love medication for your partner. Turn your empty pill bottle to its original purpose – with a twist. On your anniversary or Valentine’s day, fill the pill bottle with red chocolate-covered candies or candy hearts. Use your home printer to create a professional-looking medication label with your name, followed by “M.D.” Write a clever prescription on the label, like “Take twice daily. For best results give your partner a kiss just before and just after use.” Give it to your partner.^{[8]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making a Holiday Caroler

1
Give the caroler a head. Turn the pill bottles upside down. Obtain a small wooden ball with a diameter equivalent to that of the pill bottle’s top. Paint the ball a flesh tone, then glue it on the top of the pill bottle using a glue gun. The ball will represent the caroler’s head.^{[9]
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- After the flesh-toned paint has dried, use a fine-tipped black brush to give the caroler eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
2
Create the figure’s arms. Fold a pipe cleaner in half and twist it tightly around itself. Glue the pipe cleaner to the area just beneath the rim of the pill bottle using your glue gun. Bend the pipe cleaner around the pill bottle and clip it using wire cutters to a proportional length. Usually, you won’t need the pipe cleaners to be longer than 2.5 times the diameter of the pill bottle.^{[10]
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3
Clothe the caroler. Cut a tube of cloth from some old cloth scraps. Cut enough cloth to cover the pill bottle caroler on all sides. Cut a hole the center of the upper portion of the cloth you’ve selected for the caroler’s cloak. The hole should have a diameter just slightly smaller than that of wooden ball you situated atop the pill bottle. Wrap the cloth around the caroler and glue or sew it securely in the back.^{[11]
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- Take care to gently cover the pipe cleaner arms and arrange the hole you cut in such a way that leaves visible a portion of the ball’s surface.
4
Place a songbook in the caroler’s arms. Cut a small piece off an old songbook (a caroling songbook, preferably) and fold it in half so that it resembles a miniature songbook. Glue this songbook scrap to the miniature caroler’s outstretched arms.^{[12]
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Expert Q&A

Question

Can you recycle pill bottles?

Kathryn Kellogg
Sustainability Specialist
Kathryn Kellogg is the founder of goingzerowaste.com, a lifestyle website dedicated to breaking eco-friendly living down into a simple step-by-step process with lots of positivity and love. She's the author of 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste and spokesperson for plastic-free living for National Geographic.

Kathryn Kellogg

Sustainability Specialist

Expert Answer

Yes! Try recycling your pill bottles if you can't repurpose them. If you have lots of empty pill bottles and can't reuse them all, ask local charities and organizations if they have uses for them and would like a donation. This is a great way to get rid of stuff you don't use and help people at the same time.
Question

How do I cut the bottom off of a pill bottle?

T. Chinsen

Top Answerer

A utility knife will cut the pill bottle. Make perforated slits along the area you want cut. Then go around and cut the perforations. This will get you an even and level cut.