Many Wednesdays this year we’re checking in to share how we’re reducing our environmental impact. Some of these ideas are big and require a bit of effort. Others are super small and simple, like this one. But we believe that they all make a difference.

While we try to buy from farmers markets as often as possible and altogether avoid the plastic clamshell containers that house berries, we aren’t perfect. We suggest reusing old clamshell containers to give them a longer lifespan before tossing them in the recycling bin. It feels like such a waste to turn around and recycle the containers, especially when they could be used to pack other foods first.

There are many, many ways to reuse plastic clamshell containers, but I’ve found three ways to reuse plastic clamshells that I consistently rely on.

Packing snacks – these plastic clamshell containers are the perfect solution for park picnics. You know when you want to bring chips, popcorn, or other snacks to a picnic or friend hangout, but you don’t need the whole bag? If you don’t have one of these plastic bags laying around, spare yourself from using a new ziplock bag and repurpose a plastic clamshell instead. They also work well for sandwiches, carrots and celery, baked goods, and beyond. Depending on how far I’m taking the snacks and what snacks I’m packing, I typically line it with a piece of parchment paper, a paper towel, or a piece of brown paper from a shopping bag. This helps collect grease, crumbs, and moisture.

Gifting baked goods – I think we’ve finally arrived at a time when bringing baked goods to a party or get together in what would have previously been thought of as trash is perfectly acceptable, if not appreciated. We’re in the age of display baby showers, no wrapping necessary – this is my time! While I appreciate beautifully wrapped gifts, I don’t want to do the wrapping. The cute little tins of cookies around the holidays are appreciated, but I’m always searching for a way to get rid of the tins (that’s where Buy Nothing comes in!) So, if I’m gifting treats or taking them to a party, chances are I will pack them in a container I’m not attached to. I want it to be known that I’m not expecting it back and I don’t want to burden the host with a tin or Tupperware. This is where the plastic clamshells come in! It’s easy to fancy them up a bit by lining them with brown paper. The real trick is to fill the container with something delicious and to pop it open right when you arrive at the party. If you’re gifting the baked goods, I like to jot down the name of the goodies and the ingredients (this is helpful for coworker or teacher gifts – they may have allergies you aren’t aware of) and slip them into the container before closing the lid and finishing it off with a bow of baker’s twine.

Organizing crafts and office supplies – Everything from ribbons to feathers to markers and crayons, these containers make great organizers for your desk drawers and craft closet. Plastic clamshell containers are seriously awesome for ribbon organization. It’s basically something you didn’t even know you needed in life, but once you experience it..#wow. You can see above that smaller spools of ribbon fit into the container with the lid closed, but snipping the lid off is was I often do especially when I’m using these containers to organize office supplies. I typically divide all my shallow desk drawers with lidless clear containers so that I can keep it tidy and functional. If you were to peek into my desk drawer today, you’d see I’m using this plastic container technique to separate and store permanent markers, dry erase markers, sticky notes, paper clips, and rubber bands.

Organizing the Cooler – these plastic clamshells are pretty awesome at cooler organization. You’ve read the last note, so you get it, but basically, whenever I’m hitting the road for a weekend trip, I like to clean out the fridge as much as possible. I always find a few stray carrots, those random hunks of cheese, and a precious avocado. I like to store these random bits and bobs in separate see-through containers so they’re easy to spot and snag on the road. I think the holes in the bottoms of the container are an added bonus because I typically pack and stack my cooler supplies in a way where I want moisture to be able to move freely (and usually that means I want the moisture inside the container to be released).

While we try our best to buy items without plastic, we haven’t been able to entirely avoid it. We like to stretch out the lifespan of the necessary evil that is single-use plastic. We also love replacing our single-use plastic with longer-lasting items, but that’s a different post! We know it’s such a simple change, but we love that a supply of “used” containers can help us eliminate MORE single-use plastics from our lives.