How can I reuse or recycle Ferrero Rocher boxes?
We’ve covered cardboard chocolate boxes before but Roger has asked specifically about plastic Ferrero Rocher boxes:
I know for legal reasons etc you might not be able to mention the product name, but every year the ambassador spoils my family with masses of trays of various sized ferrero rocher boxes. I am just looking for suggestions of what these could be used for.
They seem a waste to just bin, obviously, but i have about 5 and all i can think of is some form of cultivation tray. The boxes are sturdy but don’t particularly seal well, i was going to use one as a sandwich box, but they don’t fasten well.
Any tips on how to make an easily accessible hinge and locking mechanism for these would be great.
As Roger says, the flat single layer ones would be useful as seed trays – or underneath seed trays/planters to stop water draining all over the place. They’re a good shape for using as sprouting trays but my experience of them is that they tend to shatter quite easily if you try to cut into them/drill holes in them so drainage might be an issue.
I remember having one of the smaller/taller ones as a misc bits box as a kid and they would be useful for similar general misc storage as an adult too – they’d be perfect for nails, screws & random bits for the DIYer or buttons & beads for the crafter – they’re clear so it would be super easy to find things.
Any other suggestions?
I am a FR junkie, and almost everybody gives me a box on gift-giving occasions, so I have quite a few.
I haven’t found any other use for them than storage, though:
The small ones I use for sewing stuff – they’re great for that, because you can see exactly what’s in them without opening. Shirt buttons, machine spools, needles, red threads in this one, green threads in that one…
The big one-layered ones I use for yule ornaments – (tiny tree, tiny ornaments). Each colour has its box/es. This year the tree was clad from the silver boxes.
I got a big heart shaped FR box once – but couldn’t find any use for it, so I gave it to my 9yo niece. She keeps her “jewellery” in it.
My mom uses these as her secondary jewlery boxes. For places like by the bed, in the bathroom & for the jewlery she wears the most.
You could use the box as a base to decorate. It would make a very pretty box to use by the bedside or anywhere really.
If you do want to use it as a lunchbox how about just putting some elastic bands around it? The red ones that the postman drops all over the place would be good although I would wash them first! They would be good used in drawers as open ‘trays’ so that those little fiddly bits don’t get lost (batteries etc)
There was a recent previous post on what to do with those charity/awareness raising rubber bands now they’re going out of fashion – they’re perfect for keeping FR boxes shut.
I have a couple with sewing things in them, they hold reels of cotton really well and the transparency makes it easier to find the colour you want without getting them all tangled up. Good for embroidery threads too.
If very bored you could probably make a version of the cardboard fish tank with them http://kidkadoodlekrafts.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/awesome-aquarium/
Or maybe fill it with pebbles to hold candles or insence – if you used glass beads or other transparent things the light would shine through it.
How about using for:
Children’s crayons
pens/pencils/erasers
little toy pieces
playing cards/game pieces
push pins/thumbtacks/elastics
stamps/paper clips
organizing medication bottles
loose photographs
rolls of film
gift box for homemade cookies/fudge etc.
batteries
post it notepads
cookie/biscuit cutters
icing/frosting decorating bag tips
food/icing/frosting colour bottles/pots
garden seed packets
birthday candles
nametags
recipe box
notecards/envelopes
Christmas light replacement bulbs
small dog/cat treats
In the bathroom-
cotton balls/make-up pads/Q-tips
lipstick
first aid supplies/Bandaids
hair ties/ribbons/barettes/clips
nail varnish/polish bottles
make up brushes
eyeliner/lipliner pencils
you could use it as a holder for photos maybe (:
Since the plastic is quite brittle, the box is unsuitable for heavy duty or frequent use. My friend Serina set up a nature club for children from low-income families and uses FR boxes for the Club museum. Line the boxes with tissue and put items for display inside. So far we have moulted snake skin, some seaweed, unusual seeds, snail shells and dead insects on display. It keeps things neat, visible and accessible at a very low cost.
You could use them to soundproof any rooms that may need soundproofing.
Unfortunately they break so easily that every time I have used one for storing anything I’ve had to end up throwing it out due to the plastic snapping. :(
But I imagine you could decoupage these from the inside or paint them…that would look pretty cool!
If you cant come up with a reuse idea for it please dont put it into you general waste recycle it instead!
To make sorting and thus recycling plastic easier, the American Society of Plastics Industry developed a standard marking code to help consumers identify and sort the main types of plastic. If you google recycling plastic these codes are displayed, tt will be a number between 1 and 7 highlighting the type of plastic. Most councils mixed recycling collections will take certain types of plastic and recycle it for reuse in manufacturing.
Find anyone who identifies or breeds moths, the smaller (16 chocolate) boxes are really brilliant for putting the moths in while identifying them (before releasing them). They are also the same size and shape as commercially available larval breeding boxes.
Great for kids to collect any beasties they are interested in as you can get the invertebrates into the box easily and have a good look at them.
The 16 chocolate size boxes i use for storing and displaying some of my model soldier collection, with these boxes being perfectly clear and also quite strong, they are ideal for this purpose.
I would love to know where i can obtain a good supply of these boxes without having to eat loads of the chocs, although i do quite like them.
Library patron just “gifted” me w/ 13 empty double FR plastic boxes that were about to be discarded @ Costco/Sam’s Club [warehouse-type store]. I’m turning them into a holiday crafts class making Christmas Memory Boxes” that we’ll decorate simply w/ ribbons, snowflake stickers, and paper diecut shapes. Wish me luck!
Hi, my mum uses them for home made fudge, the reason I ended up on this website was trying to find empty boxes people wanted to recycle.
Hi Rainy, I have one I didn’t want to throw away – would you like it?
I have plenty of FR Boxes to sell cheap.
E-mail me and will send Pics
You can use them to display miniature cars. The boxes containing 16 Rochers are perfect for most 1:43 models. Bigger models (like tanks) can fit into 32 Rochers boxes.
The flat square ones look great as a gift box filled with home made cakes/pastries/chocolates in individual paper cases with a ribbon round and a gift tag covering the FR label.You can even stack two together and just use the one lid for a family sized gift.
I love Ferrero Rocher boxes as butter dishes. They are the perfect size for a block of butter!