How can I reuse or recycle excessive Easter egg packaging?
Unless you’re very good and don’t eat every scrap of chocolate as soon as it passes the threshold of your home, I think we’re about a week late on this one. But anyway…
Every year we ask people likely to buy us Easter eggs not to buy us Easter eggs but we still end up with one or two, and the packaging makes us want to cry.
I have been known to wear the cardboard bit as a hat (photos available on request) so that’s that dealt with, but what can be done with all that molded yet flimsy plastic nonsense?
Best Suggestions
- Reduce: Buy/make smaller solid chocolate instead of fragile eggs that need that packaging.
- Reuse: The more sturdy plastic cases can be used as paint/glue dishes during kids’ art sessions or decorating.
- Recycle: Check the packaging to check which type of plastic it is. Most of the plastic is PET/PETE – No 1 in a triangle – one of the most commonly recycled plastics.
- See the comments below for more suggestions and ideas
(Photo by Vierdrie, c/o sxc.hu)
The ones my kids tend to get weren’t actually that flimsy.
I found the bowl shape you get is good for holding small quantities of paint. I used them when I was touching up some paintwork in my lounge and the kids use them if they’re fighting over the paint pots.
Great idea! I guess you just have to be careful when carrying them, eh?
Not a suggestion but a thought
If the eggs were solid chocolate, you wouldn’t need any of that protective packaging
I suggest we start a campaign for solid chocolate eggs on environment grounds!
Or we could use the environmental approach to get more chocolate. =P
I think the best solution to this mess is to *really* push your friends and relatives not to buy you any chocolate eggs. The amount of waste that the packaging alone creates is obscene.
If it’s really that important to you, just buy big blocks of chocolate for people. Make it Fair trade though :)
If you still want it egg shaped, melt the blocks of chocolate and use the plastic egg holder bits from last years eggs as a mold.
Oxfam reckon an average 200g chocolate egg comes with 54g of card and 2g of foil.
i am currently workign on a design project to design easter egg packaging.. i have made a note of all your complaints and concerns, any more would be very much appreciated! would help me with my project. thanx!
This packaging is ridiculous! I am getting to my eggs now (yay!) but what an absolute waste!
They used to have the extra chocolate goodies (buttons, mini eggs) INSIDE the main egg (which I loved! Why have they stopped doing that?) but now they have them outside they have doubled the size of the packaging.
1) Put the extra goodies inside the main egg (this is a treat!)
2) make the boxes half the size
3) reduce price
Simple!
I save old candy wrappers and When I babysit my little siter I will print paper dolls of online (makingfriends.com)and trace there clothes onto the candy wrappers then just cut them out fro cute candy wrapper clothes! This works great wit h seasonal wrappers with pictures on them!
Im also doing a project on this at my College. If easter is about the “hunt for the egg” why cant the packaging be part of that? If the exitement/novelty is part of the fun of recieving an egg then perhaps making the packaging part of that fun in a eco friendly way would benefit and possibly re-establish the meaning of Easter. (Originally a Pagan celebration later developed/persued by western societies).
Every easter the only things i get are those chocolate animals wrapped in tin foil and filled with chocolate buttons or something, i think they look much cuter and there’s no need for all that stupid plastic stuff which just makes things hard. It doesn’t make it look that much nicer either.
Buy eggs that come in mugs. That way you can re-use the packaging. The cellophane and foil can be recycled to make birthday/christmas cards. The cellophane can be re-used to create your own small posy bouquets using flowers from your garden or to wrap other presents in. Everyone likes a nice mug you can use at home or in the office. If buying the commercially boxed eggs – cardboard is good for mulching/composting (or in card making as well). I have re-used the egg-shaped plastic to make christmas tree baubles/small christmas presents popped inside and hung from tree. Also good for protecting hard-boiled eggs when going on picnics – especially if going in rucksack for cycling/walking day out.
The solid egg sounds the best plan :)
I have noticed on a few eggs nowadays say on them smaller package to reduce waste.
It is also said the packaging costs more than the actual egg!!
It has been a constant battle to make the egg safe but not use as much packaging.
:)
It is suitable for students in Easter activity. Thanks for ideas