There are LOTS of really cool ways to reuse egg cartons! Here are 36 amazing reasons to save empty egg cartons instead of throwing them away.
If you buy eggs, whether it’s from a grocery store or the backyard chicken owner next door, then you’ve got egg cartons to deal with. Whether you reuse egg cartons or recycle them is your choice, but I’m just telling you real quick–there are LOTS of really cool ways to reuse them!
1. Start seeds. I am a huge fan of plantable pots, and if you use a cardboard egg carton, that’s exactly what you can do.
2. Bloom a rose. These egg carton roses take more time to make, but they look really realistic when you’re done.
3. Build a crocodile. If you’ve got loads of egg cartons to de-stash, then this is the kid-friendly project for you, as each crocodile calls for three egg cartons.
4. Build a diorama. This is NOT your ordinary diorama.
5. Build a tree. It would be easy to make this project very large-format, if you need to decorate an entire classroom wall, for instance.
6. Create a ladybug. How cute are these?!?
7. Create a sunflower. The sunflowers are beginning to bloom where I live, and everybody is in love with them.
8. Create ocean animals. Turtles and whales and octopi, Oh, MY!
9. Do a daffodil. I really like the tutes that teach you how to make realistic flowers out of egg cartons.
10. Dress up as a dinosaur. Here’s a cute costume idea.
11. Fake cherry blossoms. No cherry trees where you live? No problem!
12. Feed the birds. If you use a cardboard egg carton, you can toss this bird feeder in the compost at the end of the season.
13. Float a boat. A styrofoam egg carton will work better for this project, but even a cardboard egg carton boat will float… for a little while.
14. Hang a mobile. You can cut the pockets in lots of different ways, but it’s the watercolor wash that makes the mobile look truly outstanding.
15. Hold paint. An egg carton makes a great paint palette for acrylic paints, especially. If you’re using tempera or liquid watercolors, though, make sure you’ve got a Styrofoam egg carton.
16. Learn how to count. Scroll down to find the egg carton ten frames.
17. Learn the alphabet. Egg cartons make brilliant educational toys!
18. Let a kid make a caterpillar. Is that caterpillar very hungry?
19. Let it rain. This would be a cute wall hanging for a child’s bedroom.
20. Make a car. Add this to a cardboard box playscape for big rainy day fun.
21. Make a mushroom. A Styrofoam egg carton would make this mushroom sturdy enough to stand in your fairy garden.
22. Make a wreath. This wreath doesn’t look like you’d expect!
23. Make another wreath. This one probably looks more like what you’d expect a wreath made of egg cartons to look like. It’s very appropriate for spring!
24. Make geodes. Take advantage of how lovely Epsom salts look when dyed, by using them to make these egg carton geodes.
25. Model stone. If you’re into model making or dollhouse refinishing, you’ll love this awesome way to make faux stonework.
26. Play mancala. Here’s an easy way to make a fun game.
27. Put more eggs in them. Anyone who has chickens is in desperate need of egg cartons. If you know someone with hens, make that person’s day by offering up your stash–I promise they will get a LOT of use!
28. Put on a mask. This would make an excellent group or party activity for little kids, especially if you had all of the masks pre-cut and ready to paint.
29. Sculpt a rooster. Seriously, this thing is EPIC.
30. Sew in style. This would make a cute little handmade gift or DIY project for an older kid.
31. Sort. Egg cartons are perfect for all kinds of sorting projects.
32. Stack them. If you need a cheap, large-scale building toy, check out what you can do with egg cartons!
33. Start a fire. These egg carton fire starters are great to take camping.
34. Add feathers to an owl. Little ones will enjoy making these mixed media owls, especially because you can add found feathers to the project.
35. Tie your shoes. Set up this toy, and kids can practice shoe-tying at their leisure.
36. Wrap gifts. Egg cartons can be turned into cute, waste-free gift toppers.
Photo credit: egg carton treasure box image via Bigstock, Creative Commons egg carton seed starters photo by Chris Feser.