By Liesl Clark
I love olive oil tins. They’re reminiscent of the old world where reuse of large tins is commonplace. When I think of how I’ve seen olive oil tins reused, I imagine geraniums on a sunny step in colorful olive oil planters in Italy or hammered out oil tins used as roofing or wall siding in Nepal.
2 Lovely Olive Oil Tins, What To Do? Photo © Liesl Clark
I saved a couple of tins this year and other than using them as a flower vase, I couldn’t think if anything special to do with them. And then my son started having a celery craving. I hate storing celery (or anything) in plastic bags in the refrigerator, so we started storing it in large mason jars with a little water for the stalks to stay fresh. And then the idea hit me: Turn an olive oil tin into a refrigerator celery container. It holds 2 large celery bunches perfectly!
First Use an Old-Style Can Opener. Photo © Liesl Clark
You’ll need a Swiss Army-style jack knife with a can opener to remove the oil tin lid. And if that doesn’t work, get out the tin snips. Make sure you bend and file down all rough and sharp edges.
Our new celery tin. Photo © Liesl Clark
Be sure to put a few inches of water in your tin to keep the celery crisp and fresh. Then, throw it in the fridge!
A Tin of Celery Works Beautifully in our Plastic-Free Fridge. Photo © Liesl Clark
That tin works well with our plastic-free scene in the fridge. But, of course, we can’t avoid the fact that the fridge itself is lined with the stuff.
Celery in a Tin in a Plastic-Free Fridge. Photo © Liesl Clark
You’ve likely seen enough images of our celery tin. But if you’re looking for other cool upcycle and reuse ideas for the kitchen, please visit our Trash Backwards app, a website that’s all about reusing any item you have in your home, to prolong its life and prevent it from being thrown into the landfill. All things have value if you look at them with new lenses.
Click Through for Upcycling Ideas for the Kitchen at Trash Backwards
What can you add? Please share your ideas.