While storage and organization products can be expensive, reusing and repurposing items you already own provides cost-effective solutions.
The scoop
In one video, TikToker Summer (@summer.lou.crochet) shared her DIY solution for storing yarn needles.
Instead of purchasing a container to store her needles, Summer repurposes her cat's empty prescription bottles. The bottles help Summer organize her tools and prevent losing them.
@summer.lou.crochet Wasn't sure what to do with my cat's empty prescription bottles and I 'm happy with how it came out! #crochet #yarn #diy #crochetdiy #tiktok #fyp ♬ original sound - ఌ
In the video, Summer removes the label from an empty prescription bottle and attaches the bottle's lid to a cart holding her crochet supplies, further helping her keep track of the container's contents.
"Wasn't sure what to do with my cat's empty prescription bottles and I'm happy with how it came out!" Summer wrote in the caption of the video.
Summer uses the repurposed prescription bottles for yarn needles, but this hack could provide storage for other craft supplies like sewing needles, buttons, and more. Other containers could also be repurposed for more storage solutions.
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How it's helping
Reusing and repurposing items — like empty prescription bottles — is cheaper than buying new storage and organization products. These products are also often plastic, so using DIY alternatives to them helps the environment by keeping new plastic out of production and old plastic out of landfills.
Plastic production has doubled over the last two decades. Our World in Data reports that the world accumulates more than 400 million metric tons of plastic waste annually. Much of this waste, when mismanaged, ends up in waterways or contaminates the environment.
When reusing and repurposing aren't available, recycling is an option that gives waste, such as plastic, a new life. TCD's guide can help you learn about what and how to recycle, and you can even earn cash for recycling bottles in 10 states.
You can also turn trash into cash by decluttering and selling items like old clothes, electronics, and more. Selling these items supports a circular economy, which helps you save money and the planet.
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Just a flashlight 🔦 What everyone's saying
Other TikTok users shared their reactions to Summer's video in the comments. One user remarked how their mother repurposed items for crochet supplies in a similar way, writing, "My mom put them in a big pill bottle."
"Lowkey a good idea," another commented.
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