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50 Comments | Jill Winger |    Last Updated: June 11, 2020

11 Creative Ways to Use Old Egg Cartons

11 Creative Egg Carton Uses

My name is Jill and I am an egg carton hoarder.

It’s not entirely my fault though… Well, sort of…

People know we have chickens, so people give us egg cartons. Lot of ’em. Which is awesome, because we do need egg cartons. But we probably don’t need hundreds… *a-hem* I guess I just have a hard time saying “no” to a good carton.

Therefore, I have a giant, precarious stack of them in my basement that falls over and whacks me in the head every time I walk by.

I think I need an egg carton intervention.

Of course, when you’re a homesteader, the most obvious use of egg cartons is to use them to hold your farm-fresh eggs–especially if you are sharing them with family and friends. However, my little flock of chickens can’t seem to keep up with the sheer volume of eggs cartons I’ve been collecting lately…

So it’s time it figure out some alternative ways to use them.

Recycling and composting are two very viable options if you are in a state of egg-carton-overflow like I am, but I’ve also found some more creative uses for those egg cartons that I think you’re gonna love.

11 Creative Egg Carton Uses:

Photo Credit: Upcycle That
Photo Credit: Upcycle That

1. Make Egg Carton Flower Lights: 

A bit of creative cutting, a strand of Christmas lights, and a dab of paint can turn a boring carton into an adorable floral lighting string. Check out this egg carton light tutorial from Upcycle That.

You could add these egg carton flower lights to your Christmas decorations for the year for a unique look. Check out some of my Rustic Christmas Decorations ideas for more inspiration.

2. Give ‘Em to Your Chicken-Owning Friends:

But not if they also have an egg carton hoarding problem. Then you’ll just be enabling them.

3. Grow Seedlings in Egg Cartons:

The small egg carton cups are the perfect size for smaller seedlings. This post has a bunch of other ideas for frugal seed-starting systems, too.  The seeds I most commonly use are from True Leaf Market.

4. Egg Carton Wreath:

I’ll admit it… When I first heard of making wreaths out of egg cartons, I was skeptical. But after seeing this Egg Carton Wreath, I’m totally impressed!

5. Use Egg Cartons to store Christmas Ornaments:

I’ve been using egg cartons to store my smaller holiday decorations for several years now. They work like a charm, and save a lot of space.

6. Make DIY Fire Starters:

Add a bit of wax, and some dryer lint, and voila! You have a handy-dandy fire starter for camping or cold winter nights. Learn more about why we heat with wood HERE.

7. Use Egg Cartons as Creative Gift Packaging:

This is the classiest egg carton gift packaging I’ve ever seen.  Such a cool idea! You can also check out my list of Wrapping Paper Alternatives for some more ideas on how to package gifts.

how to reuse egg cartons

8. Use Egg Cartons as Paint Cups:

This idea will be popular with the kiddos, or if you are needing to use several colors at once. The plastic cartons might work best for this, especially if the paint will be sitting for a while.

9. Make an Egg Carton Mancala Game:

My sister and I played mancala a TON growing up. Egg cartons make the perfect game board, and you can use beads, marbles, or dry beans for the playing pieces. This post has instructions, along with rules for the game. THIS is the “official” version of the game.

10. Get Organized:

Egg cartons are the perfect way to organize “small stuff.” Use them to store jewelry, beads, office supplies, buttons, craft supplies, nuts/bolts, and more.

11. Get Crafty:

There are TONS of ways to turn old egg cartons into kid’s craft projects, and a quick Google search will yield plenty of inspiration. Here are a few of my favorite finds to get you started:

  • 15 Egg Carton Crafts for You and the Kids

OK… I know I missed some–what are you favorite ways to use egg cartons?

11 Ways to Use Old Egg Cartons

Other Creative “Ways to Use” Posts:

  • 30+ Ways to Use Eggshells
  • 16 Ways to Eat Dandelions
  • 16 Ways to Use Leftover Whey
  • 15 Ways to Use Coffee Grounds

50 Comments | Make It Yourself

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Reader Interactions

50 Comments

  1. Heather @ My Overflowing Cup says

    July 10, 2014 at 10:34 pm

    You are not alone in your egg carton hording. I have the same issue. I have composted them, given them away, and used them to start seeds, but I have never used them for crafts. Who knew? The fire starter is a brilliant idea. Thanks so much!

    reply to comment
    • Linda R says

      May 19, 2019 at 7:21 am

      I put dryer lint in the paper ones and when full pour used Scentsy wax or any melted wax over them. Best firestarters for camping or fireplace ever, and made from throwaways.

      reply to comment
  2. Gloria DeNicola says

    July 11, 2014 at 3:30 am

    Spray paint them a pretty color and fit them in a small drawer to keep earrings together and necklaces separated.

    reply to comment
    • Jordyn says

      April 15, 2020 at 4:39 pm

      Great Idea. Thank you.

      reply to comment
  3. Jacqui says

    July 11, 2014 at 4:40 am

    Hello. My name is Jacqui, & I’m an enabler. I save them for my friends with chickens. I’ve also given some to a teacher who uses them for crafts in her classroom. One of those crafts is to cut down the center of each row of cups, & stapling the two rows to create a ring. Decorate and it becomes a crown for a birthday child (or a princess).

    reply to comment
  4. Holly says

    July 11, 2014 at 6:17 am

    The seed growing idea totally did not work for me. If the carton is already made in a way to be easily recyclable or biodegradable, when you water the seeds the carton turns to mush and falls apart.

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      July 13, 2014 at 1:31 pm

      Hmmm… Good to know… I guess I won’t be trying that one.

      reply to comment
    • Karol Wells says

      July 26, 2014 at 8:58 am

      Try using the styrofoam egg cartons instead of the gray thick paper ones. Cut the lid off & use it for a tray underneath to catch the extra water. Works good for me!

      reply to comment
      • Charlotte says

        April 25, 2019 at 4:30 pm

        Hi! Keep the shells of your eggs, plant you seeds in them, and use the egg carton to hold them. The shells will keep in the water and the carton won’t become mushy. Plus it makes the transfer easier when the time comes.

        reply to comment
        • Joyce says

          August 5, 2019 at 12:20 pm

          Soak the card board ones in Walter until they soften then drain them and form into bricks or chips let dry completely. Nw you have a new heat source, burn them.

          reply to comment
  5. Prairie Wife says

    July 11, 2014 at 7:00 am

    I guess that makes me an enabler…I always give my old cartons to my friends with chickens lol! Love the seed idea! Another way we use them is I give them to the Cowkids to play with in their kitchen toys. We always have left over Easter eggs and they love to store them in a cartoon and play chef 🙂

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      July 13, 2014 at 1:31 pm

      Yeah– for some reason, kiddos seem to be drawn to egg cartons, which is fine by me! 😉

      reply to comment
  6. Megan says

    July 11, 2014 at 7:13 am

    I teach 2nd grade, and I use egg cartons when I teach division. For example, I’ll give every student an egg carton and about 30 beans. I demonstrate that if the problem is 15 ÷ 3, they would take 15 beans and divide them into 3 cups, one bean in a cup at a time. When they finish dividing them into cups, they can see that there are 5 in each cup. It’s a great (cheap) manipulative that helps an abstract concept make sense.

    reply to comment
    • Margaret says

      December 25, 2017 at 10:17 am

      Love this concept. Will definitely use it with my great-grands. http://www.youravon.com/margaretpope

      reply to comment
  7. Deb says

    July 11, 2014 at 8:13 am

    Great ideas! Back when I was living in Florida (late 70s) we were visiting a retirement village and I saw a large shrub on the property that appeared to be blooming, but the flowers were different colors. Turns out someone had taken those styrofoam egg cartons that came in pink, yellow & blue, cut the cells apart and stuck the branch ends through the centers. It was really pretty and clever. I’ll never forget that visual!

    reply to comment
  8. Dot Grady says

    July 11, 2014 at 8:58 am

    I like the wreath idea and a great craft to make with children at our Library.
    Or a Hawaiian Lei Thank You for Sharing

    reply to comment
  9. Karen Kitt-Chapman says

    July 11, 2014 at 2:33 pm

    I use the 2 1/2 dozen sheets for hot plates-like to put it on the table and put the “oven” dinners, hot cookie sheets, etc on it. Amazingly, they hold quite a bit of weight and I use them even when I put my big soup pans on them too. For outdoor picnics, an ice cube in each bin slot to make “cooler” trays. By the time the picnic is over, the trays will be a bit soggy but the meat and cheese platters stayed cold.

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      July 13, 2014 at 1:30 pm

      Brilliant! I never thought of that!

      reply to comment
    • Ines says

      September 30, 2018 at 7:17 pm

      The organizing one is a good idea I can’t seem to fit all my earrings in my little box but now I have a backup!

      reply to comment
  10. tasha says

    July 11, 2014 at 4:51 pm

    I have used them for feed for day old chicks for the first few days. Worked well, it gabe the illusion that each chick had its own spot to eat from.

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      July 13, 2014 at 1:30 pm

      Smart idea!

      reply to comment
  11. Tina says

    July 12, 2014 at 12:09 am

    Hi,
    I’m hoarding egg cartons myself. But I make paper from it. it’s handmade paper with it’s own charm to be used for cards, craft and to be stamped on, cut out or whatever is in your mind.

    and once I’ve made a crodoile mask for carneval in kindergarden from it…

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      July 13, 2014 at 1:30 pm

      That is AWESOME! I never thought of making paper from them!

      reply to comment
      • Tina says

        July 13, 2014 at 4:30 pm

        you’ll get a kind of egg carton-kind paper, light cardboard, or mix it with newspaper, it’ll make finer, thinner paper.

        we do have coloured egg cartons in Germany, green and yellow and kind of pinkish-rose… so: make nice coloured paper 😀

        reply to comment
    • Kathy says

      June 13, 2020 at 7:50 am

      That’s really an awesome idea. We have 17 hens and use the egg cartons for the eggs but I really like this making paper idea! I just had about 30 cartons dropped off to me yesterday from a friend who many times orders 14 dozen eggs at a time from me. Thanks for the idea!!

      reply to comment
  12. Sheila says

    July 13, 2014 at 5:12 pm

    When we were kids, my brother and I used to cut the lids off of Styrofoam egg cartons and make them into boats which we would then float in the bathtub, pool or creek. We’d add a straw for a mast and make a sail, and all kinds of other stuff. I remember making miniature cannons once from cut-up straws and small Styrofoam pieces and putting them through little portholes we cut in the side of the boat. The boats float well enough to carry small plastic people and animals, too.

    reply to comment
  13. Zurainny Ismail says

    July 16, 2014 at 5:24 am

    I stack a few egg cartons together and use them as seed starters – the sturdier and thicker ones. Sometimes my kids would use them for her crafting projects. Unfortunately, most will eventually be thrown away.

    reply to comment
  14. Shawnacee says

    July 23, 2014 at 9:09 am

    The side the eggs sit in make great packing material when you have to ship breakable items.

    reply to comment
  15. Lynn says

    August 21, 2016 at 4:56 pm

    Place under the George Foreman as a drip tray for the excess fat.

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      August 25, 2016 at 9:41 am

      Smart!

      reply to comment
      • chris ashby says

        August 28, 2016 at 9:31 am

        egg carton are wonderful for the compost. The critters eat the cartons and give us home made compost.

        reply to comment
  16. S.F says

    July 6, 2017 at 11:07 pm

    Great way to use cartons

    reply to comment
  17. Margaret says

    December 25, 2017 at 10:22 am

    I will definitely use some of these ideas.

    reply to comment
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    reply to comment
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      January 1, 2021 at 2:26 pm

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      reply to comment
  19. Debby says

    March 9, 2018 at 7:55 am

    Since I don’t have an incubator to hatch chicks,I get a wash basket, place straw in the wash basket with the light, I then take the bottom half of the cardboard egg carton place the eggs in which keeps them from rolling around, I mark the tops of the eggs so I know which side is up, to be able to turn them dailey.
    The bottom prttion of the egg carton keeps the bottom of the eggs warm to, just like mama sitting on her eggs.
    Works great

    reply to comment
  20. c says

    March 13, 2018 at 12:05 pm

    this article is stupid

    reply to comment
    • Mary says

      May 27, 2018 at 10:23 pm

      So are you!

      reply to comment
    • Charlotte from AZ says

      October 5, 2018 at 10:24 pm

      Move it on then…

      reply to comment
  21. Skippy Lynn says

    February 22, 2019 at 9:04 pm

    If you take several medications daily, the egg carton could be used to sort them by day of the week or time of day. The egg sized cups are just the right size for quick sorting. The contents of each egg cup can then be moved easily to a more secure pill container. The sections of the secure pill container are typically too small for quick sorting.

    reply to comment
  22. Grace says

    March 31, 2019 at 8:50 pm

    I save my egg cartons and give them to our food banks. Often they receive large trays of eggs from local farmers but have no way to pack them for the people who use the food bank. By reusing the empty egg cartons those folks who use the food banks have a way to carry a dozen home without worrying about breakage and the folks running the food banks are very grateful for that contribution.

    reply to comment
  23. Sue Davison says

    May 6, 2019 at 7:20 pm

    I used the clear plastic ones to hold dish washer pods! I have not had one single disastrous event of pods sticking together since I started doing this—They stack perfectly on top of each other so don’t take up a ton of space and, because I use the clear plastic, I can easily tell when it is getting time to buy more!

    reply to comment
  24. Melissa Howard says

    June 24, 2019 at 11:41 am

    Paper mache – I use egg cartons for paper mache – I’ve made at least a dozen paper mache projects using egg cartons. I just finished a three to four foot tall tree out of egg cartons. I have a three foot tall wall cross and Celtic knot – I could go on – it is a versatile and very durable paper mache material.

    reply to comment
  25. Jeannine Story says

    July 23, 2020 at 4:15 pm

    You can make papier-mâché … tear the cartons up, soak the bits in warm water for several hours, squeeze out the excess water, add a bit of salt and some paper glue then mix into a smooth paste. There are lots of recipes and craft ideas online.

    reply to comment
    • Kayla- Prairie Homestead Assistant says

      July 24, 2020 at 11:18 am

      That’s awesome!!

      reply to comment
  26. lorettaburt5@gmail.com says

    August 24, 2020 at 9:34 pm

    They stink … Even the eggs in them we buy from stores smell too,,, that’s the cardboard ones

    reply to comment
  27. Luci Haley says

    November 15, 2020 at 1:41 pm

    We have a fig tree…..and produces a lot of figs….so I use the egg cartons to put the figs in and give them to my friends. They are just the right size for the figs and the figs do not bruise.

    So I collect egg cartons through the year and use them during fig season.

    reply to comment

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  1. 11 Creative Ways To Use Old Egg Cartons — Self Sufficiency Magazine says:
    July 11, 2014 at 9:49 am

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  2. Kreatywne sposoby wykorzystania opakowa? po jajkach! Sprawd?, co fajnego mo?na z nimi zrobi? - Zobacz.To says:
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  3. Don’t Throw Away Old Egg Cartons, Here Are 17 Fun Ways To Use Them Around The House says:
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