10 Ways To Reuse Plastic Fruit Containers In Your Kitchen

If you're into healthy eating, you probably buy fruits and berries often. While these healthy snacks are great, they also bring along a problem that's difficult to avoid: plastic containers. These containers aren't great for the environment, as we all know. In fact, according to a study on pollution published in Our World in Data in 2023, about one to two million metric tons of plastic ends up in our oceans every single year. This is alarming, and one of the reasons this happens is that plastic waste is improperly managed. The world is still figuring out sustainable ways to package food, but until that happens, wouldn't it be great if we all collectively did something to reduce plastic waste? After all, so much plastic adversely affecting the environment isn't good for any of us. So, to do something to manage all that plastic waste, you can actually start small at home by reusing plastic fruit containers. 

Besides doing something good for the environment, you'll also save money by reusing these containers, considering you can use them for so many things, like collecting food scraps, washing veggies, and storing delicate food items. That's a win-win situation. 

Since many of you might already be reusing takeout containers, given how common the practice is, it's definitely worth doing the same with the plastic box that fruit comes in, too. So, join us as we take a look at some great ways to reuse these containers.

Let's face it: Most of us tend to have leftovers, and we're always looking for containers to store them. Because of that, some of you might even consider throwing the food out, but that's a mistake you can avoid with leftovers while recycling at the same time. If you can't find anything to keep leftover food in, just reuse plastic fruit containers to pack up what's left of a meal. This way, you won't even have to wash anything once you're done eating, since you can usually recycle plastic fruit boxes after using them. There are a few things to keep in mind, though, when reusing these containers to pack your leftovers.

Firstly, many plastic fruit containers have slits at the base, so you'll need to be mindful about what you store in them. These sorts of plastic cartons are more suitable for dry foods, and even then, we recommend placing a piece of parchment paper at the base. Also bear in mind that it isn't the best idea to store hot leftovers directly in these containers; if the quality of plastic isn't that good, it can lose its shape. 

While you should let the food cool down before transferring it to a plastic fruit container, it also isn't ideal to leave the food out for too long. Just remember the two-two-two rule that will keep your leftovers fresh and safe: Place the plastic fruit container packed with leftover food in your refrigerator within two hours of cooking, eat it in two days if you aren't freezing it, and store it in the freezer for no longer than two months.

Imagine packing up a deli reuben sandwich or a breakfast burrito for a trip, and then finding it squished when it's time to eat. That would be a bummer, right? Well, this can happen if you pack these foods in just aluminum foil or parchment paper thinking they'll stay put, because things can go south once you place these items in your bag. As great as foil and parchment paper are for packing prepared foods, they aren't the only things you should use, as they can't protect these delicate meals from getting squashed. So, the easy solution for this issue is to wrap these foods in foil or paper and then place them in plastic fruit containers. These containers will take up some space in your bag, and that's a good thing — you'll be less likely to overstuff it, which is essentially what can cause the food items to get squished. But hey, the plastic boxes are quite light, so you won't feel like you're carrying anything extra.

Smaller containers can be used to pack items like chips, nachos, cookies, or anything similar that can get crushed, or you don't want to carry a whole bag that can't be resealed easily. Since these are fruit containers, you can also use them to carry, well, sliced fruit. But if you're using a container for that, make sure you keep it away from direct sunlight so the fruit remains fresh throughout your trip.

When you're cooking a meal, it's obvious that you'll end up with a bunch of food scraps. Most of you might either collect them in a bowl or you might consider keeping your trash can open the entire time so you can throw scraps in it then and there. The first method isn't problematic, but you'll have to wash that bowl thoroughly later on so you can get rid of the odor of certain food items. The second way to get rid of food scraps is quite unhygienic even though it's convenient. But why bother doing any of this when you can just collect your food scraps in plastic fruit containers? They're a great option for keeping compostable bits from littering your countertops, and the best part is, they're easy to rinse. So, you can keep one container just to collect scraps and reuse it for the same purpose as many times as you'd like.

These containers can collect all sorts of food scraps, from vegetable peels to meat scraps and everything in between. Be sure to line your container with some paper towels before collecting bits of food in it to prevent them from slipping out, given that many of these plastic fruit containers have slits at the base. On another note, there are many foods you can regrow from kitchen scraps, so do give that a go before throwing them out.

When you're really looking for something, you can somehow never find it. Well, it happens to the best of us, and in case it's your colander that you can't find, you don't need to rummage through your kitchen cabinets for it. Instead, just use plastic fruit containers; they make a great colander when you're in a pinch thanks to those slits at the bottom.

These containers are great for draining soaked beans if you prefer soaking and cooking dried beans instead of using canned ones. They might not be the best option for smaller-sized beans like mung and adzuki beans, since there's always a chance they'll slip out through the slits. It wouldn't be a good idea to use these containers to rinse or drain soaked rice, either, for the same reason. And definitely do not use them to drain anything that contains boiling water, as the plastic will warp from the heat.

You can also use plastic fruit cartons to wash veggies if you can't find your colander. They work especially well for salad greens, and you can even fix your salad directly in the container. That's not all! You can also close the lid and shake the container vigorously to dry greens out easily. Even while using these plastic boxes to wash veggies, it's worth keeping in mind that you shouldn't wash green peas or corn kernels in them, since they might slip out.

When you're making a dish that uses many ingredients, you'll need a bunch of small bowls to hold all of them. Honestly, sometimes you might not even have as many bowls as the number of ingredients in a recipe. In that case, you don't need to worry, as you can put those plastic fruit containers to good use. They're great for holding chopped veggies, meat, or even dry ingredients needed for baking recipes. Of course, if your containers have slits at the base, you'll have to line them with a few paper towels to prevent some foods from falling out.

It's also possible to use the same container to hold multiple ingredients at a time. For that, you'll need to fold a piece of foil and place it in the middle of the container to create two sections. You can repeat that multiple times to make as many sections as you'd like. This way, you can hold various types of chopped veggies in the same plastic carton. If you'd like to hold ingredients like flour and sugar in the same container, it can get a little tricky. You'll actually have to stick the foil on the base of the box and then create a divider to prevent the baking ingredients from mixing together. But hey, it's worth that tiny bit of effort, given that you can use the same container multiple times to hold these ingredients.

There are probably certain food items that you always buy in bulk. That's a great idea, since buying food in bulk can help you save money. The only problem with this is that you have to open those large bags every single time you need that ingredient, which can be a bit of a challenge. Moreover, if you're a little clumsy, you might even end up toppling the bags over and spilling these ingredients everywhere, and cleaning that up will be a whole other ordeal. Luckily, we've got a solution for these issues: Store little portions of these bulk food items in plastic fruit containers. These lightweight containers are great for storing all sorts of items you probably buy in bulk, like beans, legumes, pasta, nuts, seeds, or even rice. Of course, you'll have to go for a container that doesn't have slits at the base for storing smaller-sized ingredients like certain types of beans, lentils, seeds, and rice.

Another advantage of using plastic fruit containers to store these items is that you can portion out enough of each ingredient for a few days, and that'll make meal prep and cooking small meals a lot easier. Lastly, these plastic fruit boxes are also lighter than most other containers, especially glass ones, and if they fall, there's no chance of them breaking.

If you have packets of spices lying around everywhere in your pantry and are planning to buy dedicated containers or a spice box to store them, this one's for you. Don't spend money on extra storage and boxes; you can actually turn plastic fruit containers into makeshift spice boxes. 

There are several advantages to using these containers to store your spices over using pricy storage boxes. Firstly, you'll have all your herbs and seasonings organized in one container, and that can be a godsend if you use multiple types on a regular basis. Additionally, since spices can leave stains, you can actually put these containers in the recycle bin after using them a couple of times as storage. On the contrary, if you're using a regular spice box, you'll need to scrub it, since it's essential to clean spice containers often. So using plastic fruit containers is definitely a win-win situation, since you'll be saving time on cleaning boxes and will also be organizing your spices better.

Now the obvious question that might come to mind is: Won't the spices mix together if you store multiple types in the same container? Well, we have a few tricks up our sleeves to prevent that from happening. You can create sections by sticking pieces of foil inside the container. Or, if that seems like too much work, store your spices in individual cupcake liners, top them with plastic wrap, and then place those in the fruit container.

When it comes to washing dishes and cleaning your kitchen, the worst part (apart from the actual tasks) is placing those damp or wet kitchen towels and sponges back on one of the counters. That sort of defeats the purpose of cleaning, as these cleaning tools will make your kitchen counter wet and messy again. Fortunately, you can use plastic fruit containers to hold them until they're dry. For this purpose, you'll need containers that have slits at the base — that's the only way for the water to drip out easily. The slits will also help these cleaning tools dry faster and prevent an unpleasant smell, which is very likely when sponges and kitchen towels remain damp for too long.

These containers are easy to rinse, so if there's any food or soap residue from the sponge or kitchen towel in them, you can get rid of it without much effort. And the best part is that you won't need to put these containers in the recycle bin after using them a couple of times for this task, unlike when you're storing food in them. You can also use a plastic fruit container to store your sponge and kitchen towels for good instead of just to hold them until they're dry.

Do you get fast food takeout often? Then you probably have a bunch of single-serving condiment packets lying around your kitchen. These packets don't really stack well, so they always scatter everywhere and can make your pantry and refrigerator look extremely messy even if they aren't. To keep your fridge and pantry from looking untidy, you would've probably even considered storing these mini condiments in your fancy Tupperware or any other regular food container — or worse, you would've thought of throwing them out. But there's no need to do any of that, since you can put your stock of plastic fruit containers to good use by storing these packets in them.

You can just toss a mix of condiment packets into these containers as you acquire them. Or, if you're one of those people who loves keeping things as organized as possible, you can divide the container into sections with pieces of aluminum foil. This way, you can store each type of condiment in different sections, making it easier to grab whichever one you need without having to rummage through the container. Make sure you store the plastic fruit cartons properly in your refrigerator or pantry so that they don't get squished, as that could cause the condiment packets to burst.

There are quite a few types of fruits and vegetables that don't need refrigeration, like root vegetables, whole pineapples, watermelons, muskmelons, and more. Now be honest: How do you usually store these fruits and veggies? Unless you're someone who is very particular about decor, you probably just let them sit on the kitchen counter, which is completely fine. But why do that when you can store them in fancy, handmade baskets made from plastic fruit containers? It's worth a shot if you're really into DIY projects, want your kitchen to look less cluttered with produce, and are looking for a way to make your counters look pretty.

There are so many amazing ways you can decorate these containers and essentially turn them into mini pieces of art. If you have thread lying around at home, you could stick it around the container using hot glue. Or, you can even turn these containers into proper baskets. For that, you'll have to stick some fabric on the base and the sides, then glue toothpicks or ice cream sticks all around and wrap yarn or thick thread around each of them. If you don't want to put in too much effort, you can also just stick artificial flowers or charms on your container. These are just some ways to decorate plastic fruit containers. You can always get creative and try new and unique designs — the sky's the limit here.