9 Store-Bought Foods That Come In Jars You'll Want To Reuse

Trash is a huge global issue. In the United States, in particular, each person contributes almost 5 pounds of waste every single day — whether that's food, grass clippings, or bottles. You've likely heard of the reduce, reuse, recycle term, which is meant to be considered in that order. After reducing your consumption, it's beneficial to find ways to reuse things, rather than immediately sending them to recycling.

In this case, we have some wonderful store-bought jars that you'll want to reuse. These come in an array of shapes, sizes, and even colors, which allows you can find fresh uses based on your aesthetic and preferences. You likely have at least one or two of these jars already in your fridge or pantry. Rather than recycling them, try reusing them throughout your home and kitchen to extend their life. We selected some popular jars to pick from — in a range of designs and materials — and will discuss plenty of ways that you can incorporate them throughout the kitchen, but you can find uses in other areas of the home, too.

One of our favorite jars of all time is from Bonne Maman; these glass vessels have distinctive angled sides to give them an eye-catching look. They have beautiful lids to boot, so the entire thing is great for reusing. Don't have a cocktail shaker? Shake up your favorite beverage in the Bonne Maman jar instead and save yourself a dish by drinking out of it, too. If you collect enough of them, you can use them as your drinking glasses altogether. The glass is the perfect size for your hand to grip, making it less likely to slip out of your hand. Make your favorite yogurt parfait (like a tantalizing strawberry and apricot one) to take to work or on a picnic. Even Bonne Maman advocates for finding new uses for the jars because the brand offers ideas on its website.

People also say that Aldi has a Bonne Maman dupe of sorts (with angled sides), so you can also use that jar. Any jam jar will do, as they tend to be smaller compared to larger jars on this list, like pasta or pickle ones. The petite size means you can find totally different uses than you would for larger ones. Use your jam jar as a candy dish or to store a smaller quantity of dried goods, like that last cup of dried lentils or beans.

When you need a bigger jar, then pasta jars are about to be your bestie. Anything works, whether you're a die-hard Rao's Homemade fan or prefer something from Classico instead. The latter are actually Mason jars, so these are a great pick if you want that familiarity factor. We like the lid of the Rao's Homemade jars, but this is purely personal preference. Pasta sauce containers tend to hold more than most on this list, somewhere around 24 ounces or so.

We love storing dried goods like rice, couscous, oats, and other items in them, and have an ever-growing collection of them, too. These are our preferred jars as they hold a lot and are more slender than, say, pickle jars. If you make a batch of coffee in your coffee maker and have a few cups left over, we like to store leftover joe in a jar to pop in the fridge. Alternatively, you can water your house plants using the jar or even place a couple of spatulas in it and place it on your countertop. You'll find that the pasta sauce jars are incredibly versatile, and if you are loyal to one brand, then you can have matching jars for all your dried goods.

Now we move on to the only plastic jar on this list: our beloved Talenti Gelato. After you're done downing a pint of Double Dark Chocolate, which ranked No. 1 on our list of Talenti Gelato flavors, handwash the container and get ready to reuse. These come with a plastic jar and lid that is ideal for stacking, thanks to the fully flat bottom and lid. We've stacked two or three on top of each other in the pantry to store anything from baking soda to chocolate chips. There's nothing you can't do with them, well, save for hot foods or liquids — that would be a melted disaster. You can place other kitchen essentials in them, too, because of the wide mouth. There are no curves; it's just straight down the side, which means it's easy to pour things out or stick your hand in.

Place cupcake liners in the container that you don't want to get all dusty and crusty. Place some trail mix to take with you on a road trip. It's lightweight compared to glass options, making it a more portable pick. Also, keeping up with the ice cream theme, if you have a larger half-gallon or gallon carton taking up too much space in the freezer, try scooping the last bits into your Talenti one to save room.

Call us weird, but we love using the glass or ceramic Oui or La Fermière jars to eat cereal out of. Yes, it is small and that's the point; we detest soggy cereal, so we can pour, eat, pour, eat, and continue the process until we are satiated without a soggy piece of cereal. Plus, these types of jars have a somewhat wide mouth to make it easy to dig your spoon into. Depending on your jar, they could also be oven safe, meaning you can bake a personal-sized brownie or cornbread in it. This is the ultimate way to reuse your jar. You can even find lids online if you want to seal them for small leftovers, so nothing spills.

Try storing small chip clips in your jar or propagating your favorite herb for your next meal. They are meant to be reused and enjoyed! La Fermière even has a whole section on its website on how to reuse the "pots" as it calls them. We have both brands' jars, and prefer La Fermière because they have a chic periwinkle hue and are made of ceramic as opposed to glass.

When you want a bigger jar for whatever reason, a glass pickle jar is a superb selection. These have a narrower mouth compared to the width of the jar itself. They can hold around 32 ounces of liquid, but can be much larger if you buy the pickled delights in bulk. (Some are smaller, around 24 ounces, but you can use them similarly to the pasta jars we covered earlier.) This hefty size is fantastic for storing bulk goods: think rice, bulgar wheat, or beans. If you shop at the bulk food section, simply weigh the jar and lid before adding the food to get the most accurate weight for your goods.

They are big, yes, but that way you aren't splitting your dried items into multiple jars, inevitably forgetting one of them at the back of your pantry. But it's also great to store larger leftovers like hearty chili or old-fashioned beef stew when you don't have a big storage container. Just be sure to grip both the top and the bottom when moving it around, as it can get pretty heavy; you wouldn't want it to slip out of your hand to shatter on your tile floor, leaving a messy mountain of chili in its wake (like Kevin from "The Office").

There are plenty of honey jar shapes to pick from. One design that stands out due to its versatility is the thin, tall ones. We like to store simple syrup or small batches of homemade jam in here and place the jar in the fridge, but you can make your favorite iced coffee in it, too. It will also easily fit in your car cup holder if you want to take it with you. It perfectly stores a small quantity of things like nuts, seeds, or whatever baggie is taking up way too much space in your pantry. You could even use this type of jar to display a couple of flowers from your garden on the dinner table.

If you have a smaller jar that only fits 1 to 3 ounces, these are great to store that last bit of sugar or a loose tea bag or two that you lost the wrapper for but want to keep fresh. The shape may affect how you ultimately use it, but don't recycle the little ones just yet. You never know when they will come in handy.

No need to throw out your glass salsa jars. These beauties come in various sizes to utilize in a multitude of ways. Before you rinse it out, consider using the last salsa remnants for your scrambled eggs; it's a great way to get every single droplet of flavor. We like the shorter, slightly stout ones: Think Tostinos or Mission jars. They're a convenient shape to store leftovers in, like a small amount of quinoa or chopped onion. These are a terrific size for overnight oats or a classic chia pudding to make meal prep a breeze — not too big, not too little, just big enough to fit the expanding oat or chia concoction.

We like the thicker metal lids, which we find to be more durable than the thinner ones. If you prefer something with a little more personality, we must recommend the Pace salsa jars with fun angled glass. This is ideal to hold in your hand if you're shaking a small cocktail or coffee drink. It has an ergonomic design and just looks cool sitting on your shelf or counter.

The Better Than Bouillon paste jars are similar to salsa ones, but still different enough to hold their own position on this list. Both are on the stouter side, but the bouillon comes in an 8-ounce jar (ideal when you need a smaller vessel), while salsa tends to hold around double the size. This jar is a top pick if you have any homemade spice blends that you want to store, especially if you make a larger batch that wouldn't fit in your standard spice jar (that's somewhere around 2 ounces).

Use it to store leftover sauces, dips, or dressings that you make at home or to shake up your scrambled eggs along with any other mix-ins, like chopped scallions or minced bell pepper. We've even utilized this type of jar to store leftover meat, like shredded chicken or beef, until the next meal. We recommend sticking with more savory uses until you fully get the beefy or chickeny aroma out, but once you do, it opens up a new world of uses.

Rounding out our list is Nescafé instant coffee, which comes in an array of options and sizes, from ice roast to Clásico Brazil. Once you finish up the coffee granules, make sure to save the jar. We like the ergonomic design of the curved jars with the perfect place to grab and pour. These are ultra convenient and pretty unique because of the lid, in particular, but any of the jars will do. 

Use the jars to store loose-leaf tea that you get at the bulk section or from the farmers' market. It works nicely for any dried goods in the pantry or for any liquids you may have (coffee, anyone?). Again, that efficient design makes it easy to grip and tilt as needed, allowing you to get your morning iced coffee prepped in no time. The more square-shaped ones can be a top pick for pastas, like bow tie or rigatoni, since the straighter glass design means they are less likely to get stuck in a curve. When the time comes to recycle, just make sure to recycle the jar and lid separately, since the lid is made from plastic.