Still Throwing Empty Glass Olive Oil Bottles Away? Put Them To Good Use In Your Kitchen Instead

There's something kind of beautiful about an empty olive oil bottle; the weight of the glass, the green-gold tint that catches light on the counter. It feels wasteful to throw away something built so sturdily. Olive oil bottles are designed for longevity. The dark glass protects from light, while a narrow neck controls pour, and a thick, heavy base keeps it steady on the table. All of this makes it the perfect object for a second life.

Recycling is a downgrade for glass this solid. Repurposing stretches the utility and celebrates the mostly-unsung pulchritude of its form. You can refill an olive oil bottle dozens of times, and every refill spares another plastic dispenser from the landfill. If you buy different kinds of oils, you've probably noticed that each brand's bottle has its own silhouette — some squat and rustic, others tall and architectural. Those shapes translate elegantly when refilled with something new, whether that's soap, vinegar, or a syrup you made yourself.

Before reusing, clean the bottle thoroughly. Rinse out leftover oil with hot water and a drop of detergent, then swish with white vinegar to cut any remaining residue. Let it dry completely; even a trace of oil will go rancid over time. Once you've done that, the bottle is ready for its next role. 

Turning a used olive oil bottle into a soap dispenser takes less time than scrolling through new ones online. Once it's clean and bone-dry, fill it with your favorite dish or hand soap and fit a screw-on pump where the cap used to be. You can sometimes re-use the soap pumps from a previous plastic bottle if the diameter is right, or try searching online for "olive oil bottle spout," which may work better with a thinner soap, like diluted castile (which can also be used in lots of DIY cleaning solutions).

Because the glass is opaque, sunlight won't degrade the soap's scent or texture, and the narrow neck keeps drips tidy. You can add a small sprig of rosemary or a curl of lemon peel inside the bottle for a faint scent and color that looks intentional on the counter. As you collect new empty bottles, use them to store homemade salad dressings, vinegars, or elevated simple syrups. The same qualities that protect olive oil, the weight, darkness, and sealability, make them ideal for anything you want to keep fresh.