What Do You Do With Glass Jugs?

Refill

• Your empty glass jugs are ideal vessels to use for other beverages. Before using glass jugs for this purpose, make sure they are properly cleaned and sanitized, particularly if it is an old jug. You can refill the jugs with lemonade, tea or fruit drinks. You can even use them to make sun tea, an old-time beverage made by setting water and tea in the sun and letting the sun's heat brew the tea. If you don't have a screw-on cap for the glass jug, use a cork. Depending on the size of the jug, a properly fitting cork may be hard to find, so you can carve your own cork from a solid piece of cork.

Recycle

• If you have no other use for glass jugs, you can take them to your local recycling center so they don't pile up in landfills. Glass of all colors can be recycled and made into new glass products. You may be surprised to learn that recycling just one glass container can save enough energy to power a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. Recycled glass also melts at a lower temperature, which saves 32 percent of the energy needed to make new glass. You can also save raw materials needed to create new glass. Each ton of glass that is recycled saves 1,300 pounds of sand, 433 pounds of soda ash, 433 pounds of limestone, 151 pounds of feldspar, and the energy savings per ton is equivalent to 10 gallons of oil. Your recycling center may require you to separate glass by color.

Decorate

• You can use glass jugs as charming decorations for your house. If you collect antiques, old glass jugs will fit right in with the rest of your decor. A group of glass jugs in various colors and sizes would make an interesting display. Make a unique nightlight by filling a jar with white or colored string lights. You could also make a lamp from the jug by using the jug as the lamp base, adding lamp hardware and topping it off with a shade. Set a jug on your dresser and fill it with your spare change -- not only will you save money, but you'll have a shiny decoration for your bedroom.

Crafts

• Glass jugs can be used to make crafts for all ages. Children may enjoy a sand art craft in which they fill the jug with layers of colored sand. You can purchase colored sand from most craft stores. Another easy craft is to make painted jugs by painting a design, picture or stencil on the outside of the jug. Acrylic paints work well, or you can use special glass paint. Make a stained-glass jug by applying small pieces of tissue paper to the outside of the jug with a decoupage glue or even school glue. You can achieve the look of the lead in stained glass by using a black paint squeeze tube to outline the different pieces of tissue paper.