They’re piling up in the recycling bin, judging you, and you just keep buying more. What if you could put that plastic milk jug army to work?
Photo Credit: Reddit
The scoop
Well, one user on Reddit’s r/Anticonsumption forum found a clever way to reuse empty milk jugs. The hack is so simple it’s almost insulting.
The original poster shared a photo of their “milk jug garden,” and it’s a thing of beauty. We’re talking rows of gallon milk jugs, hacked open, filled with dirt, and lined up like little soldiers. They’ve got a whole squad of greens, including artichokes, just thriving in what was recently trash.
This isn’t some high-tech, Pinterest-perfect operation. It’s beautifully simple.
When another user asked about drainage, the original poster confirmed that the “engineering” is just brute force. “Thanks, they all have a few cuts in the bottom to allow drainage,” they replied.
How it’s helping
Here’s why this is genius. First, it’s free. This hack makes gardening accessible to anyone who isn’t made of money. You get to skip the “fancy pot” aisle entirely.
Growing your own food is a fantastic way to dodge those soul-crushing grocery bills. Plus, you get to eat food that tastes like food, not the sad, pale impostors from the store.
It’s also just plain good for your head. Gardening is a proven stress-buster. Research on community gardening shows it’s a powerful way to improve both mental and physical health.
But it’s not just about saving money. It’s about “reuse,” which is recycling’s cooler, more effective older brother. Americans buy billions of plastic bottles every year. According to the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency, most jugs are valuable #1 (PET) or #2 (HDPE) plastic. Sure, they can be recycled into fleece jackets or playground equipment. But reusing them first is the real power move.
It keeps that jug from going rogue and becoming a public menace. A mule deer doe recently spent weeks with a plastic bucket lid stuck around her neck, basically wearing a death-frisbee, before officials could finally free her. This hack gives that jug a long-term job other than “wildlife assassin.”
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Other gardeners are on the same page.
One home expert showed how drilling five holes in a milk jug cap creates a watering can with the “perfect flow.” Another gardener just punches holes in all kinds of plastic containers to get a “gentle sprinkle.”
No drill, no problem. If you’re ready to start your own recycled jug farm, there’s plenty of great advice on growing your own food.
What everyone’s saying
Commenters on the thread loved the low-effort, high-reward idea.
“I’m gonna copy you so hard!” one user wrote.
“Looks great! Honestly thought and hoped this sub would have more of these realistic reuse ideas!” another added.
“I love this so much! I keep my jugs too. My great grandma did this. She also sat them out to collect rain water and used them as watering jugs,” a third shared.
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