7 Zero-Waste Ways To DIY A Label For Your Glass Jars

The eclectic style of repurposing glass jars for food, crafts, and other storage purposes is not only a sustainable practice but also reduces waste. While you're working on being more eco-conscious, this is the perfect time to come up with some zero-waste ideas for creating DIY labels for those jars. Let's face it — even though you can see the contents, that doesn't mean you can always remember what they are. Some great upcycle hacks for your empty pasta sauce jars will make it so you can't see what's in them, but still leave them great for storage and in need of labels.

When it comes to zero-waste, we're specifically looking at items you may already have in your home or receive regularly that can be reused as labels. Some are simple, while others require more than one item (because you'll need something to attach them to the jar), but each item can be used repeatedly in these cases. And, those things that aren't reusable are biodegradable. If you want something that looks like it came along with your jars, we also love this genius way to make chic home labels without a label maker.

Whether it's toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, or the empty cereal boxes from your kid's breakfast, you can put these recyclables to use in your home by cutting them up to use for labels. If you have some twine or yarn, punch a hole or cut an "X" in the corner of your upcycled cardboard label to thread through and tie around the top of your jar. We love this idea because it allows you to easily remove the label when you need to clean the jars and still be able to reuse it.

Some produce, like broccoli and asparagus, comes with wide rubber bands holding them together. You can reuse these bands in so many ways, including putting them around your glass jar with the jar's contents written on them in permanent marker. Not all rubber bands will work for this — you need one with enough space for writing words. This is another reusable label, at least until the band begins to slacken. It's hard to determine precisely how long a rubber band will last, but you won't create any waste for a while with this trick.

If you sew or upcycle cloths, you likely have random scraps of fabric stored somewhere, especially if you try to reduce your waste. Those scraps of cloth are a great way to create reusable labels for your glass jars. Tie these on much like the upcycled cardboard with some yarn or twine. Or, cover the lid with a square of fabric, writing on the top what's inside, and use a rubber band to hold it on — but you'll have to remove this every time you need to get something out of the jar.

We all have a permanent marker or two lying around somewhere. This is likely one of the easiest zero-waste methods for labeling your glass jars. There's no waste until your marker runs out of ink, and you can probably write on a lot of jars before that happens. Even if you plan to reuse your jars with something else in them in the future, this option is perfect because, while the permanent marker will remain relatively solid while your items are on the shelf, it can be easily washed off with rubbing alcohol. 

If you want labels that stay stuck to your glass jars, consider investing in chalkboard stickers. There are all sorts of surprising uses for chalk around the house, and this is another one. We count these labels as zero-waste because you can clean the chalk marker off of them when you need to put something different in your glass jars. This is also a fun way to label jars because you can find chalk markers in a wide range of colors.

While grease pencils may most commonly be used in factories and construction, they're also a great item to keep in your kitchen and craft room — and they're compostable. Your grease pencil "label" will work perfectly on glass jars and will stay put until you want to clean it off. When it's time to remove the grease pencil from a jar you're changing ingredients in, you'll want to have some 100% acetone on hand to make removal a breeze.

Finding a biodegradable tape allows you to use something that won't end up sitting in a landfill for years. Since sticky labels are difficult to transfer from one jar to another, a biodegradable tape will make it so you don't have to feel bad when it's time to change said label. You can also look for biodegradable washi tape if you want to be creative with your labels. Choose fun colors or designs, and toss old labels in the compost bin when you no longer need them.