Old Litter Containers: The Surprisingly Durable Material You Can Use For Storage

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Living with a feline friend has lots of perks, and there's no doubt that your cat is a huge part of your family. However, one of the downsides, particularly if you have a cat that lives indoors, is that they will need to use a litter tray. Cats need their litter changed regularly, meaning you can go through quite a lot of it and end up with stacks of empty packaging. 

Cat litter often comes in 20lb kitty litter jugs and can be a bit of a pain to get rid of, as they are big and bulky. Because they are made out of sturdy plastic, there are lots of clever ways to use empty litter containers around your home, which includes reusing them as a form of durable storage that is more sustainable -– a much better option than throwing them away and allowing more plastic to end up in landfill. 

To create this handy DIY storage solution, all you're going to need is a kitty litter jug, a utility knife, a pair of scissors, some cardboard, and a roll of t-shirt yarn. The best part is that this project doesn't take much time, and even the most novice DIYer can tackle it.

Begin by taking your kitty litter jug and drawing a line around the perimeter then underneath the current handle and lid, this will work as your cutting template. Use a craft knife and scissors to neatly cut it out, leaving you with a rectangular box. Next, cut out the handles. The easiest way is to cut a rectangular piece of cardboard that measures the width of the jug, then fold it in half to mark the center. Cut out an opening in the middle of the cardboard that is big enough to fit your hand into. Trace the opening with a pen, then use your utility knife to pierce and cut out your handle. To make your handle a little more user-friendly, grab some t-shirt yarn in a color of your choice and wrap it around the handle. 

These storage jugs are super practical, but you may be thinking that they are not the most visually appealing. If you the jugs will be in plain sight, you might want to paint them. The most straight forward way would be to use a spray paint suited to plastic, like the Krylon 2-1 spray paint from Amazon. Apply a layer of Mod Podge on top to seal it and a label maker to fully customize them.