You probably already have a bunch of used glass bottles or jars around the house – and if you don’t see yourself taking a trip to the bottle bank any time soon, why not unleash your green fingers and repurpose it?

As the seasons turn and we start heading back indoors, we’ve put together a list of our top recommendations for easy garden upcycling:

Windowsill herbs

Ever tried out a new recipe and discovered last-minute that you don’t the right herbs in the fridge? Be ready for anything, with handy herbs potted in glass jars. No need for a garden – they’ll fit right on your kitchen windowsill, and nothing beats cooking with fresh herbs you grew yourself!

For best results, clean out a jar, line the base with some small stones, then sprinkle some horticultural charcoal on top before adding soil and planting the herb. The charcoal absorbs any excess water, and guards against bacteria, fungus and rot.

If you’re feeling extra creative, why not go one step further and create a mounted herb garden:

If you’re not the cooking type, try planting non-edible plants in glass for your windowsill instead. Nothing is cuter than baby spider plants and cacti in mini jam jars, if you ask us.

Homemade terrarium

Design your own mini-climate by filling a glass container with rocks, charcoal, soil and plants. Choose similar plants: either cacti/succulents (very little water needed, best left open to the air) or ferns/ivies/begonias (water-lovers, happy with the lid on), as well as any decorative pieces you want, like pebbles, moss or shells. Glass is perfect for terrariums because it works like a greenhouse when exposed to sunlight, heating up its contents to the perfect temperature, and acts as a natural barrier to any contaminants that could harm your plants.

Fun fact: The first terrarium was created by mistake by Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward in 1842 when a fern started growing in a jar he was using to observe insect behaviour. Since then, many people have created their own (intentional) terrariums: the longest surviving one is 60 years old and has only been opened once in its entire life!

DIY bottle lighting

Give your garden a real glow-up with some homemade patio lights. Fill a glass bottle with fairy lights, glue twine around the neck of the bottle and suspend it for a hanging outdoor lamp. If you’re feeling more hands-on, you could try glass cutting to remove the base of the bottle.

You’ll need something sharp to score the bottle where you want to cut it, as well as enough string to wrap around this line a few times. Before tying it to the bottle, soak the string in acetone or nail polish remover. Prepare a bucket of very cold water, then light the string on fire (be careful not to burn yourself!). Turn the bottle to make sure the string burns evenly, then once it’s burnt out, plunge it gently into the water. The glass should split along the line you marked. Make sure to carefully sand the glass edges with sandpaper right away as it’ll be very sharp.

You can use either section of the bottle as a candle cover for a table light. The glass will protect the candle from the wind and add ambiance to your outdoor space

Want to jazz up your new bottle lights? If you’re using clear glass bottles, paint them. Turn on the fairy lights or light the candle inside to see design glow!

Bottle plant waterers

Never accidentally kill your plant by forgetting to water it again! Repurpose your used glass bottles to make chic plant waterers that keep your plants hydrated by feeding them whenever they need it.

Make sure to clean out the bottle first! Then, you’ll need to adapt the bottle stop. Using a screwdriver or corkscrew, make a hole going all the way through your bottle cap or cork. (If you’ve lost it, cut out a circle of cotton fabric to cover the opening, and attach it with an elastic band). This makes sure that the water comes out slowly and doesn’t flood your plant.

Next, fill your glass bottle with water (and plant food, if needed) and reattach the lid/cork/cover. Make sure the soil is damp and dig a hole about 5cm deep. Invert the bottle and press it into the hole until it won’t go any deeper (be careful that the glass doesn’t break). Voilà! Your very own plant waterer. Don’t forget to fill it up again once the bottle is empty!

Choose green glass bottles to blend in with the foliage, or try decorating your clear bottles to make them stand out.

Fun fact: 80-95% of a plant is made up of water. Plants need water for photosynthesis, but if they get dehydrated they don’t grow well, they’re more susceptible to disease and insects and they’ll wilt. Just like us, plants need to be watered properly to thrive.

Cheers to your upcycled garden! Don’t forget to share your snaps with us – we’re @FriendsofGlass on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

In much of Europe, you’re never too far from a Carrefour. Since 1958 we’ve been stocking all sorts from fresh produce to household items, to your store cupboard favourites. And, of course, these products come in some form of packaging which serves to keep them safe and tastier for longer! But we’re in a competitive, fast-moving market, so we need to make sure we’re giving shoppers exactly what they want. 

Our customers are proud of their food heritage and want to find only the freshest products on their shelves, and to know where products are coming from, how they’re produced and under what conditions. This has shifted in significant ways how we think about our role as an actor in society and our business strategy. This is why Carrefour has defined its raison d’être or purpose as leader of the food transition for all, ensuring that the products and solutions we offer are healthy, sustainable, and accessible for everyone.   

The overuse of packaging is a huge issue for our customers, so much so that in 2019 we decided to launch  a consultation to find out where we should focus our actions to reduce packaging We were intrigued to see the precise feedback we received from pastries in boxes, carrots in bags, double-wrapped sweets – the suggestions came in thick and fast. Customers also praised re-use models. It was a wake-up call. It confirmed that our customers are serious about living sustainably and that the right packaging plays a big part in that, and we knew we needed to step up. 

‘Striking the right balance’ in food packaging 

The challenge for a retailer, like us, is to find the delicate balance of providing only necessary packaging. For us, packaging is important for food safety and hygiene, as well as keeping food fresh and minimizing food waste. But packaging also helps to differentiate products. In that respect, packaging is important for customers too: it helps you to know what you’re really buying and choose what appeals to you most. So, while we want to avoid over-packaging, we can’t get rid of packaging all together. We have to strike the right balance.

We can do more to ensure that the packaging we do use is as sustainable as it can possibly be, and provide only the packaging that is necessary. That’s where glass comes in. We want to move away from single use and towards recycling and reuse models which offer glass as a core option for shoppers. We have to ensure that all packaging is convenient enough for everyday use, without compromising on quality.  

We serve every kind of customer – from ‘zero waste warriors’ who buy in bulk, to those making step-by-step changes – and whoever you are, we want to be able to offer you many solutions depending on the product. The interesting thing about glass is its variety, and shoppers just love it. 

When it comes to how a product looks on the shelf, glass has some sort of aura around it. Whether it’s for fresh orange juice, creamy yoghurt or a rich chocolate mousse, when it’s in glass, customers see it as a luxury, or a premium product. Some products are just perceived differently when they’re packaged in glass, from emblematic products like Coca Cola to milk bottles.

Rising to consumer expectations on waste

All the aesthetic considerations are secondary to the sustainability factor, though. Glass is a natural, inert material which can be recycled an infinite number of times with no loss in quality, as well as being reused in local systems. We applaud the glass industry’s investments in lightweighting and decarbonisation, like making glass bottles 30% lighter over the last 20 years. As a retailer, we’re hoping to see glass packaging manufacturers continue to make their products more sustainable and more convenient for our customers.

We’ve also set out our own ambitious commitments to be more intentional about reducing packaging and combating waste, as part of our mission to ‘lead on the food transition for all’ and as part of our ‘Act for Food’ campaign, so we definitely welcome the efforts from the glass industry on making glass more sustainably and reducing its carbon footprint. Any action that helps us reduce our impact on the environment is a big step in the right direction. For us, we have a clear vision for the future of packaging: we want to do our bit for the planet, whilst also meeting our customer’s expectations, and we see that glass packaging is an important tool in achieving those goals. 

Packaging is never going to disappear entirely, but we’re seeing that being intentional in how we package and stock everyday products is an impactful way to rise to our customers’ expectations on living sustainably while still continuing to tell the story of your favourite brands. While we’re a retailer and can’t dictate the choices brands make on their own packaging, we also have our private label brand which we can influence. Many Carrefour label products are well-suited to glass: oils, fruit juices and sauces are just a few examples. We see a trend emerging towards using and reusing glass, and are excited to adapt our range to match your expectations. People like you out there can make that trend go even faster, by demanding more sustainable packaging choices from your favourite brands and retailers. We’re listening, so keep challenging us – it’s how we grow! 

Scarlette Elizée is the Sustainability Outreach Lead for the Carrefour Group.  Carrefour is a French multinational retail corporation, operating a chain of over 13,000 hypermarkets, grocery and convenience stores in over 30 countries. Next time you visit your local Carrefour, be sure to look out for the glass packaging in all its sustainable glory.

The competition was held to celebrate the arrival of new decorated glass recycling banks at Lidl’s Halton store earlier this year. The banks join over 700 other bottle banks in the Leeds area, making it easier than ever for the people of Leeds to recycle their glass bottle and jars. In just seven weeks since the new banks were installed, an impressive 5 tonnes of glass were captured, indicating they are already a hit with shoppers.

To enter the competition, residents were asked to take creative pictures of themselves or friends and family recycling glass at any glass bank in the city and post them onto social media with the hashtag #RecyclingHero. The judges were delighted with the response from the people of Leeds, but it was Beth’s glass recycling superhero costume that was thought to be the most inspired.

Beth’s mum, Sarah explains “We both really liked the idea of a superhero and as Beth is involved in recycling at school  as a food ambassador to cut down on food waste, I thought the theme was really appropriate for her. She is most definitely one of the many recycling heroes in our great city of Leeds”.

“As well as being great fun, the competition was brilliant because recycling glass bottles and jars in our house has always fallen to either my husband or me, but now the kids are into recycling glass too.”

Brook Hayes of Friends of Glass says “Glass is one of the most environmentally-friendly types of packaging there is. It’s 100% recyclable, completely non-toxic and can be used to make new bottles and jars over and over again. By recycling every single glass bottle and jar we use, we can ensure there is a good supply of glass being put back into the system. What’s more, recycling glass helps save energy and cut C02 emissions”.

Cllr Rafique, Leeds City Council executive member for environment and active lifestyles commented “Congratulations to Beth for being crowned our glass recycling hero! With over 700 banks in the city now it is far easier for people to recycle their glass bottles and jars. Since the competition was launched and the new glass banks installed at the local Lidl store, we have seen a real increase in the amount of glass being recycled in the local Halton area. This is hugely positive and something we want to build on across the city”.

More than 15,000 tonnes of glass bottles and jars are thrown away in Leeds’ household landfill bins each year – that’s the same weight as 108 blue whales.  Disposing of this waste costs Leeds City Council over £1.5 million in charges that could be avoided if the glass had been recycled, thereby saving money for other uses across the city.

The good news is that the interest sparked by the competition has seen more glass recycled in the wider Halton area too with a total increase of nearly *6 tonnes since the launch of the competition, compared with a similar period for the area in 2017.

Beth’s winning competition picture and a selection of other entries can be viewed at the Friends of Glass Facebook and Twitter page using the #RecyclingHero hashtag. Three Love to Shop vouchers totalling £300 and a super Lidl hamper of goodies were awarded to the runners up in the competition.

To find the nearest glass recycling bank to you, simply download the Leeds Bin App.

Photo credit: www.nerve.com

2. Gremlins (1984) – for the horror fans 

5. Nightmare Before Christmas – for the creative dreamers out there

Bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine? Pumpkin King Jack Skellington will make sure to put a twist to your Christmas.

photo credit to wikipedia. org & NerdyPrints.com

You know that feeling you get when you buy something new and special? Maybe a new phone, or a car – something you’ve been saving up for, for a long, long time. And when you finally get it, you look after it ever so carefully – after all, it is brand new, and you don’t want it to get ruined!

Multiply that feeling by about a thousand, or a million, and that’s how parents feel about their new-borns. It’s no wonder parents feel protective about the food they feed to their precious little babies and cute children.

Glass is the best packaging material for protecting baby food. The packaging of your food and drink affects the contents within. When you think about how close the packaging is to your food, it’s not surprising that everyone – not just parents – is worried the impact packaging can have on the food or drink.

Glass packaging ensures that your packaged food and drink remains safe. It doesn’t migrate or leach into the contents – making it the perfect choice for baby food packaging. With glass, the health hazards of packaging for infants and babies are significantly less.

The benefits of baby food in glass jars are not only limited to health. Glass packaging helps with food preservation and keeping the original taste of the content!  Imagine how easy it is to prepare and store your own home-made baby food! Not only can you be 100% sure of the contents of what you’re feeding your child, but you can also be sure that glass jars will protect and keep it well! Glass jars – not just safe for the baby, but also practical for the parent!