Glass jars are the cornerstone of OWL’s offerings. We put our vegan hemp-mylkshakes in them (which highlight the beautiful colors of the matcha, the turmeric, and the beets!) and of course, they’re where our infamous broths live - pressure and heat-sealed until you’re ready to simmer them on your stovetop with a squeeze of lemon to enjoy and soothe your gut.
But what happens when the shakes are done and the broths are fully drunk? Sure, you can take time to wash them out and toss them in recycling… but we’re big fans of upcycling here at OWL, and wanted to give you a list of ideas for how to give your empty quart jars a beautiful second life.
Why We Love Glass (and Why It Loves You Back)
At OWL, we choose glass jars for a plethora of reasons - not only do they feel special and look lovely in your fridge or pantry, they’re also:
- Non-toxic + safe for your gut: Unlike plastic, glass doesn’t leach any chemicals or micro-particles into your food. This is especially important when you’re storing something warm, spicy, or acidic like broth or golden mylk.
- Reusable + endlessly recyclable: Glass can be reused basically forever, and when it’s finally time to part ways, it’s 100% recyclable without any loss of quality.
- Durable + odor-free: Glass doesn’t stain or hold onto smells, and it keeps whatever’s inside fresh and tasting the way it should.
- Made from earth elements: Most glass is made from sand, limestone, and soda ash. These are natural materials that make it one of the more sustainable packaging choices when reused over time.
12 Wonderful Ways to Upcycle Your OWL Jars
Here are some of our favorite ways to repurpose your empty jars into useful, beautiful tools for everyday life:
- Pantry storage: for dry goods like rice, oats, quinoa, beans and lentils, or chia seeds.
- Home apothecary: to clearly see all of your favorite dried herbs or favorite tea blends.
- Herbal infusion jar: for overnight infusions (a strong infusion of herbs / tea) or for sun-teas (leave herbs and water in the jar in the sun and taste the magic).
- Smoothies: blend up a smoothie and drink it out of here, it’s perfect for sipping!
- Mini flower vase: for a small bouquet to brighten up your desk or for those wildflowers growing abundantly in the field you couldn’t help but pick a few of!
- Fermenting vessel: for micro-batch pickles, sauerkraut or kimchi.
- Salad dressing shaker: all you have to do is add oil, vinegar, spices and shake.
- Bathroom organizer: for q-tips, cotton rounds, or bamboo toothbrushes.
- To go container: overnight oats, layered salads or my personal favorite, chia pudding.
- Gift jar: fill it up with homemade granola, bath salts, or herbal goodies and add a ribbon for a sweet little surprise to your best friend or neighbor.
- Bulk refill buddy: take it to your local refill shop and skip the packaging altogether.
- Desk organization: to organize pens, markers, highlighters, or any desk supplies.
We love learning of the creative ways you reuse your OWL jars, so tag us @owlvenice and show us how you’re giving your glass jars a second (or third, or tenth) life!
Sophia Avramides
Sophia Avramides is an herbalist, Ayurvedic health coach at OWL Venice, and storyteller who loves to weave together ancient wisdom with modern ritual. As the founder of Avraveda, she crafts botanical elixirs, educates on herbal alchemy, and guides others in aligning with nature’s rhythms. Whether she’s coaching, learning, creating, or writing about the plants that have changed her life, Sophia brings curiosity, depth, and a little pixie dust to everything she does.