Photo: Standret (Shutterstock)
Those little cardboard drink holders you get when you make a coffee run for the office are so convenient in the moment for exactly what you need them for—but as soon as you pull the cups out, they too quickly seem to have fulfilled their destiny. But before you toss them into the garbage or recycling bin, consider upcycling them be your newest organizational tool in the kitchen.
I got one of these the other day (because I put in some hefty Dunkin’ orders from time to time) and decided to give it a second life by organizing a few items in my fridge. At first, I thought it would be best for condiments, especially the small bottles that become hidden behind larger items. That was sort of helpful on its own, but it didn’t do much to reduce the footprint of the four condiments I chose; if anything, they now took up more space.
Where the utility comes in is if you have a lot of things stacked. The drink holder enables you to top off a stack with items that are usually too round, too unstable, or too small to stack. Plus, it makes it easier to pull those out when you need them, eliminating the need to move a bunch of items around and rummage around for a condiment in the very back.
Photo: Domenick DiCostanzo
I especially liked the option of using it to store pre-made biscuit dough because it’s one of those things that can’t be seen inside the door compartments and is easily forgotten. Standing it upright in the drink holder made it more visible, meaning less will go to waste.
You can also use the drink holder to organize produce in the fridge or on the counter. I had an avocado and onion that kept rolling around whenever I tried to use the coffee pot, so this kept them in place, even though it certainly took up more space on the countertop. I also had a bulb of garlic that was missing a few cloves, so the other cloves kept falling off of it and making a mess. I stuck the whole thing in one of the drink slots and it worked perfectly to keep the flaky pap and wayward cloves from getting all over the counter.
Photo: Domenick DiCostanzo
Stick one in a drawer to more easily organize small, miscellaneous items, like chip clips, muffin wrappers, or twist ties. If you like to dabble in growing your own veggies or herbs, you can even use the little cardboard cups as seed starters by filling them with soil and planting your seeds until they’re ready to be moved outside. Since the cardboard is biodegradable, you can just pop it right in the ground or into a pot.
