Anyone else scrounge packaging (vials, bottles, etc.)?

[Barbara21]

I have to laugh at myself - I'm so cheap sometimes. I initially bought about 6-8 little squeeze bottles, maybe the same number of 1 oz amber glass bottles with drippers, stuff like that. But I quickly found that I needed more - lots more (I love to experiment).

And it's not that this stuff is that expensive but...well, it adds up.

I know several people that use various eye drops and I asked them to save the containers (plastic with drip top) for me. Same with the amber bottles (plastic with child-proof caps) that their pills come in. In the past week I've gotten three dripper bottles and about twenty pill bottles. Washed them (boiled the eye drop bottles) and now have a good supply for free!! And more coming!! LOL!!

 

[finanie]

That's great! Saves you money and it's good for the environment. I always keep the bubble wrap from my packages and reuse it when I send out stuff for trade. Since the drawer is full, I guess I could stop saving it!

 

[Abe_Katz]

I for one save the flavoring vials for the small experimental batches I do. Otherwise I've had to buy bottles larger than 10 and 30 mL where I've used saved bottles from vendor juices.

 

[Steven Pye]

I was just mixing and using a recycled eye dropper!

 

[EagleTa2]

So far I have bought 10 10ml plastic dropper bottles and 24 30ml amber glass bottles. I also have all my friends donating their empties and have about 10 various glass and plastic bottles from that.

I love the flavor vials from wizard labs but have only emptied a couple. Ethyl Maltol goes quick so I have reused that one a couple times. I will probably mix that in a 15ml bottle when an empty comes up...

Thanks
Geo

 

[bazmonkey]

Are plastic pill containers watertight?

I have a few people I make DIY juice for (it almost pays for my juice!), and our standing agreement is that after the first couple bottles, they need to bring me empties. One guy figured it out and an empty bottle sitting on my work desk is an implicit signal that he's running low. The other guy bring me a different bottle every time. I don't even ask where he gets them because it's really funny to me.

 

[EagleTa2]

Same here... I have two price levels I charge...since I am selling my juice in premium glass bottles.

For the first order I charge them the lower price since they do not have a bottle to trade in yet. Repeat orders are the same lower price if they give me an empty or the higher price if they don't. Surprisingly it has encouraged everyone to buy more than 1 flavor to start with.

I'm also keeping track of how many batches I have made since I started DIY (57 so far), how many total ml I have used of each component and how much money I have made selling juice. Nope.. I haven't broken even yet lol

Thanks
Geo

 

[Barbara21]

Are plastic pill containers watertight?

Oh yeah, no problem. They hold about 45 mLs filled to the bottom of the threads. And I also use them to hold my test 10 mL dripper bottles. Labels on the little bottles are awkward and sometimes juice gets on them and they smear. So I label the plastic pill bottle instead and keep them in there. Also it's another layer of protection (because of the child-proof cap). I don't have any little ones running around but I would definitely do this if I did.

 

[vernhall]

Pill bottles... Now that's something I've never thought of! I get a bunch of 'scripts each month and some are in really large containers... Other than that, though, I recycle all my bottles from vendors... Have bought some 15, 30, 50 ml bottles too...

As far as labels go do yourselves a favor and buy an inexpensive p-touch labeler... The labels don't smear - ever!

 

[dannyv45]

I ask everyone I know to save assorted glass bottles up to 2 oz. I've gotten a pretty good collection of glass bottles this way. What I get that don't suit my perposes I recycle.

 

[Kurt]

FYI: plastic pill bottles are polycarbonate, which means plasticizers and possible juice interactions. Probably fine for mixing, but at the very least the juice sitting in it for a spell might take on a plastic taste. But I do use them for cartos and other small accessories.

And I still use juice bottles from juices I bought years ago.

 

[Barbara21]

FYI: plastic pill bottles are polycarbonate, which means plasticizers and possible juice interactions. Probably fine for mixing, but at the very least the juice sitting in it for a spell might take on a plastic taste. But I do use them for cartos and other small accessories.
<snip>

Thanks for that. I was sort of wondering what they were made out of but figured nothing was in there long enough to really matter.

 

[Shadav]

Yeah I kicked myself. Threw away my first empty juice bottle by accident.

I'm all about trying to reduce, reuse, repurpose things
Especially living paycheck to paycheck.

But yes I would be careful with plastic as acidy and oil based juices can eat through them.

 

[wbbrn1952]

Save all my plastic bottles - boil some water - remove from heat source - drop bottle, caps and drip tops into the water cover and let sit until water cooled - if residual odor - rinse with vodka and air dry. Ready for use.