5 Things To Do with Foam Food Trays

Reader’s Digest CanadaJanuary 24, 2011

We always have more foam trays than we need and supermarkets should probably stop using them. After all, they’re not the greenest product out there. Stop them from heading to the landfill by using them for projects, such as protecting precious photos or helping out a budding artist.

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Since not all foam trays are recyclable, the best thing to do is wash and reuse them.

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Release Your Innersoles

If your tired feet need a little padding, grab a couple of clean meat trays and cut them to fit inside the sole of your shoes or boots. You’ll have happy feet and some extra cushioning for free.

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Produce a Disposable Serving Dish

Wash a disposable foam food tray with soap and water, cover it entirely with foil and load it up with food. Use these serving dishes to deliver goodies to the school cake stall or a sick neighbour. You’ll have no worries about losing your own platters.

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Provide an Art Palette

Create a paint palette for your budding Picasso. A thoroughly cleaned and dried food tray is the perfect place for kids to squirt their tempera or oil paints. Are they experimenting with watercolours? Use two trays. Put the paint in one and water in the other. At the end of the art session, you can just throw them away.

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Protect Photographs in the Mail

Why buy expensive padded envelopes to send photographs to loved ones? Cut foam trays slightly smaller than your mailing envelope. Insert your photographs between the trays, place in the envelope and mail. The photos will arrive without creases or bends.

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Make Knee Pads for Gardening

If you find gardening is a pain in the knees, tape a couple of foam food trays to them. Or attach them to your legs using the top halves of old tube socks. The trays give you extra padding while you pull out weeds and fertilize your plants.

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