You've burned through your candle and now have an empty jar with a bit of wax residue left at the base. How do you dispose of your jar sustainably? We'll be showing you three easy ways to clean your used jar for either reuse or recycling.
We pride ourselves on our eco-friendly ethics here at Little Batch. We do this by choosing recyclable labels, vessels and packaging materials. We also opt for pure soy wax which is renewable and biodegradable.
One of the main ways you can help reduce overall waste is by actively recycling, reusing or repurposing your candle jar once it's burned through.
There are three main ways to do this.
THE STOVETOP METHOD: This is my preferred method as it's quick, easy requires little clean up afterward. Simply fill a small pot with enough water to cover the bottom 1/3 of your used candle jar. Place the jar in the pot and boil until the wax has fully melted inside. Use a tea towel to carefully remove the jar. Tip the jar sideways and pour the melted wax into a receptacle. The label should easily peel off as well, and can be added to the recycling. If your wick is still attached to the bottom of the jar, use a small spoon to pry it off. Now gently wash your jar dry with soapy water. In this example I turned our empty jar into a little plant pot!
THE KETTLE METHOD: Boil your kettle and pour hot water into a used candle jar. Leave the jar to sit until the wax melts and floats to the top of the jar (may take 1 - 2 hours). Crack the top of the wax, remove wax and clean jar. Be sure not to dump any wax down your sink. Once all wax has been removed, clean your jar with soapy water. Note: This method seems to be more time consuming and messy than the one above, but it gets the job done.
THE FREEZER METHOD: Place your candle in the freezer for 2+ hours (or overnight). Once wax has frozen, use a butter knife to force the wax from the bottom of the jar. This may require stabbing force. Once all wax has been removed, clean your jar with soapy water
Once your jar is cleaned using one of the methods above, you can recycle or reuse it how you please. Some recycling ideas include: a planter, a small drinking glass, a Q-tip organiser for the bathroom or a pen holder. If you'd rather you can also recycle your jar.
Have you tried any of these? Which is your preferred method? Let us know in the comments.
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