# What would you do with Styrofoam ice chests?



## kimmie4476 (Mar 4, 2010)

So, I have an almost endless supply of styrofoam ice chests, and am looking for ideas from people with imagination for reusing them. The hospital where I work gets medications mailed to them and they just throw them away (including the reusable ice packs/ice sheets inside) So, whenever there is one in the trash, the housekeeper keeps them for me, but now I have a bunch and you can only use so many ice chests! They range from small to very large


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

If you fish they make great minnow buckets. Include the ice in warm weather, the minnows will keep much longer.


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## luvrulz (Feb 3, 2005)

You could break them into pieces and fill your raised beds or huge flower pots. They make it lighter and easier to fill. takes less dirt....


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## Grandmotherbear (May 15, 2002)

I punch holes about 1 - 1 1/2 inches up in the sides and use for vegetables in my garden of pots. Root vegies especially.Smaller ones are sometimes used as mailers for small packages. You could donate them to a soup kitchen or meals on wheels also.


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## vicki in NW OH (May 10, 2002)

My inlaws stored potatoes for winter in their garage in styrofoam ice chests.


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## Tricky Grama (Oct 7, 2006)

They stack pretty good, can stor anything in 'em in the garage or shed.


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## kimmie4476 (Mar 4, 2010)

luvrulz said:


> You could break them into pieces and fill your raised beds or huge flower pots. They make it lighter and easier to fill. takes less dirt....


This I'll probably use as my ground is mostly all rock, so raised bed it is, does anyone know if they leak chemicals if I grow vegetables in them?


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## kimmie4476 (Mar 4, 2010)

Grandmotherbear said:


> I punch holes about 1 - 1 1/2 inches up in the sides and use for vegetables in my garden of pots. Root vegies especially.Smaller ones are sometimes used as mailers for small packages. You could donate them to a soup kitchen or meals on wheels also.


Do you plant the veggies in the holes? (I'm picturing filling the ice chest with dirt and planting in the holes to the outside like those hanging tomato plants?) Or are the holes for air?


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## loghome mom (Oct 10, 2005)

My parents use them to store potatoes in also.


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## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

Connect them and make a raft or pontoon boat!


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

They are wonderful for shipping blood and milk samples to be tested. I have dairy goats, and I'm having to BUY small styrofoam boxes to ship in.

Ask on the goat board if anyone wants them. Maybe someone close by needs some!


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## kimmie4476 (Mar 4, 2010)

Tricky Grama said:


> They stack pretty good, can stor anything in 'em in the garage or shed.


I did store all my Christmas ornaments in a couple of them


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## kimmie4476 (Mar 4, 2010)

Chixarecute said:


> Connect them and make a raft or pontoon boat!


lol, might do that if I ever get a pond built!


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## frogmammy (Dec 8, 2004)

I got quite a few when my husband was at home with IV antibiotics. I found they are GREAT for transporting food (like fresh caught salmon & trout!) because they stay cold longer.

Mon


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

A person could break them up into 1" to 2" chunks and use them as media - instead of rocks - in a drainfield.


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## Pink_Carnation (Apr 21, 2006)

You could use them in a shed for insulation.


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## Jan in CO (May 10, 2002)

When I worked for an oncology clinic, they saved theirs for me, and hubby cut them up with an electric knife, and put them on the bare inside walls of our barn, then put cheap used plywood over them to help insulate the barn. Wish I had a bunch more to finish the ceiling! I know if they were to burn in a fire, toxic fumes would probably be released, but hopefully no people or animals would be inside at that time. I thought about doing the same thing to insulate the concrete walls of our basement, then putting drywall or paneling over it. We tried several methods of cutting the styrofoam, but found the electric knive worked best.


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## Truckinguy (Mar 8, 2008)

You could use them as worm bins and grow worms while producing some great compost.


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## Capt Quirk (Sep 24, 2011)

Are you homesteading, building a home? You could use them as forms for making bricks and blocks.


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## Haven (Aug 16, 2010)

Pink_Carnation said:


> You could use them in a shed for insulation.


Yes, my dad bought a whole load of the white styrofoam pieces on Craigs list and insulated his entire sleeping quarters in his barn with it.


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## katlupe (Nov 15, 2004)

We keep one in our truck so when we go grocery shopping, I store the cold stuff in there till we get home. In summer, we buy ice for our cooler (no refrigerator here) and bring it home in that also. I have one in the pantry that I keep dog food and treats in. I have to protect most of the food in the pantry because somehow we seem to get attacked by mice every so often. So I use the styrofoam chests to put various things in. As others said, storing potatoes or other produce is good too. I have been making one into a solar cooker by covering it completely with aluminum foil. Hope to have it finished this year.


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## uncle Will in In. (May 11, 2002)

We have some smaller ones we use as ROSE CONE replacements. We prune the roses to fit under them. Works as well as the high dollar cones.


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## Lada (Jun 7, 2008)

I love the idea about keeping one in the car for frozen food purchases! We use the reusable insulated bags, but they don't seem to keep things quite cold enough.

I saw this a while ago on Pinterest and it was the first thing that came to mind when I read your post. Of course, you'd have to cut the coolers up to accomplish this, but maybe you could donate to an animal shelter and they could use them. We made two of these for our outside cats and they love them and prefer them over the igloo house we bought for them a few years ago.


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

That's a great idea for a small animal shelter Lada. Thanks!

We've received food gifts that have arrived in the foam coolers. My husband always appreciates the cooler, sometimes more than the food gift. He uses a foam cooler to hold foods he's cooked and transporting elsewhere to eat, such as a derby party. So, the cooler can be used for holding heat and keeping foods warm.


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

If you have kids, a fun project could be to let them decorate them and use them to store toys, dress up clothes, etc.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Larger ones can be turned into incubators with a light bulb and a thermostat

Having *extra* coolers around can save you a fortune if your freezer dies


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## Ohio Rusty (Jan 18, 2008)

Build wooden boxes around them and put some rope handles on them. Makes a rustic looking cooler. Folk like to buy that kind of stuff.

Ohio Rusty ><>


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## bugstabber (May 12, 2002)

I just saw a large one at Good Will today.


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## Welshmom (Sep 7, 2008)

I sell pork, ship it sometimes, or sometimes my customers just forget to bring a cooler, so I go begging at vet clinics and aquarium stores for the larger ones.... check with local meat farmers!!

Also, I've never figured out why, but chickens will eat the beejeebers out of any styrofoam they can reach, so it's not good for coops.


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

You could use them as gift boxes at Christmas. Just tie ribbons around them to decorate them. Then everyone in your family would get their own cooler too!


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## anette (Jun 20, 2008)

Im just watching this for the great ideas. I also work in the medical field and get lots of these. 


Lada, dontcha just love pinterest!


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## kimmie4476 (Mar 4, 2010)

Truckinguy said:


> You could use them as worm bins and grow worms while producing some great compost.


Yes! I've been wanting to make worm bins, but since we are just starting out with our place it is low on the list of priorities, but maybe I can bump it up with this idea


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> chickens will eat the beejeebers out of any styrofoam they can reach


If you feed them enough, they might lay their eggs in cartons


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## kimmie4476 (Mar 4, 2010)

Lada said:


> I love the idea about keeping one in the car for frozen food purchases! We use the reusable insulated bags, but they don't seem to keep things quite cold enough.
> 
> I saw this a while ago on Pinterest and it was the first thing that came to mind when I read your post. Of course, you'd have to cut the coolers up to accomplish this, but maybe you could donate to an animal shelter and they could use them. We made two of these for our outside cats and they love them and prefer them over the igloo house we bought for them a few years ago.


This is also a great idea, our local shelter is a no-kill shelter, so anything I can do to help them......


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## kimmie4476 (Mar 4, 2010)

Bearfootfarm said:


> Larger ones can be turned into incubators with a light bulb and a thermostat
> 
> Having *extra* coolers around can save you a fortune if your freezer dies


Chickens are also on our list! I'll be googling :kung: this idea!


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## kimmie4476 (Mar 4, 2010)

Ohio Rusty said:


> Build wooden boxes around them and put some rope handles on them. Makes a rustic looking cooler. Folk like to buy that kind of stuff.
> 
> Ohio Rusty ><>


This sounds like a great Christmas idea also!


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## Charleen (May 12, 2002)

Ohio Rusty said:


> Build wooden boxes around them and put some rope handles on them. Makes a rustic looking cooler. Folk like to buy that kind of stuff.
> 
> Ohio Rusty ><>


That's really a unique idea - a good conversation piece!


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## Hip_Shot_Hanna (Apr 2, 2005)

Punch drainage holes in the bottom, half bury them in soil and use them as cold frames/seed starter beds. They would need glass on top of course, but on cold nights, you could use the original lid to insulate the baby plants.

Love the animal shelter idea!


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

If you get enough of them, you could advertise them for sale on CL.


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