7 creative ways you can re-use your mooncake boxes after Mid-Autumn

Mid-autumn festival is over, and with all the mooncakes devoured and gone, you probably have too many empty mooncake boxes around the house collecting dust.

While it may seem like a good idea to recycle the boxes, it's actually hard to do. This is due to the use of glossy varnishes and waterproof wax that give many boxes their irresistible shine.

Instead, any mooncake boxes thrown into the blue recycling bins often end up in incineration plants.

Does it pain you to think of those beautiful boxes going up in flames? Trust us, it hurts us too.

So instead of throwing those boxes away, here are some ways for you to repurpose your mooncake boxes, add a touch of traditional elegance to your life and do your bit to recycle and re-use.

Use them to store your surgical masks

If you prefer surgical masks to cloth ones, then long mooncake boxes without partitions are just what you need to store them.

Charming and sturdy, it's time to replace the flimsy boxes your masks come in and use a mooncake box to see you out every time you leave your house.

Organise your teabags with them

If you have a mooncake box on hand that includes partitions, then you've got yourself a perfect place to put your teabags.

The best way to do this is to separate the tea bags into their respective flavours and place the tea bags facing up.

This way, you will be able to see all the tea bags you have on hand instead of rummaging through the many boxes trying to decide which you will put into your cup for the day.

Turn them into containers for your makeup

We're always looking for ways to keep our makeup organised, and mooncake boxes could be a simple and elegant solution that will look good on any vanity table.

Mooncake boxes with little drawers are especially good to use for lipsticks, blush, powders, and small eyeshadow palettes. Plus they'll definitely look good amongst your makeup and beauty products.

Turn them into keepsake boxes

Sometimes, we need a little box to keep all the photographs, gifts, and special trinkets our loved ones have given us.

Mooncake boxes of any design, maybe in the favourite colour of the person who shared your memories, or a box from their favourite mooncake brand, is a great way to hold all those important gifts.

With all your time spent together inside a mooncake box, there's no need to stash it away in a cupboard. Instead, you can display it in your room so that it is always easy for you to access.

Use them to store sewing equipment

We all know about the butter biscuit tins that never actually hold biscuits, so how about doing the same with a mooncake box?

Mooncake boxes have the perfect compartment size to fit rolls of threads, scissors, buttons, and basically anything you'd need to fix a piece of clothing right back to how it should be.

Store your bracelets and rings in them

While most mooncake boxes don't have the right design to hang your necklaces, they are just the right size to put rings and bracelets, especially the ones with little drawers that make it easy for you to reach for your favourite pieces before heading out.

Whether it's something bought from the side of the road or a bracelet, it will be well-kept inside a beautiful box.

Extra "extra" tip: Use them as bags

You might be wondering: a bag? Well, some companies have started designing their boxes with the idea of them being reusable in the future.

Coupled with short straps and enough space for you to throw your makeup bag, wallet, and phone into, these boxes are bound to elevate your look, no matter the design.

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This article was first published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.