Keep Easter Baskets Out Of The Trash With These 12 Clever Repurposing Ideas

Easter traditions are a fun way to ring in the spring season. Topping the list are Easter egg hunts, painting eggs, and filling beautiful Easter baskets chock full of goodies. However, as fun as holiday trinkets and treasures are, they also produce a ton of waste. In fact, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Americans produce up to 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. While Easter's impact isn't that severe, it still creates significant waste. Easter grass, plastic eggs, candy wrappers, plastic toys, single-use decorations — the list goes on and on. Reducing waste where you can is always a worthwhile endeavor, and Easter baskets are easy to upcycle into planters, centerpieces, storage bins, and other items.

Whether your basket is plastic, wicker, metal, or any other material, chances are you can put it to good use around the home. You can use your beautiful basket in your spring decor or tone down a bright basket by painting it a neutral color to match your style. For those less-attractive Easter baskets, consider what functional purposes they can serve around the house or out in the garden. When in doubt, upcycled baskets can always be utilized to make your home organization and storage more sustainable. Here are 12 clever ways to repurpose your Easter baskets and put them to egg-celent use.

Let your Easter basket ring in spring by converting it into a fresh or faux floral centerpiece. If using fresh flowers, line the basket with plastic wrap to protect it from water, then arrange the flowers in a vase or vases that can be hidden inside the basket. If using faux flowers, arrange them in a floral foam block and place the block inside the basket, ensuring it's completely hidden.

Turn a small Easter basket into an entire garden ... for succulents! Paint or embellish the basket to suit your style, line it with garden fabric or another container, and fill it with soil and your favorite succulents (just be sure to avoid succulent plants that shouldn't grow together.) You can hang the Easter basket succulent garden by its handle or let it rest on a table or shelf for a unique houseplant feature in your home.

With Mother's Day right around the corner after Easter passes, pretty wicker Easter baskets can be reused for beautiful Mother's Day gift baskets. If your basket is spring-themed, it will still be on-trend for Mother's Day, and you can fill it with springtime goodies and gifts in matching colors to create a cohesive look. Add a bouquet of meaningful flowers to show her how much she means to you. Or, save the basket for a spring birthday or other celebration.

Got a sentimental Easter basket embroidered with your child's name? Whether the egg-hunting days are behind you or you're just looking to put it to good use in the off-season, personalized baskets make great portable storage containers. Use your embroidered Easter baskets to hold each child's craft supplies, books, or toys. Keep them in the closet or playroom, or use them in the laundry room to divide up small clothing items.

Those cheap plastic Easter baskets might not make the best home decor items, but they can still be used in the garden. They can take on any job a good ol' bucket can — use one to collect leaves for compost or water plants. Turn them into planters by poking a few holes in the bottom for drainage. The basket's handle adds convenience and portability, but you can also remove it if preferred. You can even use your plastic Easter basket inside a decorative planter for a frugal upcycle.

Upcycle old easter eggs and baskets into a charming hummingbird birdbath with this clever DIY, which uses a solar fountain like the Hovico Solar Fountain that costs just $12 on Amazon. It also repurposes four plastic items you probably have around your house: An Easter basket, an Easter egg, a plate, and a jumbo straw. Make the basket and plate the fountain base, then feed the fountain tube through the straw and to one-half of the egg with a hole in it. This cute little fountain will attract hummingbirds before you know it.

You can give your cheap plastic Easter basket a springy glow up, like this Dollar Tree DIY with a country-chic Easter decor result. Don't be afraid to cut the basket down to size, detach the handle, or otherwise modify the basket to fit your new purpose. Embellishing the container with Easter craft items like jute carrots and adding rustic touches like decorative rope will transform your upcycled Easter basket into an adorable decor item.

Whether you're hosting Easter lunch or want a cute addition to your spread anytime you're entertaining, turn a tall Easter basket into a cute countertop organizer to keep utensils tidy. Just add a DIY divider to your old Easter basket by cutting four pieces of cardboard to fit the basket and connecting them together to form a quadrant divider. Spray paint the cardboard or wrap it in fabric to match the tablescape. A basket organizer would also make a practical portable caddy for art supplies.

Easter baskets often don bright colors, cute bunnies, and springtime vibes. Luckily, all of these elements fit in perfectly with baby nursery decor. Put your Easter basket to work in the nursery holding toys on the cube shelf, baby books by the glider, or diapers under the changing table. Embrace the bright and springy addition to the room!

When it comes to beautifying storage organization, wicker baskets are a timeless staple. Use your pretty Easter baskets in display cabinets, on shelves, or anywhere you want to add a little organization — and a little beauty — to your space. You can embrace mismatched baskets for a farmhouse eclectic look or spray paint them a neutral color and embellish with matching ribbon so they look like a set. 

If you already have plenty of baskets around the house, consider deconstructing your old Easter baskets to turn them into something new. Their long rattan handles, for example, can be used for interesting embellishments on home decor items, as their flexibility makes them particularly useful. Detach handles from several Easter baskets and spray paint the rattan strips a uniform color. Attach them around a round ottoman, lamp base, or anything else you can dream up.

An old Easter basket can become your go-to springtime decor addition to your bathroom storage. Put it on the counter to hold extra hand towels or potpourri, or use it to store soaps and lotions near the sink. You can also place it on the top of the toilet tank to hold extra toilet paper rolls.