Recycling Candle Jars

I enjoy burning scented candles...it is my signal to relax.  Each evening after dinner we put the dishes in the dishwasher, wash and put away any thing that did not make it into the dishwasher, wipe down the counters with a granite spray, give a quick vacuum to the kitchen floor area and a once over to the living room....and then, I light the candle and it signals my brain to STOP - sit down and enjoy the evening.

Last night the Fresh Cut Roses candle burned down to the end...so it's time for some Fall scents.  I love a pumpkin or spiced apple scent for this time of year.  Most times I burn a Yankee Candle as I can usually get one at a good price with a coupon, or at the local Yankee outlet  - but I also purchase candles at Ross, Marshalls, etc. 

I sit the candle on a Susan Branch pan that I used for scones...it has seen better days and looking at this photo I can see that it needs some TLC!

  I  only burn one candle and I keep it on my stove so that any soot does not get on my walls or ceiling.  And I use one of those "soot collector" lids on the candle, too !  But, once the candle has burned away it seems a shame to get rid of those nice jars...so.....

I peel the label off of the front of the candle...

then carefully use a small, sharp knife to remove the wax at the bottom.  Once the wax is out I cut it into little pieces and put it into a wax warmer that I keep on the bookcase in the living room.

There is still a bit of scent left in the wax and I don't want to waste it.

I fill the jar with hot water and dish soap and let it sit for a bit...then give it a good scrub and let it dry thoroughly.

And then...reuse them!  Our tradition is to have one piece of dark chocolate each night as we watch the national news at 6:30 - so the first jar I recycled I used for our chocolate stash!

The jars are pretty air tight and so I use them for pasta or rice...

or any special sweetener I keep in my baking area.

I also keep one in the laundry room on the counter to hold all the recycled batteries.  We have a trash room in our building that has a bin for the used batteries, so when this jar gets full we just empty it into the bin and start again.  We were using a lot of batteries for our motorized shades...they lasted about a year but when we replace them we had a lot of used batteries.  Now waiting on new parts for the shades that are rechargeable!  Will do a post on that when the parts arrive and are installed.

And the clean jars that I have no use for yet sit waiting on the top of the freezer in our laundry room. SO...my question for you is - do you recycle your candle - or other "good" jars ?   What other uses do you have ?  Any tips ?  I am thinking I fill them with treats ( might be too small for Christmas cookies, but some kind of treat) then decorate and give as a gift.  I would love for you to leave a comment and let me know your ideas. Thank you so much for stopping by Our New Vista - have a great day!