Make a Spout for a Bag of Spice Using an Old Bottle

A simple, free cover for spices and grains bought loose in the store or market

I often buy spices, grains and legumes in plastic bags at the market. But it’s hard to keep the bags closed properly, and the contents often spill out into the drawer or freezer. This wastes precious food, and leaves a mess.

Then I saw this great idea for recycling a plastic drink bottle to make a pour spout for a plastic bag. You’ll need a a plastic bag that is thin and flexible, like a sandwich bag—this spout won’t work with a crinkly pasta bag. But you can convert a used bread bag to a container for small grains using the spout.

Here’s how to make your spout with its hermetic cover:

1. Find a plastic bottle and matching cover. If you don’t have one, look on the street, or ask friends for some of their empties.
2. Remove the cover of the bottle.
3. Use a Japanese knife or sharp scissors to cut off 2-3 centimeters (about an inch) below the spout of the bottle. Smooth out the edges, but they don’t need to be perfectly straight.
4. Take the plastic bag containing the food or spice, and thread the mouth through the spout.
5. Fold the edges back 2 or three centimeters along the bottle opening.
6. Screw the cover back on, this time over the edges plastic bag.
7. Don’t forget the rest of the bottle into the recycling bin.
8. Repeat—you’ll want to have a few of these on hand.

Now you have a secure cover for your plastic bag, so you can pour out as much or as little as you need with no worries.

Read more on recycled materials from Green Prophet:
“SafsaPesel” Recycles Discarded Materials to Make Sculptures You Can Sit On
Tali Gordon Bleicher Puts Her Money Where Her Upcycled Plastic Bag Wallet Is

::Otiot Magazine
Photos: Hannah Katsman

Author: Hannah Katsman

Hannah learned environmentalism from her mother, a conservationist before it was in style. Once a burglar tried to enter their home in Cincinnati after noticing the darkened windows (covered with blankets for insulation) and the snow-covered car in the driveway. Mom always set the thermostat for 62 degrees Fahrenheit (17 Celsius) — 3 degrees lower than recommended by President Nixon — because “the thermostat is in the dining room, but the stove’s pilot light keeps the kitchen warmer.” Her mother would still have preferred today’s gas-saving pilotless stoves. Hannah studied English in college and education in graduate school, and arrived in Petach Tikva in 1990 with her husband and oldest child. Her mother died suddenly six weeks after Hannah arrived and six weeks before the first Gulf War, and Hannah stayed anyway. She has taught English but her passion is parental education and support, especially breastfeeding. She recently began a new blog about energy- and time-efficient meal preparation called CookingManager.Com. You can find her thoughts on parenting, breastfeeding, Israeli living and women in Judaism at A Mother in Israel. Hannah can be reached at hannahk (at) greenprophet (dot) com.

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