Mom shares brilliant hack to repurpose old gum containers: 'That's a great idea'

Orbit gum plastic cases have found new life during "post-Christmas rage-cleaning" for one TikToker mom. Jessica Martin's (@themartinnest) video shows how she used the small containers to hold her kids' cash, gift cards, and other small things.

The scoop

Jessica found a simple way to organize and reduce plastic waste with a common product she already uses. While she makes the point that it would be better if the gum did not come in a plastic shell in the first place, and in fact that is an excellent reason to support other brands instead, she at least saved money on buying new organizers and added to the lifecycle of a plastic item. 

@themartinnest #creatorsearchinsights post Christmas rage cleaning! Reduce plastic waste and organize all of those# gifted gift cards! @orbitgum #decluttering #purseorganization #organize #reducereuserecycle #organizedhome ♬ original sound - Jessica Martin

How it's helping

Unless they're clean enough to recycle and people remember to do so, such plastic items usually sit in trash heaps, where it can take 20-500 years to decompose, per Statista.

Something that small can easily seep into oceans already flooded with microplastics or cross paths with an unsuspecting animal that may choke on it. One of the many tragic examples includes a baby turtle that washed ashore in Florida with 104 pieces of plastic inside it before dying.

Videos like these help the community think of ways to repurpose items already in their homes. Other clever examples of plastic repurposing include using an empty contact lens solution to save space packing travel toiletries or reusing plastic packaging for trash bags.

This hack can help folks who often dig in their bag for items like keys and coupons.

Jessica responded to a comment by saying it "keeps things from getting lost in the abyss of my purse/drawers / car." Use it for small keys, coupons, metro passes, coins for tips, and more.

People have several options for getting smarter about their recycling options. In addition to sorting items for community pickup, you can contact organizations for specific types of items. Declutter with organizations like Trashie and ThredUp, where people trade their old clothes, accessories, and household goods for cash, a rebate, or store credit.

Regarding the waste and things that accumulate during the holidays, other users have already learned to use recycling as part of the holiday season festivities. One person even used paper shopping bags for an unconventional present-wrapping method.

What should America do to fight plastic pollution? Stricter regulations on companies Better recycling More bans on single-use items All of the above Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

What everyone's saying

There was a lot of positive feedback as many loved the hack and also related to the concept of "post Christmas rage cleaning."

One person exclaimed, "That's a great idea!"

Someone already using the gum container idea wrote, "I store hairbands for my car too."

"I actually rent a dumpster about once a year. It's therapeutic. Trying to focus hard on consuming less in '25," said another commenter tired of dealing with post-holiday waste.

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