An Empty Egg Carton Has One Backyard Use Most People Never Think About
Empty cardboard egg cartons tend to head for the recycling bin once the last egg leaves the tray. Their divided cups, folding lid, and combustible cardboard can serve another purpose before that happens.
Karen from “Sew Many Ways“ used one as a compact fire starter, filling the individual cups with Match Light charcoal briquettes before closing the carton. The carton keeps the pieces together and creates a package that can go into a fire pit or campfire setup.
Once placed in the fire pit, the cardboard provides material that can catch from a match and help ignite the treated charcoal inside. It turns packaging headed for disposal into part of the fire-starting setup.
Fill each egg cup with one charcoal briquette
Cardboard cartons work for this project because both the tray and lid can burn. Karen specifies using a cardboard carton rather than a foam version.
Place one Match Light briquette into each egg cup. Individual compartments keep the charcoal separated across the tray instead of collecting it in one pile.
Twelve compartments create a compact fire starter
A dozen-egg carton provides individual spaces for 12 briquettes. No cutting, gluing, or added container is required.
Raised dividers also hold each piece in place. Once filled, the carton resembles its original configuration, except charcoal has replaced the eggs.
Close the carton before taking it outside
Fold the lid down after filling the cups. Karen suggests the closed carton as a convenient way to carry the charcoal to a campground or keep prepared cartons on hand for backyard fires.
That lid is part of what makes an egg carton suited to the idea. Tray, dividers, and cover form one lightweight package without another bag or box.
Set the whole carton inside the fire pit
Instead of removing the briquettes after transport, the complete cardboard carton goes into the fire pit. Karen also lists a campfire site or barbecue grill as places where she used the concept.
Keep the setup in a suitable fire area away from plants, structures, and other combustible material. Follow the charcoal package instructions and local fire rules before lighting it.
Light the cardboard to start the charcoal inside
Once in place, an exposed section of cardboard can catch from a match. As the carton burns, the flame reaches the Match Light briquettes packed inside.
Use only the type of charcoal specified for this method rather than assuming untreated briquettes will ignite in the same way. Karen’s version uses Match Light charcoal, which is sold as a self-lighting product.
Save cardboard cartons for the next backyard fire
Egg cartons stack with little storage space, so several can be saved and prepared for future fires. Karen suggests making multiple cartons for camping trips or keeping them in a safe place for backyard fires.
Instead of becoming waste after holding a dozen eggs, the cardboard packaging gets one more job: carrying the charcoal and becoming part of the material used to get the fire started.
Image credits go to @sewmanyways.