Household plastic waste is a growing problem. Every day, the landfills and the waterways fill up with more and more single-use, non biodegradable items, like water bottles, potato chip packets, plastic trays from microwave meals, candy bar wrappers, and so much more. In fact, according to one Greenpeace report, in 2021, plastic waste in the U.S. amounted to more than 50 million tons of plastic waste per household. There are more than 131 million households in the U.S. -- adding up all of that waste is complicated math, but let's just say it totals up to a heck of a lot of trash.

But there are small actions that each of us can take to help minimize the amount of waste we throw away. We can recycle, reduce the amount of plastic we buy in the grocery store, and reuse. It might seem insignificant at first, but even reusing small items can make a big difference. If every household in the U.S. re-used their butter wrappers this month, for example, that's millions of pieces of plastic kept out of the landfill and the ocean for a little bit longer.

The good news is that butter wrappers can be re-used in many different ways. They can be a stand-in for parchment paper and cake liners, for example, and they can even help to add an extra layer of flavor to your food when you're cooking. Intrigued? Check out some of our favorite, innovative ways to reuse butter wrappers below.