To reuse or recycle? That is the question...

[BlessedOne]

Ok I find myself in an odd place. Basically it is a win win situation, but yet for some reason I still find it hard to come to a decision.

Here is my "problem"......
I use all natural maple syrup that comes in these nice glass bottles. I use a TON of it. I kid you not I use about a bottle or more a week (I am a wafflholic.). So I have been collecting these bottles for more than a year now and have soooo many of them.
I have kept them because I have told myself they would make great gift bottles for homemade products.....but in reality I probably will never get around to using them for that.
Although oddly enough a couple of years back I DID do the homemade lotions, shower gels, and bath salts that would have been a dandy use of those bottles....but I did not have that many then.....also I figured making stuff for the shower and bathroom out of glass, may be a bit of a risk....so I just bought plastic bottles then.
But back to the problem. I have been debating just taking them into the recycling center and recycling them with my other glass stuff or finding a different plan for them.
It would be cool, if I could make some money off of them....since I sure have put out an arm and a leg on the syrup (it is about 5 bucks a bottle). But I do not know if anyone would really buy them from me. I know I am not going to throw them away, but a part of me feels that taking them to the normal recycling center is kind of like waisting the bottles......well you know what I mean.
I can not keep them for a just in case type of thing(and the reality of me using them is slim), I just do not have enough room anymore and besides that it makes me wheezy when I add up how much money I have spent on syrup alone!
So any ideas?

[wednesday]

I don't know what you should do with the bottles you have. BUT, the natural foods co-op we go to sells all-natural awesome maple syrup in bulk. You just bring your own container. Can you do that, so you don't accumulate any more bottles?

If you need to get your collection out of the house (or pare it down), maybe freecycle?

[Penuche]

I'd say keep ten bottles and recycle the rest. If you think of an amazing use for them that requires more than ten, then you can save more, since you empty a bottle a week. But if you've kept a year's worth and not used them, then you might as well send the bulk of them to be recycled. They're not doing any good sitting on the shelf. If you can't deal with recycling them, offer them on Freecycle first and see if you have any takers.

[BlessedOne]

thank you all for your input...
unfortunately the area in which I live does not have any local natural syrup options....to my knowledge. It would be neat if I could do something like that...it would probably be cheaper and of course would stop not give me more bottles.

I guess, I will offer them on the local sale/give connection and possible freecycle (I just do not want to have to ship them...which I could just stay local) and if no one takes them in a week, pack the majority of them up and take them to the recycling center. I just wish I had a great idea for them that was easy and I would ACTUALLY do. Then I would not feel like I saved them in vain...lol.

I have though about making infused cooking oils and putting in them....but I am not sure the shelf life. Chances are most people would not actually use it but rather just keep it on the shelf....but good oils can be pricey and I do not care to put out an arm and a leg on something that many people would probably not appreciate.

[heatherweh]

I second the idea for freecycle, just say "must pick up by x date" or something.

You can take them to the farmer's market and look around, if you see someone selling things in siliar glass jars then offer it to them- maybe they'll even make you a trade for them! Ie, you see people who sell all natural bath salts, honey, or flowers in glass jar "vases"- any of them would gladly take them. Just say I have all these bottles you could have for free, maybe you could give me some x for them? People at the farmers market are generally friendly in my experience and always looking for people to trade with.

I bring all my egg cartons for the egg vendors and all my jars for the flower vendors and if I have any of those little containers from berries or grapes or tangerines or little baskets I bring those too for the produce vendors to reuse.

[Ruthla]

Maybe try offering them for sale on Craigslist before offering them for free on Freecycle (I think you can also offer stuff for free on Craigslist.) Somebody may be willing to travel a little bit to pick up the bottles if they truly do have a use for them.

Then if you don't get any responses, recycle most of them but keep a handful "just in case."