Repurpose An Old Coffee Container And Turn It Into A Simple Bird Feeder

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Most homes have at least one or two old coffee cans floating around. From tool holders and planters to scoops and seed storage, when it comes to repurposed items, coffee cans have about a thousand uses. For bird enthusiasts, upcycling your empty coffee container into an adorable diy birdhouse is one way to use them. You can also store bird seed, and even turn them into simple bird feeders. These feeders won't replace high-end hanging dispensers and they don't offer the features of the highly rated smart bird feeder Walmart shoppers love. But for a quickie DIY hack, it's hard to beat this one.

Around the home and garden, people are specifically using plastic Folger's coffee containers for almost anything you can imagine. They're sturdy, food safe, and the lid fits tightly to form a waterproof seal, so they can be used for everything from food canisters and compost scrap buckets to holding your recycled plastic bags. They're easy to cut into and can be painted to match your aesthetic.

Repurposed coffee containers show up outside as planters, watering cans, plant labels, and soil scoops. Still, one of the most rewarding ways to reuse them is to turn them into bird feeders. All you need for this DIY is a marker and a sharp knife or boxcutter. This is more than just a simple method for attracting more songbirds to your yard — it's a small, sustainable choice that keeps one less piece of trash in the landfill while benefiting your garden.

Over on the subreddit r/wildlifephotography, user Highwaters78217 shared a way to turn a plastic coffee container into a bird feeder, and it's a simple design that's easy to replicate. First, thoroughly clean and dry the container. Then, simply mark, and cut openings out for the birds, leaving enough height at the bottom of the canister to hold bird seed. If you want, you can add perches by poking or drilling holes below the openings and inserting dowels or small sticks. You can poke holes towards the top of the canister and thread twine through to allow it to hang from a branch or your porch.

Once you turn your old coffee can into a DIY bird feeder, feel free to dress it up a little. While chalk paint is often used for painting old metal coffee cans, it's not food-safe and can be toxic to birds. If you still want to use chalk paint, seal it with a layer of non-toxic Varathane Water-Based Polyurethane Spray. Alternatively, look for pet-friendly or bird-friendly non-toxic paints containing little or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They're added to paints to aid in quick drying, but even their fumes are no good for birds.

You want birds to feel safe and actually use this feeder, so be sure to put your bird feeder in the right place. Keep feeders away from windows to avoid fatal window strikes — a common problem for birds — and hang it out of reach from squirrels and cats. Finally, the specific seed mix you choose will attract different kinds of birds. You can attract cardinals and other birds to your yard with black oil sunflower seeds in the mix. Cracked corn, peanuts, and millet are also popular options.