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Finding larger dark glass containers to repurpose?

 
pollinator
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Does anyone have any suggestions for where I might be able to find larger dark (brown) glass containers?

So far I've been able to find beer bottles (thrown to the sides of the roads here) and the occasional 32oz growler that someone wants to get rid of, but I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for where to find larger containers such as jars, vases, carboys, etc.
There seems to be no shortage of clear glass, but dark glass seems to be harder to find.

I've found that dark glass blocks enough light to prevent algae growth in hydroponics, while letting enough light through so that I can see the water level.
 
steward & bricolagier
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Green gallon jugs have wine in them, I've gotten them from restaurant trash or by asking them to keep them for me. Don't think any wine comes in brown. Try going to a bar and asking them, they might know what comes in those bottles, which would give you a guess of where to look.

Vases: Go to the flower shops, quite a few of the non-chain ones take back vases from people, or end up with them leftover from yard sales etc.

There is also glass paint you can buy that makes fake stained glass, it's easy to work with, could just paint the clear ones. I've used the brush stuff, looks like there's spray paint too, which might be easier.

:D

And, if you decide you want to buy some, https://www.specialtybottle.com/glass-bottles/beverage/jugs-growlers has great prices, but the shipping is the $$ part.
 
master pollinator
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On the 1/2 gallon jugs Fillmore Containers is a few dollars cheaper per case. (6 per case in the instance) With Fillmore, you need to order the lids separately, but the price is still better. I only compared the one size. I did not compare shipping costs, which also is pricy on glass.

I've only purchased small stuff from them so far for family herbals. Think really thick salve in a plastic roll-on deodorant container. A friend used this supplier for her supply of containers and glass bottles in her essential oil and herbal medicinal business. So far I have been happy using my 1/2 pint mason jars for my less solid salves. I just store them in a cupboard to keep light at a minimum.
 
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Depending on your local recycling setup, they might have glass bins you can look in.
Or maybe a smaller neighboring community might be set up like mine where you take your recycling to a building where bins are set up to self-serve... which for me means giving some and taking some for re-purpose.
 
Logan Byrd
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Thank you for the suggestions! I didn't think about wine bottles, I'll have to experiment with those and see if the green ones also prevent algae.

The paint is also a great idea - I'll look into that.

As far as buying the containers directly goes, I'm surprised at how easy they are to obtain - I thought they would need to be bought in bulk.
 
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