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How to Recycle and Reuse Candle Containers

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Scoop Out as Much Wax as (Reasonably) Possible

Scoop Out as Much Wax as (Reasonably) Possible

Scooping out any leftover wax

David Fisher
The first thing to do is to get out as much of the old wax and gunk from the jar. Luckily, most container candle wax blends are soft, so you should be able to get it out with just a spoon. If you're trying to get the wax out of a votive container, or you've got a firmer wax blend, you can use a butter knife to help chip the wax out. (Putting the jar into the freezer for an hour or so can help with removing wax from votive containers.)

Unless there is a lot of good, clean wax leftover in the candle, I don't recommend recycling this candle wax. It's generally got too much soot, burned wick tips and other cruddy stuff to really make it reusable.

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