this post was submitted on 27 Aug 2025
75 points (98.7% liked)

Ask Lemmy

34275 readers
1115 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


6) No US Politics.
Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world or !askusa@discuss.online


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I'm on a medication that gets delivered to me in a dramatically over packaged way every two weeks. Part of this packaging is a styrofoam cooler about 27x22x25cm and two unlabeled cold packs.

I currently have 7 of these and expect to be getting them for the rest of my life. Aside from just tossing them, do any of you lot have suggestions for what i can do with all these coolers?

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] medicsofanarchy@lemmy.world 53 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Chop the Styrofoam into little pieces. Place in glass bottle. When the time is right, add gasoline. Now you have napalm. Rag for wick./s <-- this means I'm just kidding and you should never, ever do this or throw it at fascists.

[–] orbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.com 24 points 1 day ago

Also, in these situations, you never want to use the rag as a stopper for a bottle filled with gasoline. Instead, you cork the top, soak the rag in oil, and tie it around the bottle neck. Light the rag. When the bottle breaks, it'll ignite the theoretical napalm.

Doing this will keep the gas from spilling on you when you throw it. Safety first!

/s <-- this is all a joke, of course and we definitely don't condone violence or burning fascists.

[–] Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago

Funny enough, I've done this before. The big issues is the styrofoam loses its fluff and you end up with a small glob. It'd be more effective to mix it in a bowl and pump it into the bottle.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I keep napalm for starting fires at home and camp. Can't be beat!

[–] meekah@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I love burning down my home for a little excitement on the weekend!

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Homemade napalm, is, uh, not like the movies. It's merely a gelatinous substance, that once on fire, burns forever.

It doesn't explode. It's not reactive, to anything. It just sits in a jar until you take a twig and twirl some out, light it on fire.

Learn some chemistry, some basic science, experiment! Stop getting your ideas from Hollywood.

[–] meekah@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Oh I wasn't trying to say that napalm is super dangerous or anything, to me your phrasing just sounded a bit like you'd be making campfires inside your home so I made a little joke. Of course its n.o big deal if you just use it outside.

[–] WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 day ago

fun for the whole family

[–] Snailpope@lemmy.world 44 points 2 days ago

Donate to a local food bank, homeless shelter, meals on wheels. Styrofoam containers can be used to store or transport hot or cold foods to those in need.

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 37 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Soundproof your sex dungeon?

[–] LadyButterfly@piefed.blahaj.zone 22 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That is a ridiculous suggestion. Clearly OP has already soundproofed their sex dungeon and wants to know how to use them next.

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago (1 children)

We've soundproofed one sex dungeon, yes, but what about second sex dungeon?

Well you can never have too many sex dungeons

[–] tiredofsametab@fedia.io 12 points 1 day ago

I agree with charity and giving them away as a first priority. However, have you considered building an igloo?

[–] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 22 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Donate to food banks or post them up for sale on Craigslist for $5 each. They're kind of expensive these days and fishermen/campers frequently want them.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I dunno about that. I have a pile of coolers behind the shed, all shapes and sizes, that I've picked off the road for free.

[–] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I mean yeah, normal coolers arent that hard to find. But, When you're fishing or bird hunting though it's often easier to throw a catch in a disposable cooler that doesn't need to be fully washed and sanitized and won't permanently end up smelling like whatever you got three weeks ago, because plastic is semi-permeable.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Oh! I get it now. I don't hunt or fish. My coolers are for beer and water, easy to wash out, dry in the sun.

You're right. If the contents are nasty, just use disposable styrofoam, chunk it in a pickle jar of unleaded, use the napalm to light camp fires. 👍🏻

[–] EponymousBosh@awful.systems 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I agree with contacting local charities (kitchens, food banks, etc) and see if they can use them.

[–] Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

That's probably the best option so far, there's a lot of homeless near me and I've got nothing better to give.

[–] _cryptagion@anarchist.nexus 12 points 1 day ago (2 children)

make molotov cocktails. nothing like the smell of homemade napalm and a little, uh, "civil disobedience" in the morning.

[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

just don't set any American flags on fire and wear a red hat.

All You Can Eat Napalm, now serving!

[–] Bell@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)

A quick check at amazon shows these costing about $14 each, no doubt much less in bulk but still expensive. Perhaps inquire with the shipper if they would accept them for reuse if cleaned. If the shipper is friendly they might consider setting up a program to collect these from your city and return them for reuse. The shipper could save considerably on costs and you might have found a new business.

[–] LadyButterfly@piefed.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yes or just flog them on Ebay/marketplace etc

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I would do Craigslist/marketplace. Find someone who resells them or uses them for some product and have them pick up every 3 months or whatever schedule for a set price. Way less hassle than finding a new buyer everytime.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

Everyone is out here telling you to sell them for $x meanwhile I'd suggest just giving them away for free to anyone willing to pick em up. No compromises.

[–] etchinghillside@reddthat.com 14 points 2 days ago

Homemade flammable gel.

[–] Lasherz12@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Depending on the density of the Styrofoam, it can be used as a rainfall simulator for a greenhouse. Water drips through some Styrofoam in a very random way.

[–] Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

As much as I'd love that for a small greenhouse, these probably wouldn't work. They're almost 5cm thick and tight enough that I've stood on them without compression or denting.

[–] Lasherz12@lemmy.world 2 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

May be worth running water over one just in case if you are interested in pursuing it. I was so confident that a Styrofoam container for my humira meds would hold water that I filled it up and started walking before realizing it was dripping all over me.

[–] Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago

Hey, we're med buddies! Well now I definitely have to at least fill it with water, I've got a lot of tropical plants that would love a good rain.

[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

At today’s interest rates and inflation, this is the only viable solution.

~How much can I get for selling a kidney on the black market?~

[–] NABDad@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (2 children)

If they are the right kind of Styrofoam, they can be recycled. See if there's someplace near you that takes them.

[–] Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

I did look into that and sadly they aren't. Any recycling will have to be upcycled

Reduce > Reuse > Recycle

Don't skip over Reuse. The coolers are in good condition and odds are even if there was recycling, it would generate more waste than reusing it.

[–] Brkdncr@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

frustrating. I was also getting a steady supply of ice packs. One time one of the ice packs said it could be used as plant fertilizer and I was happy to do so but never saw another one like that.

I take my trash to a transfer station. The amount of single-use stuff we throw away is frightening.

I never came up with an answer. I asked my neighbors on an app and they had similar issues with chilled medical delivery.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] GrumpyFortuneCat@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Make some styrofoam swamp coolers. My AC is not catching up this summer and I have a few of these due to some eyedrops I've been getting shipped to me. I'm seriously considering building one until I get my AC serviced when it gets cooler.

[–] meekah@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Personally I really don't think swamp coolers are worth it. If you wanna evaporate water to cool off, do it right on your skin using a damp towel instead of making the air all swampy for a slightly cool breeze. Towel+regular fan is much more effective imo

[–] Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

I'd love that if it weren't so humid here that they're functionally useless. Though I am thinking about using them to insulate my attic to reduce heat transfer.

[–] iii@mander.xyz 9 points 2 days ago

Make a cool boat

[–] crimsonpoodle@pawb.social 2 points 1 day ago

You can use them as incubators for little plants in the spring to keep them warm at night if you’re in a cold place. Or if you want a fun project build a cloud chamber and watch particles move.

[–] JoeKrogan@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

Make a raft

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

Home igloo?

[–] JeSuisUnHombre@lemmy.zip 5 points 2 days ago

Put meals in them and give them to the unhoused?

[–] randomcruft@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Original comment deleted… I just realized how small the containers are. Original suggestion would not have made sense.

[–] Drusas@fedia.io 4 points 1 day ago

As someone with cystic fibrosis, I've got the same problem but once a month. So much packaging. And then if you need a port for two weeks? Here's your lifetime supply of materials.

You could keep them to pack your own food into encase of a power outage. I assume this nest together so they wouldn't take up much room.

Likely not something you will do but I found this interesting: There is an electronics business in the UK who bought a machine to break up styrofoam into small bit. They also have a steady supply of the stuff. They paid for the machine by selling the styrofoam as blown-in insulation.

load more comments
view more: next ›