Pistachio shells are highly recycleable.
If you enjoy eating pistachios, you know how many shells are left over from eating just a few handfuls of nuts. The nuts are highly nutritive, so you can enjoy your snack, then enjoy using the shells. The list of uses for pistachio shells is not limited to crafts. Among their many uses, scientists view the leftover shells as a source of renewable fuel, and as a means of controlling mercury emissions in power plants.
Mosaics
Mosaics are always a simple project for using pistachio shells. The uniform shape and size of the shells makes projects easy to plan. Coloring the shells in batches with food coloring diluted with water. Drain and dry them, then use the different color variations to fill a canvas by gluing the shells in place. Rinse the shells first if they were salted nuts.
Fire Starter
The wood in the pistachio shell is high in oils. The curved shape keeps them from flattening together and the resulting air space combined with the oils makes them a great fire-starter. Collect them in decorative basket if you are fond of eating pistachios often. When you are ready to start the fire, just grab a handful. Start them with a little crumpled paper, just as you would kindling.
Christmas Tree Ornaments
Make unique Christmas tree ornaments with those leftover shells. Rinse them clean, drain and dry before gluing them together. One fun idea is hot gluing them over an egg-shaped piece of Styrofoam so the shells overlap, kind of like a pine cone. Either paint them or dip them in glitter.
Houseplants
Instead of trying to find bits of broken pottery to cover the drainage hole in the bottom of your houseplant, toss in a few pistachio shells instead. They hold the potting soil back from washing out with the water. As time passes, they decompose, so change them every year or two with fresh shells.
Mulch
Toss the rinsed out shells under your favorite acid-loving shrubs like roses or azaleas. They conserve moisture under the plants, discourage weeds and slowly decompose. They are a little too sharp to use in areas where you walk, so keep them confined to non-walking areas.
Compost
If you have the space and time, the pistachio shells decompose into compost. Like other wood sources, they need moisture and time to break down the strong cellulose bonds that hold them together. If you mix them into a compost pile with other plant matter, you might be able to speed up the process, but they need eight to 12 months to fall apart into compost.
Jewelry
Make necklaces or bracelets with the shells, just as you would seashells. Try different methods like staining them with wood stain or painting them with bright paint, then use a little polyurethane to shine them. Drill a tiny hole with a jeweler's drill bit and thread them together with strong thread or mono-filament string.
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