When the egg hunts are done, don't toss the shells.
Amy Cipolla Barnes has over 25 years of freelance writing experience, with focuses on food, family, travel, and lifestyle. She's also a recipe developer and tester and was a 2020 cookbook judge for the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). Universal Pigment Paste
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
There are many ways to use the boiled and dyed eggshells after Easter egg hunts. Instead of wasting shells by simply throwing them in the trash, these more sustainable options allow you to save money and experience fun family activities. You may not be able to eat eggshells, but you still can use them in arts and crafts or in the garden. Read on for more great ideas.
Once the egg hunt is over, gather the eggs and peel eggshells away from the boiled egg. It’s perfectly OK if the shells break into tiny pieces; you’ll be using them for mosaic crafts or grinding them into calcium dust for projects. The eggs themselves are not safe to eat.
There are several options to prepare the eggshells for other uses:
For Easter eggshell ideas, we asked first generation urban homesteaders The Busy Homebodies and twins Magadelena and Mary, who "try to make every bit count," what they'd do with leftover eggshells.
As former preschool teachers, they had ideas for using dyed eggshells that kids will love. We added a few additional crafty ideas to help keep them out of landfills:
With eggshell mosaic projects, consider the eggshells’ exteriors. If most of your eggshells are blue and white, a cloud project could work. If you’ve used pastel egg dyes, try creating eggshell flowers.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
While making art projects with eggshells is fun, putting them back into the environment also increases your sustainability efforts. If you're considering putting eggshells directly in your soil, first do a quick soil test to check on the existing calcium levels in your soil.
“When you use eggshells in gardening, make sure you break them into small particles for increased surface area and to allow the eggs to break down faster so the nutrients can be better utilized in the soil," says Dr. Teresa Morishita, professor of poultry medicine and food safety at Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Veterinary Medicine.
Try this eggshell water recipe to add a concentrated nutrient burst to your plant water.
According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, fully cooking eggs eliminates potentially harmful bacteria like Salmonella. However, boiled eggs shouldn't be eaten if they've been out of the refrigerator for more than two hours or if they've been used in an egg hunt. The shells can pick up bacteria and viruses that penetrate the edible part of the egg.
Organic Pigment Paste "Practicing sustainable living means it's a good idea for eggshells to be used after Easter egg hunts, but I suggest they be put into gardens or composting to prevent potential harm like the transmission of disease agents," says Dr. Morishita.