Canning Jar, Can We Use Recycled?

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Can I reuse jars from other products as a canning jar?

I get this question quite often. Now, for the debate….many canners want to know if you can reuse jars from store-bought products. You know, the ones from store-bought jelly, pickles, or mayonnaise. There are differing opinions on this. Some say absolutely not. Some say it is okay for a water bath only.

A variety of canning jars sitting in a row with the sun shining on them.

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Using Recycled Canning Jars

Here are my cautions with this.

  • There is always a higher risk of breakage, so as I said, the sturdier canning jars are better.
  • Recycled food jars will sometimes have a thinner rim on the jar, so the risk of a failed seal is higher as well. Be sure to check your seal before storage. Check it again when you pull the jar to use it. Do not use the food if the seal is not intact.
  • DO NOT use them in a pressure canner.
  • Be sure your lids will fit correctly. The screw band must fit the threads of your jar and the sealing compound must fit to the edges of your jar.

My opinion is… If you have standard canning jars available, they should always your first choice. Kerr, Mason, Jarden, or Ball are some brands available. Golden Harvest is another brand available that are usually a good price. If they are labeled, one of these they should work.

One brand I’d suggest you stay away from is the Mainstay brand. I don’t have any personal experience with them, but I’ve seen many many comments about them being poor quality. A lot of breakage happens with these jars.

Here is a quote from the NCFHFP. Please note they suggest use ONLY with ACID foods. i.e., items that go in a water bath. AND note they do suggest expecting higher failure rates. I’d just as soon skip the failure rates and stay with Mason jars. From NCHFP.

Most commercial pint and quart size mayonnaise or salad dressing jars may be used with new two piece lids for canning acid foods. However, you should expect more seal failures and jar breakage. These jars have a narrower sealing surface and are tempered less than Mason jars, and may be weakened by repeated contact with metal spoons or knives used in dispensing mayonnaise or salad dressing. Seemingly insignificant scratches in glass may cause cracking and breakage while processing jars in a canner. Mayonnaise type jars are not recommended for use with foods to be processed in a pressure canner because of excessive jar breakage. Other commercial jars with mouths that cannot be sealed with two piece canning lids are not recommended for use in canning any food at home.

What About the Nice Classico Jars?

Can I reuse the Classico jar for home canning? No. A coating is applied at the glass plant to reduce scratching and scuffing. If scratched, the jar becomes weaker at this point and can more easily break. This would increase the risk of the jar breaking when used for canning. Also, the lighter weight of our current jar could make it unsafe for home canning.
Can you recycle Classico jars for home canning?

Classico Jars they are nice and thick; they seem just as heavy, if not heavier, than Mason jars. But the company says, “No, do not reuse these for home canning.” Bummer…but this is what they say on their website. Just saying…

Can I reuse the Classico® jar for home canning?
No. A coating is applied at the glass plant to reduce scratching and scuffing. If scratched, the jar becomes weaker at this point and can more easily break. This would increase the risk of the jar breaking when used for canning. Also, the lighter weight of our current jar could make it unsafe for home canning. Classico FAQ

What About Baking in Canning Jars?

Baking in a canning jar…is it safe?

Jarden’s, the manufacturer of Ball, Kerr, and Bernadin canning jars, official position is oven canning, heating jars in the oven for canning, or using jars to bake is unsafe and not recommended.

The jars were not made for this purpose. The unsafe condition is what is called Thermal Shock Breakage. The heat from an oven is a different heat than what is produced in a water bath or pressure canner.

The breakage can occur during the heat process inside the oven or outside on the counter as they cool. This breakage could be anything from a crack in the glass where shards may be deposited into the jar and not observed by the canner or baker and end up in your food, to a full break of the jars possibly happening during handling and filling with your recipe.

So if you choose to bake those scrumptious-looking little desserts in canning jars…just be aware of the issues.

What About the Beautiful Heirloom Antique Jars?

Clear antique canning jars with bubbles in their glass.

Be careful of the very old vintage or antique canning jars. You know, the ones with the bubbles in the glass, tinted a lovely blue or purple. These might be better off used as decorations or storing dry items.

Old jars are fine, in fact are often sturdier than the newest ones you can buy now. But with the really old ones, use caution. Personally, I don’t trust the very old pretty ones in my pressure canner.

Canning Jars Sizes

There are several variety of jars. First, let’s talk about the opening. There are two common sizes: wide and narrow mouth.

Three canning jars of various colors and shapes.

Wide mouth jars have openings about 3 inches in diameter. Regular mouth or standard mouth are about 2 3/8 inch diameter.

Quart, pint and half pints are the sizes available and used most commonly for canning.

Half gallon jars can only be used for canning high-acid fruit juices. There are no safe recommendations for other foods.

There are gallon jars sold, but I don’t know of anything that can be safely canned in them. They make great storage jars!

And if you make your own baby food, there are some teeny tiny, extra small 4oz jars that are perfect.

Pretty, decorative jelly jars are available if you are making jellies or jams. These are nice especially if you are giving them as gifts.

Here is an image of some of my orange marmalade. It is hard to see in the image, but there are pretty embossed flowers and fruits on these. The problem with these…you have to find them used. I don’t know of any company making these anymore. They are my favorite! So pretty. Check eBay.

Currently, the jam and jelly jars being made are usually a quilted pattern…which is very nice too, but not nearly as pretty as the embossed variety. 🙂

Crackers spread with orange marmalade sitting next to an open jar of orange marmalade.

Canning Jar Questions from My Inbox

Hairline Cracks in Reused Canning Jars

Question: I bought brand new Mason quart jars for canning cherries. Some of them have semicircle hairline-looking cracks at the bottom of the jar. Are they low quality? I already canned several quarts of cherries with these jars. I hoped to be able to reuse these jars for many years.

Dee

Sharon’s answer:

As long as your jars are ‘Mason’ jars, they should be good to use for many years with normal use. I am sure that some jars are better quality that others.

I think I know what you mean when you see a “hairline crack”. Unless the jar is leaking (this would obviously mean that it is indeed a crack), these lines are most likely a seam or something from when the jar was made.

Personally, I don’t have a preference. I buy most of my jars used so they are a mix of different brand names. I do notice that older jars tend to be stronger and have a thicker glass. At least that is my impression.

Related Pages

Do You Have to Sterilize Jars for Home Canning? – Traditionally, canning jars have been boiled and “sterilized” before filling and processing. Many ask if sterilizing jars is necessary, if they’re boiled anyway. SimplyCanning.com answers this question!

Learn About the Tattler Canning LidsTattler reusable canning jar lids are an option for these times of canning lid shortages. My review from SimplyCanning.

Simply Canning’s Email Newsletter – Free articles and directions.

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Are Canning Jars Recyclable?

Page last updated: 10/5/2021

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Kelly
Kelly
2 years ago

Thankyou for your article. We reuse any glass jars we feel are not capable of being used for canning by putting dry goods in them. You can even seal them depending on the jar/lid. This includes many of those you’ve listed as unusable for normal canning. You can also store just plain water in them if they can hold it. The only time I toss a glass jar is if it’s broken. My husband even uses them in his shop to hold various items. ☺