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65 ways to use a bucket — according to the Peace Corps

Young girls in Ghana wash produce

Peace Corps Volunteers often live in remote areas where resources are limited, so creative problem-solving is a must.

Regardless of the country or type of project work, Volunteers around the world often turn to one commonly found item to meet their DIY ambitions: the trusty bucket.

Check out favorite ways the plastic pail has been reimagined to support project work, to make life as a Volunteer a bit more comfortable, or simply for fun pastimes. We promise you’ll never look at a bucket the same way again!

A young woman lifts a cement gym weight
“Utilizing leftover cement mix, metal bars, and old buckets of varying sizes, we successfully created two sets of dumbbells and a 140-pound barbell weight for a backyard gym.” -Gabriella C., a Volunteer in Guyana

1. Laundry hamper

2. Kitchen sink

3. Bed risers

4. Snow or rainwater collection

5. Rodent-safe food storage

6. Exercise equipment molds

7. Basketball hoop

8. Impromptu seat

9. Water filtration system

10. Mop bucket

11. Clothes washing station

12. Umbrella stand

13. Drum

14. Late-night latrine

15. Trash bin

16. Gravity-fed camp shower or bathtub

17. Pest trap

18. Nightstand

19. Compost bin

20. Fruit collection

21. Animal feed storage

22. Bird bath

23. Construction cement mixer

24. Handwashing stations also known as tippy taps

25. Beekeeping

26. Bean bag toss

27. Micro-aquaculture units

A cow and chicken in a barn
Buckets are used in North Macedonia to feed animals.

28. Traditional beverage fermentation, including kava in Fiji, cassava beer in Belize, gundruk in Nepal.

29. Gift-giving container

30. Fabric dying

31. Classroom supply storage

32. Bailing bucket in fishing boats

33. Soak or wash grains like corn or rice

34. Carry manure to garden plots

35. Transport offerings for traditional ceremonies

36. Planters for herbs or crops like potatoes

37. Live bait storage

38. Market display for produce

39. Marinate meat

40. Transport fishing gear

41. Ice buckets for special events

Two women weigh an infant using a bucket
A community in Benin uses buckets for baby-weighing stations.

42. Step stool

43. Store pickled vegetables

44. Soak plant fibers for weaving

45. Lampshade

46. Rock stove with a metal bucket

47. Baby weighing station

48. Self-filling dog feeder

49. Piggy bank

50. Processing bath to develop film

51. Clay crafting mold

52. Speaker

53. Soccer goal

54. Time capsule

55. A leaky roof solution

56. Bear or mongoose cannister

57. Water-proof storage for kindling or charcoal

58. Ice cream maker

59. Collect cow or goat milk

60. Sand-filled ashtray

61. Cleaning supplies caddy

62. Crafting dish soap

63. Solar water heater

64. Doorstop

65. Holiday decorations

Want to learn how to solve everyday challenges in new ways? Browse opportunities to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

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