Loading...

How To Reuse Plastic Bottles: 13 Plans And Ideas

plastic bottles

plastic bottles

Pretty much any time we’ve pulled together a collection of reuse and upcycling projects, at least one involves plastic bottles. Not only are these items versatile, but they’re also readily available: Americans throw away 2.5 million of them every hour. Yes, most of them are recyclable, but, as Becky Striepe pointed out over at Care2 (and as we’ve noted ourselves a number of times), not infinitely: in fact, most plastic will get one more round of life as a lesser product, and then it’s landfill bound.

So, as a consumer, the best thing you can do to lessen our dependence on plastic bottles is to buy less of them. As an environmentalist, you may want to figure out ways to reuse plastic bottles. They’ll still end up in the landfill eventually, but crafty upcycling will probably get a bit more life than many of the recycling options.

How Not to Reuse Plastic Bottles

Generally, as many have pointed out over and over, reusing a plastic bottle as a drink or food container isn’t always the best choice: many plastics (especially those that contain BPA) can leach nasty stuff into your food or drink. But there are still lots of things you can do with those bottles… you may even want to start raiding neighbor’s recycling bins (please note I’m not encouraging that… just mentioning the possibility that this could happen!).

13 Plans and Projects for Plastic Bottles

  1. Hydroponic planters: Just came across this one and had to share – great idea for growing herbs, lettuce, etc., on windowsills. And no reason you couldn’t also reuse old plastic loofahs…
  2. Desk organizer cup thingies: Not exactly sure what to call these (obviously), but they could be really useful for straightening out that desk drawer that’s currently in shambles…
  3. A cute freestanding kitty-cat planter: Because, why not…
  4. A hanging planter: For indoors or out.
  5. A “topsy-turvy”-style upside-down tomato planter: Because this concept is still awfully cool…
  6. A greenhouse: Why stop with planters when you can also build a greenhouse to hold them?
  7. A plastic bag dispenser: Double up on your reuse with this one…
  8. Indoor lighting: This concept from the developing world could also work in a kids’ playhouse, or a cabin without electricity.
  9. Window shades: That don’t look like the ordinary louvered blinds…
  10. A hummingbird feeder: And once you’ve got this made, there’s even a recipe for hummingbird food…
  11. An ottoman: Yep, you can even make furniture from the things…
  12. A trash can: Or, if you prefer, a recycling bin…
  13. A boat: Yep, a guy in Fiji combined plastic bottles, a bit of Styrofoam, and some glue into a working boat…

Know of other plans, projects, and idea we missed? Share them with us in the comments…

Photo credit: Shutterstock

2 comments
  1. PETRA

    The single-serve water and beverage bottles you refer to are made predominantly in the U.S. from polyethylene terephthalate or PET, which is the world’s (and the U.S.’s) most recycled plastic. In the U.S., more than 1 million bottles recycled every hour, and recycling rates have steadily risen. We encourage continued recycling of these bottles, as PET is fully recyclable and can be remade into products like carpeting, clothing, and of course new bottles.

    This article is also misleading about the safety of these single-use water bottles. Sometimes these bottles are confused with plastic sports bottles made of plastic, which are also called “water bottles” and may contain BPA. PET, which has repeatedly been proven safe by the FDA and other health-safety authorities, does not contain BPA and never has, nor does it contain any known endocrine disruptors that may leach. PET bottles are safe for consumption. For more information, visit http://www.petresin.org.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *