{"id":18791,"date":"2015-07-28T14:12:52","date_gmt":"2015-07-28T18:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=18791"},"modified":"2015-07-28T14:12:52","modified_gmt":"2015-07-28T18:12:52","slug":"how-to-reuse-plastic-bottles-13-plans-and-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-reuse-plastic-bottles-13-plans-and-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Reuse Plastic Bottles: 13 Plans And Ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"plastic<\/a><\/p>\n

Pretty much any time we’ve pulled together a collection of reuse<\/a> and upcycling projects<\/a>, 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<\/strong><\/a>. Yes, most of them are recyclable, but, as Becky Striepe pointed out over at Care2<\/a> (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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

How Not to Reuse Plastic Bottles<\/h3>\n

Generally, as many have pointed out over<\/a> and over<\/a>, 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!).<\/p>\n

13 Plans and Projects for Plastic Bottles<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Hydroponic planters<\/a>:<\/strong> 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…<\/li>\n
  2. Desk organizer cup thingies<\/a>:<\/strong> 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…<\/li>\n
  3. A cute freestanding kitty-cat planter<\/a>:<\/strong> Because, why not…<\/li>\n
  4. A hanging planter<\/a>:<\/strong> For indoors or out.<\/li>\n
  5. A “topsy-turvy”-style upside-down tomato planter<\/a>:<\/strong> Because this concept is still awfully cool…<\/li>\n
  6. A greenhouse<\/a>:<\/strong> Why stop with planters when you can also build a greenhouse to hold them?<\/li>\n
  7. A plastic bag dispenser<\/a>:<\/strong> Double up on your reuse with this one…<\/li>\n
  8. Indoor lighting<\/a>:<\/strong> This concept from the developing world could also work in a kids’ playhouse, or a cabin without electricity.<\/li>\n
  9. Window shades<\/a>:<\/strong> That don’t look like the ordinary louvered blinds…<\/li>\n
  10. A hummingbird feeder<\/a>:<\/strong> And once you’ve got this made, there’s even a recipe for hummingbird food…<\/li>\n
  11. An ottoman<\/a>:<\/strong> Yep, you can even make furniture from the things…<\/li>\n
  12. A trash can<\/a>:<\/strong> Or, if you prefer, a recycling bin…<\/li>\n
  13. A boat<\/a>:<\/strong> Yep, a guy in Fiji combined plastic bottles, a bit of Styrofoam, and some glue into a working boat…<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Know of other plans, projects, and idea we missed? Share them with us in the comments…<\/p>\n

    Photo credit: Shutterstock<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Sure, you can recycle them, but why reuse plastic bottles to make things you can use around the house: from planters of all kinds to furniture and boats!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":18792,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[3844,4,5730,8384,8381,8385,4526,8382,2943,8387,478,2865,8386,1382,8383],"yoast_head":"\n13 Ways To Reuse Plastic Bottles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sure, you can recycle them, but why reuse plastic bottles to make things you can use around the house: from planters of all kinds to furniture and boats!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-reuse-plastic-bottles-13-plans-and-ideas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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