10 fun ways to reuse plastic bottles

An average person consumes quite an amount of plastic throughout the day on a regular basis. It is reported by the Australia-based Minderoo Foundation that India’s per capita waste generated from single-use plastic is 4 kg which encompasses 43 percent of India’s plastic consumption. In order to reduce plastic pollution, many organizations have tried to reduce the consumption of plastic and taken initiatives to reuse them in an effective way.

Reusing plastic can effectively help in reducing the greenhouse gases and footprint of plastic dumped across the world. Instead of discarding used plastic bottles, they could be made into something functional.

Let’s check out 10 different ways to reuse plastic water bottles at home.

Waste Bin

Make a trash can out of plastic bottles instead of throwing them in dustbins. It could be a little time-consuming but worth the effort. You need to cut a little at the bottom of one bottle to fit the opening of the other bottle. Make a hole in the cap of the top bottle and the bottom of the bottle that you didn’t cut. Now using steel wire connect the two bottles together. Make as many sets as needed to make an entire trash can. Now use tweezers to tie those bottles to any steel frame. Any thick cardboard can be used as the base for these cans.

Bottle Planter

One of the challenges of urban spaces is the difficulty to grow plants. Cut plastic cans or bottles in the desired pattern and turn them into planters. You can use oil cans and soft drink bottles as they are durable and also has enough space for the plant to grow.

Mini Purse

Mini plastic jars or bottles can be used to create cute little wallets. Empty shampoo bottles can be cut into the desired pattern and add some colorful embellishments like keychains and buttons to make them put together.

Vase

Empty water bottles can be repurposed into a beautiful vase to add to your home décor. Cut the plastic bottles in cute patterns like example cats and owls. Throw in your creativity by painting the bottle with different colors and designs. These can also be used to hold stationery, toothbrush, and anything that you think of.

Pencil Case

One of the creative back-to-school projects for kids is to make their own stationery cases using small plastic bottles. Just with the use of a zipper, paints, and hot glue a simple soda bottle can be converted into a colorful pencil case.

Sprinkler

An affordable alternative for purchasing a sprinkler is by making one using water cans. Simply poke some holes in one side of a large water bottle and connect a hose to the opening of the bottle and seal it with some tape.

Bird Feeder

If you have a bird pet or birds visiting your neighborhood regularly, try to feed them by making a DIY bird feeder with the use of plastic bottles. Make holes on both sides of the bottle and insert wooden spoons and hang them on the trees.

Watering Can

Watching your plants grow is heartwarming like seeing the children grow. The watering cans could be made cheaper and more quickly while having fun with the kids. Just take a large plastic water bottle and poke a few holes in the lid and you are done.

Piggy Banks

Making an adorable piggy bank using plastic bottles by themselves at a young age can inspire kids to learn while having fun and being creative. Grab a soda bottle and cut them into any shape. Use paints to make them look nice and put a small hole on the top for inserting the money.

Gift Box

It is always touching to present someone with a handmade gift rather than the one you bought from a store. A perfect DIY plastic gift box for wrapping your little gift items can be made by reusing the bottles thrown in the waste bin. You can also add a few pom-poms and other colorful threads to make them even more appealing.

Which one of these are you going to try?

International Plastic Bag Free Day, celebrated on July 3, is a global initiative that aims to eliminate the use of plastic bags. Plastic bags may seem like a grocery shopping convenience, but they are also a huge strain on the environment. It can take up to 500 years for plastic bags to disintegrate, so they make up a large portion of what stays in our landfills and pollutes our waterways. There are various forms of plastic that we use, but an easy way to cut down our usage could be to recycle in any of the above ways and to use cloth bags for shopping. Every little step matters.

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