DIY Ideas: Repurposing Plastic Bottles

Posted on 06/10/2015

Creative Ways to Reuse and Recycle Plastic Bottles

People buy plastic bottles all the time. Whether it is a huge five gallon bottle of water or five to ten Coca Cola bottles for tonight’s party, at one point you always find yourself surrounded by plastic bottles, baffled as to what to do with them. Of course, the obvious answer is nothing, just throw them away; they are just taking up space, and have always been a subject of waste removal. But think about it for a second. Are you sure that you cannot use them for anything at all? If you are the type of person who likes DIY projects, then water bottles should already be working on your imagination and you should be getting ideas on how to use them. If not, then here are some ideas you can think about.

• Bottles into Flower Pots
Bottles are containers and containers will always have a purpose. You can cut a plastic bottle in half and turn the upper half upside down and burry the throat in the garden. Make circles with plastic bottles, or any other shapes, then fill the container with soil and you can plant inside them. Whatever part of the bottle you cannot seem to make use of, just set aside for junk disposal. Alternatively, you can keep the bottle cap and puncture it to create drainage holes, and then hang it somewhere to make a hanging pot. Same can be done with the bottom part of the bottle and now you will have nothing to throw away! And if the pot seems to plain for you, then you can decorate it or paint over it as much as you like to make it look great.

• Bottles into Decorations
Speaking of decorations, plastic bottles will always have something to add to your decor. You can take about twenty duplicate bottles and arrange them over a wooden circle, then add another wooden circle on top, tie them up or stick them together, then enclose them in a fabric and what do you get? That’s right, a perfectly viable ottoman to put next to your coffee table! And if you are good at weaving, you can always cut a bottle in strips and weave them into a variety of shapes and figurines. With enough imagination, you can cut and combine a plastic bottle in a variety of ways to create different combinations. And even if you do end up calling the rubbish removal on the bottles, you can still keep the bottle caps. Take enough of them, stitch them together and create a hanging decoration, or why not a whole mosaic poster for your wall!

• Bottles into Bins
As mentioned, containers will always be useful. If you take one of the huge plastic bottles of bottled water and cut off the upper part, and then put some fabric on the edges, you will have yourself a perfectly fine rubbish bin. Make several and paint them over to create recycling bins for different types of items. Or you can add handles and create a bucket! Cut the bottom part of a plastic bottle and you will have your own eccentric bowl for treats or fruit. Bottles of different shapes can be cut in different ways to create plastic jars, item holders or vases, or combined to create boxes or stands. The options are nearly limitless.

There, you have your ideas to use plastic bottles for other than waste disposal. Next time you are doing property clearance, do not immediately think to throw away the perfectly good and usable bottles, rather think what you can use them for to help you or add to your home something you need or want. Things for rubbish removal you will always have, but reuse whatever you can and give it new life.