6 Strategies to Reuse Plastic Bottles

Let’s make a journey down memory lane to fifth grade science class. Along with getting a wicked kick of caffeine from that 2-liter bottle of Surge, these plastic bottles moreover made grade A provides to reuse as seedling planters and tornado hourglasses.

Are you ready for a model new problem? We’ve gathered collectively six initiatives that reuse plastic bottles for decorative, fulfilling, and smart outcomes. Who knew you would possibly reuse plastic bottles in so some methods? Ranging from an easy-to-make vase to an informative, kid-friendly science problem to a troublesome, intricate lampshade, one amongst these initiatives is sure to attraction to a DIYer you acknowledge!

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1. Woven plastic bottle vase

We start out with a easy problem from wikiHow. Their step-by-step instructions current you tips about tips on how to reuse a plastic bottle to make a vase. From a distance, you’d in no way guess this vase was plastic. Plus, it’s almost unbreakable and you will recycle it in case you establish to redecorate. You may also use it as a small bowl for holding spare change or odds and ends.

Drawback diploma: Beginner

What you’ll need: 20-ounce soda bottle, scissors, and a pencil for marking.

How one can make it:

1. Mark and cut back the swish heart portion of the bottle to supply a good edge that’s roughly 7.5 to eight centimeters (spherical 3 inches) above desired place of fluted rim.
2. Measure and mark straight, evenly spaced cuts all the best way during which throughout the bottle. Reduce the segments in half; then cut back each of those in half to make even, skinny strips.
3. Rigorously press and fold the entire strips outward to make a level edge all the best way during which spherical. Press the bottle the opposite means up on a flat ground to verify a good edge.
4. Weave the tip of a strip over the next one and beneath the next two. Fold and crease it so that the tip stays in place (see photos on WikiHow for a visual illustration. We promise it isn’t as laborious as a result of it sounds).
5. Fold and crease the next one the equivalent method, nevertheless weave this one over two and beneath one. Fold the third strip and weave the equivalent as the first one. Proceed spherical on this pattern until the ultimate three and tuck each one beneath the next until woven in absolutely.

Bonus tip: Add a contact of color by means of the usage of inexperienced soda bottles.

2. Plastic bottle lamp

We have got seen loads of strategies to make lamps out of plastic bottles, nevertheless that’s by far most likely essentially the most believable (and by that, we suggest it doesn’t appear as if an Evian bottle with a light-weight bulb shoved into the best).

This design by Frequent Science reuses plastic bottles as a mould for the lamp’s base. Using the “smart-looking shapes” of detergent bottles as inspiration, this retro design dates is paying homage to the Nineteen Sixties.

Drawback diploma: Superior

What you’ll need: plastic bottle, X-acto knife, drill, Vaseline, gap threaded rod, scorching glue gun, prescription medicine bottle, Straightforward-On 305, fine-grit sandpaper, flat washer, lock washer, nut, lamp twine, lamp shade of your different, and a lamp socket.

How one can make it: Frequent Science outlines this problem in its 12-step image info. Your full issue will run you spherical 50 bucks.

Bonus options:

• One of the best plastic bottle for this problem nonetheless retains its kind after the entire liquid has been eradicated. So, don’t choose one which’s skinny and flimsy.
• Seek for bottles with minimal ground ingredient. Sooner than starting the problem, peel off the label. You’ll uncover you bottle is also textured, nevertheless in response to the author, this gained’t help alongside together with your design.

3. Plastic bottle beads

For this problem, we’re truly offering you with the provides to make some far more rad designs — from jewelry creations to beaded door coverings.

The instructions underneath come from Lindsay The Frugal Crafter. We found one other cool options and photos on this Instructables tutorial on making a recycled plastic bead bracelet from Rhonda Chase Design.

Drawback diploma: Cheap

What you’ll need: plastic bottle, craft scissors, eternal markers, heat gun, and needle-nose pliers.

How one can make it:

1. Wash and cut back plastic bottles into strips which could be about 1 centimeter giant.
2. Coloration plastic strips with eternal marker. (You might even add a drip of golden paint, whenever you’ve acquired it out there.)
3. Roll up plastic tightly with inked side going by means of inwards. This may be easier in case you wrap it spherical a toothpick or skewer. Secure the coiled plastic with pliers.
4. Use heat gun for about 20 seconds until the plastic shrinks and holds its kind. Let it cool sooner than touching.

Bonus options:

• When you occur to don’t have a heat gun, a hair dryer will work as successfully.
• When you occur to don’t have a mild hand to draw shapes in your beads alongside together with your markers, don’t worry! Fully completely different colored scribbles work good. In actuality, you presumably can have your children help with this step.

4. Soda bottle coin purse

When you occur to consider zippers a development assertion, this snazzy problem is for you. This design for a zippered soda bottle coin purse comes from WikiHow.

Drawback diploma: Cheap

What you’ll need: two plastic bottles of the equivalent dimension, zipper, nylon thread, scissors or craft blade, skinny needle, thick needle to punch holes, tape or stitching pins

How one can make it:

1. Select two plastic bottles which could be the equivalent kind and dimension.
2. Reduce off the bottoms of two clear plastic bottles merely above the molded line. Then trim away any jagged edges with scissors.
3. Use a thick needle or metal axe to punch holes about 1/2 inch apart alongside the cut back fringe of  one bottle piece.
4. Holding the zipper contained within the marked bottle piece, secure one side of the zipper with tape or stitching pins.
5. Sew the zipper to to the bottle piece using the punched holes, eradicating the tape or pins as you sew.
6. Open the zipper and sew it to the inside of the other bottle piece. Your coin purse is now capable of be embellished.

Bonus options:

• If the edges are nonetheless jagged after you’ve cut back your two gadgets, use sandpaper or a nail file to wash the edges.
• When securing the zipper to the cut back bottle gadgets, align the zipper tooth with the cut back edge of each piece.
• It is best to positively check out WikiHow’s options for adorning the coin purse.

5. DIY lava lamp

OK, we’ll admit that this design from Little Bins for Little Arms doesn’t have the zing that your earlier $40 lamp had, nonetheless it’s a fulfilling moist day  problem. Science Bob provides further data to point out this problem proper right into a science experiment for the children.

Drawback diploma: Beginner

What you’ll need: plastic water bottle, vegetable oil, funnel, water, meals coloring, and Alka Seltzer (or generic mannequin) tablets.

How one can make it:

1. Take away the label and wash your bottle.
2. Using the funnel, pour vegetable oil into the bottle until it’s about two-thirds full.
3. Fill the bottle the rest of the best way during which with water.
4. Add quite a lot of drops of meals coloring.
5. Break up the Alka Selzer (or generic equal) into gadgets small enough to swimsuit by the bottle opening. Drop them into the bottle and watch the magic!

Bonus options:

• Be sure your children observe what happens everytime you add the water to the oil.
• Experiment with completely completely different sized bottles, colors, and the extent of oil in each “lava lamp.”
• When you occur to don’t have Alka Seltzer, merely secure the cap to the bottle with glue or masking tape and let the children see how the oil and water in no way mix.

6. Geometric lampshade

You’ve probably seen these lampshades spherical nevertheless won’t have recognized you can too make your private by reusing plastic bottles. This one begins out simple, nevertheless takes a bit further thoughts vitality to assemble, so be affected particular person; it’s nicely definitely worth the effort! You can assemble the gadgets in numerous final shapes. Uncover the entire instructions in Instructables’ widespread lamp shade polygon developing bundle.

Drawback diploma: Superior

What you’ll need: Tracing design (get it proper right here), PET (#1) plastic bottles, a light-weight socket on a twine (try Ikea), LED bulb (LEDs don’t get as scorching as incandescent or CFL bulbs so that they gained’t soften the plastic — plus, they ultimate for for much longer!)

How one can make it:

1. Trace your gadgets and cut back them using scissors or a knife. When you occur to’re truly superior, chances are you’ll as nicely make a “cookie cutter” out of sheet metal inside the type of the half. Then heat the cutter and use it to stamp out the weather. (Inform us how that works out.)
2. The assembly could be the toughest half. Instructables recommends merely changing into the weather collectively first and experimenting to get the very best geometric kind. Make it possible for the corners of each cutout match neatly collectively. Discover that there truly isn’t an answer to make concave corners, solely convex corners.
3. Reduce slots into the corners of the gadgets to permit them to neatly match collectively. Warning: This might get truly irritating, so don’t give up!

Bonus options:

• Make sure to use the equivalent type of plastic for all of your gadgets. The number of bottles you need relies upon upon dimension of your lampshade.
• The stiffness of your plastic determines how big your gadgets will probably be — stiffer supplies for larger gadgets and greater lampshades, thinner supplies for smaller gadgets and smaller lampshades.

Perform image courtesy of Instructables.

Editor’s observe: Initially printed on July 26, 2010, this textual content was updated in February 2025.