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5 Ways to Give Plastic Bottles a Second Life

4 minutes
Plastic bottles litter the earth and harmful for the environment. Reusing them will not only help the planet, but your wallet too.
5 Ways to Give Plastic Bottles a Second Life
Last update: 10 August, 2019

Are you interested in recycling and reusing materials? Perfect! Because there are thousands of ways to reuse and enjoy things you have laying around at home. In our post today, we want to show you the best ideas for reusing something that you use every day and don’t want to just throw in the trash: plastic bottles. Give them a second life!

Ideas for reusing plastic bottles

Recycling and reusing is truly a wonderful thing to do. You can create anything reusing the materials that would otherwise end up in our seas or earth. If you want to reuse your plastic bottles but don’t know how, here are some ideas:

1. Flowerpots

Flowerpots are a classic way to reuse bottles (and other containers) and you just alter their shape to create them. To get started, cut the bottle to the desired height and don’t forget to make holes at the bottom for drainage. If you’d rather put your flowers in water, skip the holes.

Some figure

Once you’ve prepared the bottle, let your imagination loose and paint them however you want. Use water-resistant acrylic paints. How about painting on little animal faces? Or maybe flowers? Some lines, colors or more complicated patterns to fit your home decor would look nice as well. There are thousands of options!

2. Pencil-holder

You can use small plastic bottles to make a container to hold pencils, paint brushes, toothbrushes, cooking utensils, makeup, tools… Follow the same steps as the flowerpots and cut the bottle at the desired height.

Then, just decorate or paint the bottle as you please. For example, glue on a colorful piece of fabric and tie a piece of yarn around the bottle. Match it with your kitchen, bathroom or study decor!

3. Children’s toys

Another way to reuse and make the most of plastic bottles is by using them to make toys. If you have children, you probably know that despite having hundreds of toys, they still have a blast with a spoon or a container lid.

So, how about creating new toys from plastic bottles? If your children are old enough, they can decorate or paint them themselves. But what can you make? All kinds of toys! You can make anything from cars to dolls, masks, and even special rockets.

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The best part about using plastic bottles for toys is that they won’t break easily. In addition, they’re apt for bathrooms, parks, and beaches. And they’re also much more affordable than store-bought options!

Plastic bottle toys are a perfect way of teaching your children how to recycle. They’re also great for a rainy day and will keep them from watching too much TV.

4. Yard decor

You can also fashion your plastic bottles into outdoor decor accessories for a beautiful yard, balcony or deck. For example, draw out a butterfly and cut it out. After, paint it with bright colors. When you’re finished, attach it to a stick and stake it into the ground.

Or, if you want to attract more winged friends to your home, make a bird-feeder out of your plastic bottle. Cut the bottom and attach a disk or plate to the bottom to hold the seeds and hang the feeder from a tree or another high area. If you want, you can even create a faux nest or a birdhouse as well.

5. Chairs and tables

Here’s a cool DIY idea that will help you furnish your home or yard. You’ll need many plastic bottles of the same size. Use them to construct a bench or table in whichever shape you like. Next, secure them with a rope or strong tape.

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Then, place a wooden board or a sturdy piece of cardboard on top (as a seat or tabletop). Next, cover the entire structure with fabric or imitation leather. And you’re finished!

There are so many ways to reuse your plastic bottles. In addition to our ideas, you can try plenty more: piggy-banks, outdoor broom (or a play broom for children), hanging light fixtures, shovels, decorative flowers, candle-holders, umbrella-holder, jewelry, etc.

We encourage you to use less plastic bottles every day and reuse the ones that you already have to make useful decor objects. Help the environment!