Are you fed up with seeing plastic bottles and bags littered around you? Most of our everyday things are disposable, and we throw away innumerable things every day that could be harmful to Mother Nature. Plastic waste is an alarming problem that is taking a toll on our health and our future generations. Therefore, a smart and sustainable way would be to buy reusable items or objects made of recycled plastic that we can reuse or repurpose to protect our environment.
11 Interesting Ways You Can Recycle Plastic
Here are some innovative and creative ways to reuse and recycle plastic we tend to dispose of every day, thus protecting our land, oceans, and air.
Reuse Plastic Containers for Storing Snacks or Spices
Most of us are already doing that. Instead of purchasing new storage containers, we can repurpose disposable plastic jars, containers, or bottles to store spices or our favorite snacks. Use the bottles for stocking up on oils or sauces for easy pouring. You can even carry food in these plastic containers and bottles while traveling.
DIY Plastic Bottle Planters
If you are a nature lover and your home is filled with vivid greenery, you will love this idea. Instead of throwing away plastic bottles or cylindrical jars, you can convert them into indoor plant pots. You can make creative designs out of them and give them the shape and color you like to give your planters an interesting look. Let your creative spark show its magic here.
Once done creating an appealing or unique shape, add the required spoil mix and plant some seeds. Alternatively, you can transplant a grown plant from another pot. Similarly, you can repurpose laundry detergent bottles as watering cans for your plants. After cleaning the empty containers, punch or drill some holes in the cap, and here you are with a new watering can!
Replace Costly Sprinklers with Cheaper Options
If you have a large garden or yard full of plants, you will need a sprinkler to simplify your plant watering tasks. While it’s fun for your kids to play around and dance in this artificially created rain, it’s an easy and quick way to water all your plants evenly. Take a clear 2-litre soda bottle and add a swivel hose adapter by replacing the cap (you can use a bamboo skewer to widen the opening). Drill 8–10 holes using a pin on one side of the bottle and attach the setup to a garden hose. Turn on the tap and lower the water pressure for the first time. You can gradually increase the pressure to adjust the spraying effects as per your requirements.
Make Decorative Floral Spring Lights
Another great way to reuse plastics is by making decorative floral lights and spirals to revamp your home, especially when the festive season is around. Cut some simple shapes of flowers and paint them with bright colors to improve their aesthetics. You can also paint plastic bottles, fill them with string lights, and hang them as you wish to brighten up your living spaces. You can cut out the bottoms of soda bottles (which look like flowers) to create some floral decorations.
Decorate a Vertical Garden
What can be a better way to use soda bottles than building an entire garden out of them? Cut a narrow opening in each soda bottle to allow the plant to grow. Put in soil mix inside the bottles and keep their caps attached. You can drill small holes in the bottom for drainage. You can choose one wall of your living space or even an outside wall of a narrow walkway around your house.
Herbs and small plants would grow best in these soda bottles. Hang them in a decorative pattern and space them evenly to create an aesthetic look for your home. This way, you can grow your own herbs at home. You can use as many soda bottles as you wish – the more, the better. There’s nothing like covering up an entire wall with greenery.
Convert Plastic Bottles or Jars into Stationery Cases
You can use large plastic jars as pen stands or convert soda bottles into pencil organizers that you can use with a zipper. Give them some interesting colors and shapes to make them appealing. Use hot glue to attach one end of a zipper at one opening of a cut soda bottle body with the other zipper part attached to the opening. Use it as your new stationery case or paintbrush holder, and keep your study table or office table organized and free from mess.
Build Desk Organizers or Storage Baskets
You can convert big laundry containers, milk cartons, or large plastic oil cans into baskets for storing school supplies, home utilities, and other essentials. Furthermore, you can add handles or choose containers that have pre-built handles for better portability.
Arrange Books Neatly
Another great idea would be to create a DIY bookshelf. Place one-half of these large laundry detergent or oil containers together (paste them side to side for stability) and arrange your books into these holders. You can categorize them into different genres, themes, or segments to find your favorite books easily. To strengthen the base, you can attach the entire DIY arrangement on a wooden panel. You can skip this step if you are already placing it on a table.
Cut Out a Garden Scooper
If you are into gardening and are facing problems scooping soil, vermicompost, and other mixes while transplanting plants, this one’s for you. You can cut out the shape of a garden scooper from a large oil container or milk carton. A bit of rough sketching before the cutout would make the final product neat.
Build Innovative Toys for Kids
Last, but not least, building unique toys for your little kids is another fun way to transform plastic bottles and containers. For instance, you can make airplane toys from shampoo bottles or convert a laundry detergent into a toy car. Your kids will absolutely love them.
Try Mosaic Art
Have you ever thought of using soda bottle caps creatively? Here are some ideas. Keep collecting different colored plastic bottle caps of varying sizes and use them to create unique artwork. For example, you can involve your family or friends to create mosaic art. Choose a particular theme and draw a rough sketch on your canvas or plywood. Now, start attaching the bottle caps using a hot glue gun to create the desired pattern or design.
For example, if you are creating scenery, you can use green caps for the trees and green spaces, blue ones for the sky and water bodies, and other colors (like red and black caps from Coke bottles) to cover other objects. We are sure you will be delighted to see the end result and enjoy the process at the same time. Happy creating!
Final Words
The list is endless as there can be uncountable ways to reuse and repurpose plastics. Recycled plastic items are not just useful but are also cheaper. It is high time we must start saving our environment and our resources for future generations. Each of us must contribute towards developing a cleaner and greener environment. Although it’s time-consuming, it’s not impossible to live on a plastic-free planet.