Ideas for how to re-use (and re-purpose!) plastic bottles

By Ntombizanele Mayiya, 9th February 2018

Each day millions of plastic bottles are thrown away around the world, from water to laundry detergent bottles. This is particularly relevant to us here in Cape Town during the current drought crisis, as there are a lot of plastic bottles around due to everyone buying water. Anyone who’s environmentally friendly will know how important it is to “Reduce, Re-use, Recycle” as much as we can. When you are done with that plastic drink bottle, don’t just throw it away! Use it to make something awesome. By doing that, you could even save yourself some money by making something you need instead of having to go out and buy it. Most people reuse plastic bottles for storing water or other liquids, which is great. However, there are many different ways to reuse plastic bottles. Here are some ideas:

Elephant sculpture made from plastic bottles. Photo © Shutterstock

Piggy bank made from a plastic bottle. Photo © Shutterstock

Make storage pots, that you can use to store your brushes, cosmetics, pencils etc.
Curtains from bottle caps are awesome, you can hang them in your office, dining hall etc.
Christmas trees
Flower pots
Watering cans from laundry detergent bottles
Plastic bottle sprinklers
Snack containers
Cut a slot into the top and use it as a piggy bank
Use the top half of the bottle as a funnel, and the bottom as a plastic pot, for plants
Make hanging chandeliers
Make outdoor brooms
Make a trash can and use it as an outside trash bin
You can even use detergent bottles to make toy cars etc.
Christmas tree made from plastic bottles. Photo © Shutterstock

It will also be a lot of fun for parents to do these projects at home with their kids, so that they can all be more creative as well as learn how to reuse plastic bottles.