PET bottles contribute to environmental sustainability by reducing the reliance on virgin raw materials for making water bottles and containers. Repurposing PET bottles into new products can also reduce landfill waste.
However, upcycling requires creativity to craft unique items from PET bottles that add charm and utility to your home. Used PET bottles can find new use in homes, reducing waste and sustaining the environment more.
This article will guide you through upcycling PET bottles and improving the aesthetics of your living space. Creativity will contribute to eco-friendly practices and give your home a personal touch.
Transforming PET bottles into garden planters
Repurposing your used PET bottles into planters will sustain the environment in two ways. First, you’ll reduce waste disposal and make the planet cleaner. Additionally, plants reduce greenhouse gases and produce oxygen.
You’ll follow the steps below to transform used PET bottles into garden planters:
- Cut PET bottles: A craft knife allows you to cut the top off and transform PET bottles into open-top planters.
- Design drainage holes: Your house plants need water. However, your planter should have holes made at the bottom to drain excess water. Use the craft knife or heated needle to make holes at the bottom of the planter.
- Planter decoration: Adding personal markers can give your living space charm. However, this step is optional. It’s a great way to add aesthetics to your room regardless.
- Planting: You’ll need a potting mix to fill your repurposed PET bottle and plant a seed. Water the potting soil to provide conditions for germination.
- Hanging planters: This step depends on the desired aesthetics. You can do this to save the floor space. You can also place planters on shelves and mantels.
Crafting decorative lamps from PET bottles
Lighting your home allows you to celebrate a relationship with the perfect anniversary bouquet since room lighting enhances mood and atmosphere. Your PET bottles can contribute to a well-lit living space. You can repurpose them into different decorative lamps:
Bottle Chandelier
Making this decorative lamp for your home contributes to home decor while sustaining the environment. You’ll need the following materials to craft a PET bottle chandelier:
- Multiple PET bottles
- Craft knife
- Wire or string
- Light fixture
- Paint
You’ll cut the bottles into the desired shape. Tie a string or wire to each bottle. You can hang the bottles from the ceiling around the light fixture. Ensure each bottle hangs at a different height. This creates the chandelier effect.
Bottle Lanterns
PET bottle lanterns can also make your home charming and light the living space. However, you’ll craft the bottles differently. You’ll cut off the bottle bottom. You can decorate the bottles with paint for more aesthetics.
Place a tea light inside your bottle to make a lantern. You can put this lantern on table tops or hang them as lanterns.
Creating storage solutions using PET bottles
What’s impressive is that HDPE bottles are just as durable and resistant to continuous use as PET bottles. This results in highly recyclable bottles that minimize the usage of virgin materials to make new plastic bottles.
You can reduce plastic material disposal in landfills by crafting storage solutions from your HDPE plastics. Besides, storage solutions provide a clever way to organize items in your living space.
Wall-mounted storage
A wall-mounted storage provides vertical storage solutions to save floor space. You cut off the tops of your PET bottles and attach them to a wall or board. A screw will drill into your wall and hold the bottles in place.
Your wall-mounted storage made from HDPE bottles can organize the following items:
- Repair tools
- Art supplies
- Office supplies
Food storage
You can also craft a storage solution for your food items and keep everything well organized. Keeping foodstuffs in a designated place ensures you know where everything lies. You can keep various foods in your PET bottles:
- Pet foods: Kibble and treats
- Agricultural produce: Fruits, vegetables, and nuts
- Snacks: Popcorn, jerky, and potato chips
Designing children’s toys from recycled PET bottles
Your child’s toys can bring clutter in a living space if everything lies around. However, you can make a child’s toy out of HDPE bottles to reduce waste in landfills. Even better, PET bottles can make storage solutions for your child’s toys.
Crafting a toy from PET bottles depends on your creativity and skills. Toy cars are the easiest to make and require fewer skills. A PET bottle can act as the body of a car. You’ll need additional materials like round bottle caps for wheels.
You’ll attach four caps to a bottle to make a functional car. You can also become creative and make a car train. However, this will require multiple PET bottles. You’ll tie one car to the other to make a train.
Additionally, you can make other toys. Maraca shakers are toys you can make with a plastic bottle. You’ll fill up a bottle with small items like rice and beans. Seal the bottle cap with glue to ensure the bottle doesn’t spill its contents.
Making eco-friendly bird feeders with PET bottles
Feeding wild birds contributes to environmental conservation since birds can rely on your feeding program. PET bottles can be repurposed to make eco-friendly bird feeders. You’ll follow the steps below to make bird feeders from your PET bottles:
- Clean the bottles: Soap and water will remove dirt and labels from your bottles. You can also remove sticky residue with soap and water.
- Create the perches: Use a craft knife to poke holes on both sides of a PET bottle. The holes must be opposite each other. Two holes are enough. Stick chopsticks through the holes for birds to perch.
- Cut out a feeding hole: You’ll use a craft knife to cut a hole above the perches. Birds will feed through the cut holes. Make sure the holes are large to allow birds access to seeds put in the PET bottle.
- Add a hanger: You can make two holes at the top of the bottles and slide a string through. Use the string to hang the bird feeder off a tree. You can also use a wire loop to hang the feeder.
