Six ways to reuse plastic bottles

Travel Memory Lane to your fifth grade science class. In addition to getting an evil kick of caffeine from that 2-liter surge bottle, these plastic bottles have made Grade A material for reuse as seedling planters and tornado hourglasses.

Are you ready for a new project? We have gathered six projects to reuse plastic bottles for decorative, fun and practical results. Who knew you could reuse plastic bottles in so many ways? From easy-to-make vases to useful, children’s science projects, to challenging and complex lampshades, one of these projects will definitely appeal to the DIYers you know!

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1. Weave bottle vase

Start with a simple project wikihow. Their step-by-step instructions show how to reuse plastic bottles to make vases. From afar you wouldn’t think this vase was plastic. Plus, it’s virtually unbreakable and can be recycled if you decide to renovate. It can also be used as a spare change or as a small bowl to hold odds and ends.

Difficulty: beginner

What you need: 20 oz soda bottle, Scissorsand pencils for markings.

How to make:

1. Mark and cut the smooth middle part of the bottle to give a uniform edge of about 7.5-8 cm (approximately 3 inches) above the desired position of the grooved rim.
2. Mark straight, evenly spaced and straight. Cut the segment in half. Then cut each of them in half to make a uniform, thin strip.
3. Carefully press all strips outward to fold them to extend the edges of the level much longer. Press the bottle upside down on a flat surface to ensure uniform edges.
4. Weave the tips of the strips under the next one and the next two. Fold it and fold it back so that the tip stays in place (see wikihow photos For visual representations. We promise it’s not as difficult as it sounds).
5. Fold the following in the same way to wrinkle, but weave two or more of these: Fold the third strip and weave it just like the first strip. Continue this pattern until the last three, then press one underneath until it is completely weave in.

Bonus Tips: Use a green soda bottle to add a touch of color.

2. Plastic Bottle Lamp

We’ve seen many ways to make lamps from plastic bottles, and this is by far the most incredible (and by this we’ve made it Evian with a light bulb that’s pushed into the top (This means it doesn’t look like a bottle of .

This design Popular science Reuse plastic bottles as the base mold for the lamp. Using the “smart looking shape” of detergent bottles as inspiration, the date of this retro design is reminiscent of the 1960s.

Difficulty: Advanced

What you need: Plastic bottles, X-ACTO knifedrill, petrolatum, Hollow threaded rod, Hot Glue Gunprescription medicine bottle, Smooth 305, Fine Grit Sandpaper, Flat washer, Lock washer,nut, Lamp cordselected lampshades, and a Lamp socket.

How to make: Popular science An overview of this project 12-Stage Photo Guide. The whole thing runs about $50.

Bonus Tips:

• The ideal plastic bottle for this project will still retain its shape even after all liquids have been removed. Therefore, do not choose thin and thin.
• Look for a bottle with minimal surface details. Strip the label before you start the project. According to the author, the bottle can be a texture, but this won’t help your design.

3. Plastic Bottle Beads

This project literally offers materials to make even more RAD designs, from jewelry pieces to beaded door covers.

The following instructions come from Lindsay from Frugal Crafter. I found other cool tips and photos in this Instructables tutorial Making a recycled plastic bead bracelet From Rhonda Chase Design.

Difficulty: Moderate

What you need: Plastic bottles, Craft scissors, Permanent marker, Heat gunand Needle nose pliers.

How to make:

1. Wash and cut the plastic bottle into strips about 1 cm wide.
2. Colored plastic strips with permanent markers. (If you have it on hand, you can also add a gold paint drip.)
3. Roll the plastic tightly with the sides of the ink facing inward. Wrap it in a toothpick or skewer, this may be easy. Secure the coiled plastic with pliers.
4. Use the heat gun for approximately 20 seconds until the plastic shrinks and retains its shape. Let it cool before touching.

Bonus Tips:

• If you don’t have a heat gun, the hair dryer will work too.
• If you don’t have a stable hand to draw shapes on the beads with markers, don’t worry! Doodles in various colors work well. In fact, you can get your child to help with this step.

4. soda bottle coin wallet

Thinking of Zippers as a fashion statement, this fashionable project is for you. This design of a zipper soda bottle coin wallet wikihow.

Difficulty: Moderate

What you need: Two plastic bottles of the same size, zippers, nylon threads, scissors or craft blades, thin needles, thick needles, holes, thick needles to punch tape or sewing pins

How to make:

1. Choose two plastic bottles of the same shape and size.
2. Cut off the bottom of two clean plastic bottles just above the molding line. Next, cut off the jagged edges with scissors.
3. Using a thick needle or metal AWL, drill a hole about 1/2 inch away along the cutting edge of one bottle piece.
4. Hold the zipper inside the marked bottle piece and secure one side of the zipper with tape or sewing pins.
5. Use a punch hole to sew the zipper into the bottle piece and remove any tape or pins as you sew.
6. Open the zipper and sew inside the other bottle pieces. The coin wallet is ready to be decorated.

Bonus Tips:

• If the edges are still jagged after cutting two pieces, use sandpaper or nail file to smooth the edges.
• When securing the zipper to the cut bottle piece, align the zipper teeth with the cutting edge of each piece.
• Check out wikihow’s Tips for decoration Coin wallet.

5. DIY lava lamp

Okay, I’ll admit it from this design Small bottle for small hands There’s no zing that the old $40 lamp had, but it’s a fun rainy day project. Science Bob It provides additional information to turn this project into a science experiment for children.

Difficulty: beginner

What you need: Plastic water bottle, vegetable oil, funnel, water, Food coloringand Alka Seltzer (or popular brand) tablets.

How to make:

1. Remove the label and wash the bottle.
2. Using the funnel, pour the vegetable oil into the bottle until about two-thirds of it is full.
3. Fill the bottle with water the rest.
4. Add a few drops of food coloring.
5. Split the Alka Selzer (or the general-purpose equivalent) into pieces smaller enough to fit into the bottle opening. Drop them into a bottle and watch the magic!

Bonus Tips:

• Observe what happens when your child adds water to the oil.
• Try bottles, colors and oil levels of each “lava lamp” in different sizes.
• If you don’t have an Alka Seltzer, secure the cap to the bottle with glue or masking tape and let the kids make sure that oil and water don’t mix.

6. Geometric lampshade

You’ve probably seen these lampshades, but you may not have known that you can make your own by reusing plastic bottles. This starts easily, but you need a little more brain power to assemble, so be patient. It’s worth the effort! You can assemble the pieces in a variety of final shapes. Find the complete instructions at Universal Lampshade Polygon Building Kit from Instructables.

Difficulty: Advanced

What you need: Trace design (Get it here), PET (number 1) PET bottle, a Cord light socket (Try IKEA) LED bulb (LEDs don’t get as hot as incandescent or as hot as CFL bulbs, so they don’t melt plastic. Plus, they last longer!)

How to make:

1. Follow the fragments and cut them using scissors or knife. If you’re really on the way, you can also make a “cookie cutter” from sheet metal in the form of parts. Next, heat the cutter and use it to extrude the parts. (Please tell me how it works.)
2. Assembly is the most difficult part. Instructables recommends experimenting to get the correct geometric shape by simply fitting the parts first. Make sure the corners of each cutout fit nicely. Note that there is no way to really create concave corners, only convex corners.
3. Cut the slots into the corners of the pieces to ensure they fit together neatly. Warning: Don’t give up as this can really be frustrating!

Bonus Tips:

• Make sure you use the same type of plastic for all pieces. The number of bottles you need will vary depending on the size of your lampshade.
• The rigidity of the plastic determines how big the piece will be. It is a hard material for large pieces and large lampshades, and thin material for small pieces and small lampshades.

Features images are provided Instructor.

Editor’s Note: Originally published on July 26, 2010, this article was updated in February 2025.