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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Get new life out of plastic bottles

There are a lot of options for what to do with plastic bottles.  (Renee Sande / Down to EarthNW Correspondent)
Renee Sande Down to Earth NW Correspondent
No matter how much we try to keep plastic bottles out of our homes, these pesky pieces of modern convenience still seem to find their way in. Whether it’s due to some soda for a birthday bash or well-meaning guests showing up with drinks in hand, a 100 percent plastic-free home seems more of a nice thought. While Spokane and other local municipalities have no problem recycling your plastic bottles, another option, especially if you have a little DIYer in you, is to turn them into other more useful things. Here are 10 ideas to get you started. • Fun with funnels Whether changing your car’s oil or transferring kitchen liquids like oils or syrups from container to container, funnels come in handy. Here’s what you do. If the opening of the bottle spout is approximately the same size or smaller than the area you will be funneling into, use your utility knife to cut the bottom half of the bottle off. If the opening that you’ll be funneling into is smaller than the bottle spout, find that bottle lid and then dig out more tools like your drill, drill bits and a pen casing (one of those white Bic pens works well; take apart with pliers). Cut pen casing with a saw to approximately half its size. Determine the size of drill bit (needs to be slightly smaller than pen casing). Place bottle cap, open end facing down, on a piece of wood and drill hole through center of cap. Screw cap onto the bottle and insert pen casing and you now have a funnel for even the smallest of spaces! (Option: Apply a sealant on the inside, around the pen casing to ensure there are no leaks and that more of the liquid flows into the casing without getting trapped in the lid well. • Make a watering bottle Multiple watering devices during warm months make life a little easier. If you’re on your front porch and find your fuchsia a little parched, wouldn’t it be nice to have a handy watering “bottle” within reach, rather than having to head to the back deck to retrieve your usual watering can? Grab your drill and drill bits again (3/32” works nicely), drill as many holes as you think you’ll need for top-notch watering and you now have a “squeezable” watering bottle that can allow you to control water flow even more. • Get gardening What better way to reuse plastic than for springing forth life? Make seed starter pots by simply cutting off the bottoms of 1-liter or 2-liter bottles. Before you know it, you’ve turned your plastic into a positively plentiful spring garden! • Creative candles We all love candlelight now and then, but sometimes don’t quite have the right assortment and/or height of holders for holiday centerpieces or summertime deck party display. Reusing 2-liter bottles as votive candle holders is a great idea, and have creative control over the design of the finished product! To ensure a straight cut, measure the height you’d like your votive holder to be, marking dots every inch or so, until you’ve made your way around the bottle. With your utility knife, cut on the line of dots you just made, taking care to leave as smooth an edge as possible. Wash the part of the bottle you plan to use, with soap and water. If the edges are a little rough, add a piece of ribbon which will also give your finished product more flair. Using craft glue or double-stick tape, stick half the ribbon around the outside of the bottle, before making your way around again, carefully smoothing ribbon over the edge. Now fill with your choice of decorative filler, like sand and seashells, clear faux rocks, or anything else you can think of (raw cranberries?) Nestle your favorite votive candle in the middle, and get instant ambience. • Stamp things out Rather than toss lids out, give them new life by turning them into mini-stampers. If you happen to have foam stickers for craft projects handy, simply stick them onto the tops of the bottle caps, and you are ready to stamp away! (Option: If you would prefer a handle on your stamp, use craft glue to adhere a small thread spool and you’ve just reused yet another item.) • Get icy Like multiple watering devices are nice for your plants in the summer, so are multiple cold packs for your coolers. Just fill plastic bottles full of water, pop them in the freezer, and when you’re ready for a picnic, you’ll keep your cool knowing you’ve planned ahead. • Save toilet water You may have heard of the folk wisdom that suggests placing a brick in your toilet’s water tank to save water with every flush. Well, it’s true, but a plastic bottle won’t disintegrate like a brick can over time, which can eventually cause plumbing problems. Just drop a little sand or pebbles into a 1-liter or 2-liter bottle (depending on size of your tank) to weigh it down, fill with water, and put it in the tank, making sure not to disturb the toilet’s working parts. With this nifty reuse solution, you’ll displace enough water to save half a gallon to a gallon with each flush, or up to about 10 gallons a day in a typical home! (Most toilets flush perfectly well with a little less water that they are designed to hold.) So instead of feeling like you’re contributing to the problem because you let some plastic in the house, funnel that energy into something else you can use and enjoy.