How to Reuse Unwashed Water Bottles

Reuse dirty water bottles to keep them from becoming litter.

Unwashed water bottles can be reused for purposes outside the home.Throwing a plastic bottle in a landfill means leaving it in the ground for 700 years, according to the Green Your website. You can give those bottles useful jobs in the garden or garage. Turn bottles into seedling pots, a plant watering bottle or a sandbag bottle.

Things You'll Need

• 2 empty individual-sized water bottles with tops
• 1 large water bottle 1-liter or larger
• Scissors
• Soil
• Flower seed pack
• Water
• Sand

Instructions

Seedling Starter Pot

1. 

   Carefully cut the water bottle into two pieces.

   Cut a small water bottle in half so you have two pieces.

2. 

   No need to continue watering seeds once you put the top on your seedling pot.

   Fill the bottom half of the bottle with soil, 2/3 of the way up. Poke a hole in the soil with your finger and place a seed or two in the hole. Cover the seeds with soil. Water your seedling.

3. 

   Once the seedling is big enough, transplant in a larger pot.

   Place the top half of the bottle on top of the bottom and tape closed. Move the bottle to a warm, sunny location and watch your seedlings grow. Once seedlings are 2 inches tall, transplant to larger pots. Seedling starter pots can be reused.

Plant Watering Bottle

1. 

   Caps can be recycled.

   Remove the bottle cap from a small water bottle. Cut off the bottom.

2. Push the spout of the bottle into the ground near the base of a plant. The bottle will be upside down.

3. 

   Water plants while you are away with a plant watering bottle.

   Fill the bottle with water by pouring it through the opening in the bottom of the bottle. Water will slowly drain into the soil over a period of one to three days.

Sandbag Weights

1. 

   Use a sand bottle to avoid messy, bulky bags.

   Fill a large water bottle with dry sand. Replace cap.

2. Store a bottle of sand in your vehicle to add weight for better traction.

3. 

   Have sand available when traveling on icy roads.

   Sprinkle sand over icy walkways or under tires for traction.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment with various sized water bottles for each of the projects.

• Use a funnel to fill a bottle with water or sand. Make one by cutting the top off of a water bottle.

• There is no need to wash water bottles for these projects. However, hand-washing is important after working with a dirty water bottle to stop the spread of germs or bacteria that might be growing inside.

References

• Make-Stuff: Recycling: Things You Can Do With Plastic Pop Bottles
• Green Your: Reuse and Recycle Used Soda Bottles and Cans

Resources

• Recycling Revolution: Reuse Trash Ideas