Things Made From Recycled Bottles
The impact of discarded plastic and glass bottles on our planet has become a source of major concern for today's environmentalists. Luckily, recyclers are able to break glass and plastic bottles down and remold them into all kinds of usable products. Some of the things they have managed to put together solely with recycled bottles may surprise you.
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The Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew Temple in Thailand
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Monks built the walls of this temple in Thailand's Sisaket province with over one million recycled glass bottles. They built the temple as a way to reach nirvana, a state of ultimate peace of mind and freedom from all worldly obsessions that Buddhists strive to attain. Every aspect of the temple, including its crematorium and restrooms, is made up of green Heineken and brown Chang beer bottles.
Spiral Island
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In 1998, British ecopioneer, Richart Sowa, constructed his own artificial floating island out of nets filled with discarded plastic bottles. Plywood, bamboo, sand and various plants soon covered the bottles; the mass came to be known as Spiral Island. It floated its way around the Caribbean off of Mexico until Hurricane Emily destroyed it in 2005. Sowa has since replaced it with Spiral Island II, located in Isla Mujeres, Mexico.
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Clothing
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British tailoring manufacturer, Bagir, released the EcoGIRl, the world's first suit made from wool and 100 percent recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles in 2008. The company also offers the EcoGir Hybridi suit made from 55 percent recycled PET bottles for those who are hesitant to wear a 100 percent recycled suit. H&M clothing brand then began manufacturing women's, men's and children's clothing out of recycled PET bottles a year later in 2009.
Jewelry
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Environmentally conscious jewelry designers, including Smart Glass Jewelry, One World Products and Uncommon Goods, create and sell a wide range of items using recycled glass from discarded bottles. One particular example is stunning pendants with a stained glass look made from pieces of glass taken from wine bottles in a variety of colors.
Cell Phones
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The plastic exterior of Motorola's MOTO W233 is made with plastic from recycled water bottles and comes in a box made from 100 percent recycled paper. A number of phone companies and businesses including Verizon, Motorola, Costco and Staples also run recycling programs that accept mobile phones and phone accessories and recycle their plastic.
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References
- Yahoo! Green: The Seven Coolest Things Made from Recycled Bottles; Brian Clark Howard; 2009
- ChinaDaily: Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew Temple; 2008
- Tree Hugger: How Many Plastic Bottles Did It Take To Make This Suit?; Karin Kloosterman; 2008
- Coscto: Trade-In Program; 2011
- GreenerDesign: New Motorola Phone Made of Recycled Bottles; Jonathan Bardelline; 2009
- Verizon Wireless: HopeLine; 2011
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
