Repurposing plastic bottles

In many countries, plastic bottles seem to be everywhere. So instead of filling the dumps up with them, or recycling them, you can make stuff from them. Check out these collections to get some ideas for you.

Many countries suffer from having too much plastic garbage. Many countries dump the garbage in the ocean, and contribute to the various garbage patches throughout the world. The plastic in the ocean breaks down into smaller pieces but never chemically degrades, so a recycling option would be helpful.

1. Pinterest: Recycled plastic bottle ideas. They have everything from a painted vase with base, garden slow watering bottles, chained planters for small plants, Tiki masks, water sprinkler, and more!
2. Make plastic bottle string.  Video. 
3. Soda bottle rope. Video. This actually could be strong stuff. 
4. Simple plastic bottle string from Mr. Gear. Video. If you look at the different designs you will be able to figure out how to make a simple one for little or no money.
5. Roman Ursu also has a simple way to make soda bottle string. Video.
6. This machine makes trimmer string from plastic bottles. Video. They run the braided line over a hot plate to congeal it together. Another machine makes brooms from soda bottle "string". 
7. How I made my soda bottle cutter. Simple. Video. 
8. Recycling milk jugs into fencing. Video.  
9. Roof tiles made from recycled plastic. Video. Plastic doesn't degrade, it doesn't rust, it's waterproof, so roof tiles are a super application here!
10. Making brooms from plastic bottles! What better way to clean up your garbage and clean up your house too! Video.

A "Recycling Bicycle" (re-bicycle?) makes plastic thread from old plastic. Video. This is a bike-powered grinder to grind down plastics so people can sell the pellets for about $1.80 per kilogram. This could be a significant source of income for them. The device also heats the plastic to make a flat thread which can be used to make chairs or stools or nets. One problem is many people will not have access to electricity for the extruder, which is integrated into the bicycle grinder.

However there are some problems. Buyers do not want plastics of various types mixed together as they make a very low grade plastic. They want plastics separated. Illiterate populations will have a hard time telling the different plastics apart even if there are recycle symbols on the plastic, so this could be an impossible hurdle for most poor people in developing countries.

Reusing soap slivers

How does one reuse soap slivers? There are several methods.

There used to be a mold where the top and bottom came off. You soak your slivers for 24 hours to make them soft, drain excess water, and press soft slivers into this mold. Then remove a new block of soap. But I can't find this mold on Amazon, Ebay, or Aliexpress. If you can find this soap press, please let me know in the comments.

Some people mash the soap into a muffin tin with a sturdy plastic cup. I would avoid using a glass since some might break in your hands and cause injury. 

Some people grate the soap, heat it up in a tin can (pop cans are too light for this), and pour into a waxed Dixie cup for a round soap. Some others use muffin tins, and pour the melted soap in there. You can use muffin tins from the Dollar Tree but spray them with oil before pouring melted soap into them. I'm going to try a silicone mold later because I can push the soap out through the bottom.

Aliexpress link to round silicone soap mold.

I  tried to microwave some slivers on 50% power but they just bubbled like popcorn.

If you have an idea that worked well, please leave a comment! Thanks!

Free ebook on recycling

"Recycled Thoughts" is a free ebook on recycling, repurposing, and being "green".

DIY batteries for fun

Some people have made their own batteries as kids, but now that we have had LED lights for years, these low-voltage batteries can be fun to make and be useful once again. DIY batteries can be made from a variety of items. The basic parts of a battery are: cathode, anode, and electrolyte. Batteries are actually made of multiple cells. The instructions down below are actually for one cell. Use different materials to find how many volts and amps it produces. You will need a multimeter, about $12usd online or at the store.

Some people have powered an electric clock with a lemon, or potato. Some have used electrolytes like lemon juice, vinegar, or even salt water. But the secret is in the cathode and anode materials. Usually use a glass or plastic jar to hold the electrolyte.

Here is a selection of DIY batteries you can make from household items. Reduce, reuse, recycle.

• Battery from carbon rod and zinc strip. 
• Copper and aluminum in coke. This has a better description of using different materials and electrolytes, and the voltage output from each trial. 
• Try magnesium strips (from Ebay) with one other metal, in salt water. Which metal gives the most volts?
• Stacked cell battery made from copper pennies, silver strips, and paper or cardboard soaked in salt water. This will work well until the paper/cardboard dries out. This says to use nickels, but only US nickels before 1964 contain silver. A medicine bottle might make a good container for these. 
• Ye olde lemon battery.  
• Grant Thompson builds a penny battery to power an LED for 2+ weeks.

Sources of materials:

1. Aluminum: soda cans, aluminum foil, some old house wiring is aluminum. 
2. Carbon: pencil leads are carbon. Carbon rods are also found in old batteries.  
3. Copper: use old copper pipes. Sand off any oxidation with fine sandpaper. Use old copper wire. Older US pennies are mostly copper, but newer ones only have a thin coating of copper.
4. Zinc: galvanized nails are coated in zinc. Zinc strips can be found online. The newer US pennies have a zinc core; sand off the thin copper coating.