Clever Ways to Upcycle Plastic Bottles

Plastic is forever and with more and more things being made with plastic, its more important than ever that we recycle. Toddlers and preschoolers or kids of any age might not be that enthusiastic about “recycling”, but they might enjoy working on crafts. Its so cool the things that are made from used materials, and what you can make with old bottles!

Those two liter bottles you used at your Super Bowl or Oscar party are great for making monster containers! Yes, monsters are in season during Halloween, but these are great for holding your son’s art supplies, Hot Wheels, or even LEGOS.

Most boys are fascinated by vehicles, especially tractors, so how about making a tractor from soda bottles?

This frog would be great for keeping coins, marbles or bugs (just add some air holes).

While re-using plastic bottle for fun crafts for your kids is awesome in itself, what about finding practical ways to reuse plastic for responsible adults? Even better, how can I encourage companies and brands to look into ways to do so as well? Well one really great way is by buying products from The House of Marley. The House of Marley creates quality, earth-friendly products inspired by Bob Marley and is actually family owned and operated. They have a new line of bags, made from reclaimed hemp, organic cotton and recycled water bottles.

I was recently sent their Lively Up Scout Pack, made of a new fabric they’ve been working on the last two years, known as “Rewind.” The fabric is soft, durable and ready for any adventure you take it on AND “green”. With as much traveling as I do, I thought this would be the perfect way to incorporate some eco-friendliness into my travels and still look really great doing it.

Unfortunately, someone else had the same idea and has stolen my “travel” backpack and turned it into his “work/motorcycle” backpack. While my initial reaction was to throw a small fit, I realized – this was actually pretty cool.

I LOVE the message this photo conveys – bad ass biker dude on a Harley cares about staying eco-friendly. So I guess I’ll let him keep it.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve done with your used plastic bottles?