18 replies to this topic

[FamilyTreeClimber]

For all the people who think recycling is a waste of time, get a load of the creative ways bottles are being recycled and reused:

http://www.thedailyg...-bottles-460309

Some of these items are really fascinating.  I'm curious about the glass bottle solar water heater.  A Chinese farmer made it himself.  He claims his system heats enough water for three showers.

The temple is equally interesting.  It was made from over one million used beer bottles.  That's a lot of litter being put to good use.  You can see close up photos of it here:
http://greenupgrader...uddhist-temple/

I like the quirky cascading light.  It's neat what one artist can create given the materials and an active imagination.

This goes to show that when someone things about it there are a multitude of things you can do with litter.  These bottles are being put to decorative and functional uses.  It's really limitless when you think about it.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Similar-
http://www.altenergy...-water-heating/
http://www.altenergy...h-soda-bottles/

[Pat]

These are all good ideas of recycling.  One way to cut down on bottles would be to take them back to the distributor so that they could reuse the bottle instead of making a new bottle.

[MakingCents]

I odn't think distributors these days ever re-use the ottles do they?  Wouldnt' that be some sort of health code violation?

[FamilyTreeClimber]

MakingCents, I think you are right.  In the examples of the articles, it was individuals who collected the bottles then built something with them.

I think the most startling one is the Buddhist temple.  It was made from over a million bottles.  All those bottles were picked up as litter.  It's kind of sad thatthat people dump so many bottles.

I wonder what the lighting is like in that temple?  The glass must let light stream in.  I can see a greenish glow from Heineken bottles.  LOL  Do you think that the glass would make the temple warmer or cooler?

[Shortpoet-GTD]

MakingCents, on 25 June 2012 - 05:24 PM, said:

I didn't think distributors these days ever re-use the bottles do they?  Wouldn't' that be some sort of health code violation?

Steam cleaning kills any bacteria-then they're refilled.
Many states have deposits - 5 to .10 cents that they refund you when you turn them in.


I saw a beautiful ceiling in a bar in Europe that has wine bottles inserted into a wooden frame. One section
would have 30-40 bottles at a certain level of "insertion"-some were squares, or rectangles.
It covered the entire ceiling, and it was fabulous.

[zararina]

Glass bottles can also be used as containers for some of your stuffs like if you collect coins, small stones and other small stuffs.
And right that the temple made from or with bottles is really a nice one as it looks good and neat.

[MakingCents]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 25 June 2012 - 05:47 PM, said:

Steam cleaning kills any bacteria-then they're refilled.
Many states have deposits - 5 to .10 cents that they refund you when you turn them in.


I saw a beautiful ceiling in a bar in Europe that has wine bottles inserted into a wooden frame. One section
would have 30-40 bottles at a certain level of "insertion"-some were squares, or rectangles.
It covered the entire ceiling, and it was fabulous.

I thought the turn it was for recycling.  Didn't realize it was for re-using.  

I know that they can be properly cleaned, jsut figured with how PC our society has become somebody would have gone to the supereme court about it or something by now!

[steph84]

I don't understand how anyone could think that recycling is a waste of time. That is horrible, but thanks for spreading on this information! Only knowledge can cure ignorance!

[dconklin]

These are awesome   I wish I was creative to think of these ideas!  I do recycle, but if I was creative I would be having some fun too.  I love that screen or wall made of bottles, looks like something my kids would have fun making.

[MakingCents]

I know a person who breaks glass bottles and jars and the like and smooths out the edges and makes really awesome collages with them.  I however don't have a creative bone in my body.

[FamilyTreeClimber]

I love doing creative things.  I can think of little variations when I'm working on a project.  However, I'm not great at coming up with original project ideas.  Or, if I come up with an idea, I can't figure out how to take it from my brain to the real world.  I admire people who can.

MakingCents, I bet the various colored glass pieces must really make interesting collage designs.

steph84, I think in some ways it's a cop out.  If I think that something is useless, then I don't have to put out any effort.  It's a ready made excuse.   I always think the opposite.  What if everyone recycled their plastic bottles?  Then there would be no plastic bottles in the trash and they wouldn't be littering our beaches or our parks.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

I found this one, it's similar to the bar I spoke of above-covered in wine bottles.
(If you go to Google images and type in wine bottles-ceiling, there are hundreds of ideas there.)

[ACSAPA]

I love the Buddhist temple made of beer bottles and the roof thing with the hose in China that creates enough hot water for 3 people to bathe. It's inspiring how many uses people come up with for things, with a little thought.

[Sandra Piddock]

Because of the way the light reflects off the bottles, they can create a stunning display, particularly with ceilings.

This is not very artistic really, but when I used to go on camping rallies with my motorhome, we'd build a wall of bottles over the weekend, then someone would volunteer to dismantle it and take them to the nearest recycling centre. We used to count up how many bottles we'd amassed, divide it by the number of vans on the rally to get an average, and run a 'league table.' It was a harmless bit of fun, and it made sure that the rally field was kept tidy, and that we recycled as much as we could.

[fancyfingers]

I loved the Buddist Temple made out of the beer bottles. I liked the serving tray too. The neck of the bottle was the handle. Cool. I wonder if the same principle of the solar shower could be used to heat a swimming pool? That would be something to look into. Hmmm, interesting. I like the way this thread gets people thinking 'what if'.

[QuatreHiead]

This is one of my favorite new favorite uses for soda bottles a friend recently introduced me to:

http://www.insideurb...structions.html
http://www.treehugge...capsulepot.html

If you scroll down in the second link you can see the how to make your own video! I have yet to give this a try, but I think it would be an awesome way to be green in 2 different ways! I've been wanting to start a mini garden for a while now. I think I'm going to put as many of my bottles towads this to make my deck a little nicer.

[FamilyTreeClimber]

That ceiling really is amazing.  The light reflects off the bottles in a really cool way.  I live in earthquake country, so I think I'd be a little nervous to have that hanging over me.  But, it's still a very neat way to reuse the bottles.

QH, those planters are neat looking.  There are so many things we could do with things if we had the time...and the ingenuity.

[Sugarhill]

I can't tell if this is a hotel or a small casino, but it's out in Las Vegas and was made from 500,000 beer bottles. I wonder if it took more time to amass all of those bottles, crush them up into an usuable material or actually build the structure.

http://www.treehugge...umed-strip.html