20 Genius Ways to Reuse Empty Plastic Bottles

By
Erin Huffstetler
Erin Huffstetler

Erin Huffstetler is a frugal living expert who has been writing for over 10 years about easy ways to save money at home.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 03/17/21

Recycling plastic is good, but finding ways to reuse it yourself is even better. Start collecting your plastic bottles and try out one of these super creative and fun ideas to keep them out of landfills for good!

Hanging milk jug herb garden

Grillo Designs

  • 01 of 20

    A Lotion Bottle Phone Charger

    Lotion bottle phone charger
    Make It & Love It

    Fashion a phone charger pocket out of an empty lotion bottle. It just requires a bit of scissor work and some decoupage. Make It Love It has step-by-step photos that show you how to cut the bottle so that it can be hung from an electrical outlet.

    Plastic Bottle Phone Charger Holder from Make It Love It

  • 02 of 20

    Wind Spirals

    Plastic bottle wind spirals
    CBC Parents

    These wind spirals are a cinch to make, and they'll look fantastic hanging in your yard. To make a set, just remove the labels from some plastic water bottles. Then, use permanent markers to color every inch of the bottles and cut them into strips.

    Water Bottle Wind Spirals from CBC Parent

  • 03 of 20

    A Bird Feeder

    Water bottle bird feeder
    Here Comes the Sun

    Use two wooden spoons and a plastic soda bottle to make this simple bird feeder. Here Comes the Sun has a step-by-step tutorial to take you through the full process.

    Soda Bottle Bird Feeder from Here Comes the Sun

  • 04 of 20

    Flower Hair Planters

    Flower hair planters
    Dip Feed

    Cut some plastic bottles down to turn them into planters. Then, use pom poms and googly eyes to give them faces. Once you add flowers, your planters will look like they also have hair. Make these with your kids to get them excited about gardening.

    DIY Flower Hair Planters from Dip Feed

    Continue to 5 of 20 below.
  • 05 of 20

    A No-Sew Zipper Case

    No-sew zipper case
    Make It & Love It

    Turn an empty soda bottle or water bottle into a case for colored pencils, markers, or anything else you don't currently have a case for! The best part about this project: even though this clever case has a zipper, there's absolutely no sewing involved.

    No-Sew Zipper Case from Make It Love It

  • 06 of 20

    Floral String Lights

    Water bottle string lights
    Bob Vila

    Dress up a cheap set of string lights by creating colorful flowers to fit around the lights. All you need is a bunch of plastic bottles and their caps. While this project may look like it requires a lot of skill, it's really nothing more than some cutting and spray painting.

    DIY Outdoor Lighting from Bob Vila

  • 07 of 20

    A Water Bottle Sprinkler

    Water bottle sprinkler
    Clever, Crafty, Cookin' Mama

    Poke some holes in a plastic two-liter soda bottle, and you have an instant sprinkler for the kids to run through. Clever Crafty Cookin Mama has all the details on the hardware you'll need to connect this sprinkler to your garden hose.

    DIY Sprinkler from Clever, Crafty, Cookin' Mama

  • 08 of 20

    Flower Curtains

    Plastic bottle curtains
    International Decor

    Cut the bottoms off of a bunch of clear soda or water bottles; then, string them together to create these dramatic curtains.

    DIY Curtains From Plastic Bottles from International Decor

    Continue to 9 of 20 below.
  • 09 of 20

    A Juice Bottle Watering Can

    Juice bottle watering can
    Cut Out + Keep

    Punch some holes in the cap of a juice bottle, and you have a great, makeshift watering can. As Cutout and Keep It points out, these are ideal for mixing up fertilizer for your plants, because it's something you can throw away when you're done.

    Juice Bottle Watering Can from Cut Out + Keep

  • 10 of 20

    Soda Bottle Easter Baskets

    Soda bottle easter basket
    Craft Your Happiness

    Transform some soda bottles into these cute Easter baskets. They're the perfect size for a few trinkets and some candy. Use a pipe cleaner or a piece of ribbon to create the handle. Then, snazz them up with permanent marker flourishes, foam stickers, or other seasonal embellishments.

    Plastic Bottle DIY Easter Baskets from Craft Your Happiness

  • 11 of 20

    Woven Baskets

    Woven plastic baskets
    Crafty Jewish Mom

    Here's another fun basket made from plastic bottles, only this one is woven. Just cut slits in the side of a bottle; then, use plarn—that's yarn made from plastic bags—to weave a pattern into the sides. For the best results, use brightly-colored bags.

    Woven Recycled Bottle Basket from Creative Jewish Mom

  • 12 of 20

    A Hanging Milk Jug Garden

    Hanging milk jug herb garden
    Grillo Designs

    Cut up some milk jugs to create flower pots for your herbs. Then, use the handles to hang them. Save enough milk jugs, and you can do a whole vertical garden wall on your porch or patio.

    DIY Plastic Bottle Herb Garden from Grillo Designs

    Continue to 13 of 20 below.
  • 13 of 20

    A Terrarium

    Plastic bottle terrarium
    Soul Flower

    Use an empty soda bottle to make a terrarium. This is the perfect project to tackle with kids. Since the bottles are plastic, you won't have to worry about breakage, and since there's a lid that you can screw on when you're done, you won't have to worry about soil spills.

    DIY Recycled Soda Bottle Terrarium from Soul Flower 

  • 14 of 20

    A Hummingbird Feeder

    Water bottle hummingbird feeder
    Kids' Activities

    Attract hummingbirds to your yard with this homemade hummingbird feeder made from water bottles, drinking straws, and a few other odds and ends. Kids Activities has a quick and easy tutorial to show you how to assemble one. This project would be ideal for a class or scout project.

     ​Recycled Bottle Hummingbird Feeder from Kids' Activities

  • 15 of 20

    A Wind Spinner

    Plastic bottle wind spinner
    Crafts by Amanda

    Grab a utility knife, and turn a soda bottle into a wind spinner. You can even embellish them with colorful duct tape.

    Recycled Plastic Bottle Wind Spinner from Crafts by Amanda

  • 16 of 20

    A Plastic Bag Dispenser

    Plastic bag dispenser
    Craft Your Happiness

    Upcycle a plastic, two-liter bottle into a dispenser for your plastic bags. It can be hung on the wall, in the pantry, or on the inside of a cabinet door. Craft Your Happiness has everything you need to make this, including a Silhouette file that you can use to make the cool, vinyl decal on the front.

    Plastic Bag Holder from Craft Your Happiness

    Continue to 17 of 20 below.
  • 17 of 20

    A Fairy House

    Plastic bottle fairy house
    Crafts by Amanda

    Make a fairy garden with your kids. These little fairy houses are easy to create from soda bottles. Just grab some paint, fake flowers, and a few other embellishments, and let your imagination run wild.

    Plastic Bottle Fair House Night Lights from Crafts by Amanda

  • 18 of 20

    A Drip Irrigation System

    Drip irrigation system
    Fine Craft Guild

    Put your plants on autopilot when you're on vacation by creating a drip irrigation system out of empty two-liter bottles. 

    DIY Irrigation System from Fine Craft Guild

  • 19 of 20

    Rainbow Snakes

    Rainbow snakes
    Housing a Forest

    Use an empty water bottle, a sock, some bubbles, and a bit of food coloring to create a device that's capable of making these cool rainbow snakes. This is the perfect summer boredom buster for kids.

    Rainbow Bubble Snakes from Housing a Forest

  • 20 of 20

    A Mobile

    Bottle mobile
    Creative Jewish Mom

    Make this dramatic mobile out of plastic bottles. Just cut the tops off a bunch of bottles,  fashion them into flowers, and string them together. Creative Jewish Mom has a complete tutorial, including a simple way to add color to the flowers. Spoiler alert: it's decoupaged tissue paper!

    Recycled Plastic Bottle Flower Mobile Tutorial from Creative Jewish Mom