Have you ever wondered how to reuse plastic bottles after they are empty? Do you already recycle your plastic products? Growing up, we recycled our plastic. In fact, my mom used to volunteer at the town’s recycling facility. So, recycling is a cause that is close to my heart. However, I must admit that I haven’t been as good at recycling things since I’ve moved out. So, when I received an email about reusing things, I knew I had to share.
Disclosure: I received a package of complimentary Johnson & Johnson products.
How to Reuse Plastic Bottles
While 7 out of 10 Americans say they always or almost always recycle, only 1 in 5 Americans consistently recycle in the bathroom. Many consumers don’t even realize that most products commonly used in the bathroom, such as shampoo, lotion and cleanser bottles, can be recycled.
Each year, Americans throw away enough 15-oz. shampoo bottles to fill 1,164 football fields—that’s 18,000 tons of plastic ending up in landfills. So, this can have a major impact on the environment.
To help make a difference, Johnson & Johnson is launching CARE TO RECYCLE™, a recycling campaign that encourages people to recycle more items from the bathroom. The Care to Recycle website includes helpful information and tips on what can and can’t be recycled and an infographic with additional statistics on bathroom-product recycling.
I found some of those statistics to be very surprising. I hate how much we waste. So, I’m excited to share these next couple of ideas with you. If you don’t know how to reuse plastic bottles and have never done it, then I’ve got some great ideas for you. If you’ve done it before and have other tips, please let me know them in the comments. These are just some great ones to get you started.
Most of the ideas on how to reuse plastic bottles consist of cutting the top off of it and using it for storage. However, the container could also be used to amplify the volume of the speakers on your cell phone or as a gardening shovel. So, do you have any other ideas for repurposing plastic bottles?
2023 Update: I have found it to be easier to recycle the plastic bottles by keeping a little recycling bin in my bathroom. It’s beside the trashcan, so it’s easy to just toss it in whenever I empty a bottle. This has helped me to recycle a lot more plastic! Additionally, we are very lucky that are our town starting offering a recycle pickup program. So, we just collect our recycling and put it out every other week. I highly recommend looking into recycling programs near you!