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 For me one of the most depressing things is to go up a small tropical river to watch the monkeys, birds and see all the incredible orchids, epiphyte air plants, iguanas and things in the trees only to look down and see piles of plastic bottles and other garbage that has floated in. Or to go to an isolated beach on the Caribbean that not a soul has obviously visited for unknown milennia except it too is covered with discarded plastic, old shoes and other refuse that the tides carried in. Not only does it make me sad, it also makes me mad. So this section will hopefully inspire you and others to contribute thoughts and ideas you may have along with the ones here.
I will start this with items that are easy and functional so you may come up with other ideas for practical uses to pass along. Then I will move on to other fun and artistic uses that maybe you can pass on to a local villager for a possible way to make a little money to feed their family and give them a reason to think twice about throwing that bottle down.
Without getting into too much, you can start recycling plastic bottles and cut down on your electric bill simply by filling unused space in your freezer and refrigerator with refilled bottles of water. The frozen ones are great to use as ice in your ice chest and to drink as they thaw. By filling unused space in your refrigerator, the cold bottles maintain a cool temperature that your compressor doesn't have to turn on as often to maintain. Check back here often as this page is under construction and I have a ton more things you can make.
Screw Lock Bag Sealer
This is great! No need for ziplocks as long as there's trash bottles around. Click on the image for more information.
Thatched Bottle Roof
Build a recycled typica roof that will last a century! If you want a roof that allows more light, This will take you to a link with more of an explanation.
Plastic Bottles: 20 Times Stronger Than Bricks
With all the plastic pollution here, this is a no brainer if you need shelter. Click on the image to goto the link.
Thread
A bottle, an aluminum can or just about any cylindrical container that is thin enough to cut can be turned into thread. Click on the image for more information.
 Emergency Sandals
You never know when your Crock or rubber walking shoe is going to give up the ghost. Usually in the most inopportune time. With a little resourcefulness, a knife or pair of scissors, you will be up and running again in minutes. This idea can be used with a plastic bottle (but tends to be slippery) of even an old piece of thrown tire tread!
Safety Mask
In a pinch you may need a safety mask or use this same principle to make some eye protection. To make them, simply cut the top and bottom off to desired height then split it down the center. You can then cut off more to fit it to your head.
 Shower Caddy
It's easy to make this caddy to hold your soap.
 Candle Votives
These are even kind of attractive and will protect your tabletop when the candle burns down.Simply cut the bottle to the desired height and fill with water, sand, marbles or whatever is avalaible.
 1,000 Bottles Seat
One of the biggest culprits of discarded bottles comes from those hot days and those concerned about bad water. This chair takes some skill and engineering to make the metal supports that hold your bottles in place. Click on the image for a bigger picture.
 Flying Pest Trap
Go ahead, make your day. Avoid the pests before they bug you. Try this easy to make trap. There are variations here for flys, mosquitos, wasps, and fruit flys.
Click on the image for more information.
 Rodent Trap
This one takes a little more skill and time to prepare, but if you are victim of one of these rodents and see how devious they have been in shredding your clothes and feeding on your food stock, it can be well worth the effort. Click on the image for more information.
 Kayak
This is a good use for a bunch of bottles! Start collecting.
Click on the image for more information.
 Life Jacket
By taking a pair of pants, some string and some empty bottles, you can make a life jacket. If you have more time and a sewing machine, you can get a cleaner one that will double as a water holder like the one on the left.
 Sprinkler
That's right, you can even make a sprinkler with all those old bic pens and a water bottle. There are a couple things you may need to buy to make this project though.
Click on the image for more information.
 Birdfeeder
Here are two feeders, one easy that can be modified to attract different types of birds and another slightly more difficult one.
Click on the image for more information.
 Seed Starter
It's as easy as cutting the bottle in half. This will provide a greenhouses climate to retain moisture and heat to get your seeds started. The same principle works by using the upper half on soil over seeds. It creates a small greenhouse to help propogate new seedsby drawing moisture out of the soil.
 Hanging Planters
For confined spaces without a flowerbed, it is still possible to raise vegetables. Plants will naturally grow upwards to reach for the sun, but this will allow you to catch rainwater and still harvest your food.
 Self Watering Planter
For those with the not-so-green thumb, here is a planter that you just keep an eye on the water level.
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