Did you know that recycling pill bottles can help the environment? They are one of the most common plastic items found in landfills. In this blog post, we will explore recycling and reusing options for recycling pill bottles. We’ll also review what happens to recycle on a large scale.
Recycling is an important step in protecting our environment and keeping our planet clean!
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Why should you recycle your old pill bottles?
There are many reasons recycling your old pill bottles is important. The recycling process can help cut down on natural resources and reduce greenhouse gases because recycling uses less energy than producing new materials from raw material sources. Recycling also keeps valuable resources out of landfills, where they release harmful pollutants into our air and water supply. Finally, recycling saves millions of gallons a day in fresh drinking water by not manufacturing products like plastic containers that require lots of water to produce!
So now you know why recycling is such an essential step for keeping our environment clean – but what happens when we recycle at home? Let’s find out together!
What are the benefits of recycling pill bottles?
- Recycling pill bottles can be used for a variety of purposes
- Recycling pill bottles will save time and money as they are easily reused
- Recycling saves the environment and reduces our carbon footprint
- Recycling pill bottles will save space in landfills and recycling centers
- Recycling is easier than ever with all of the available recycling programs
- Recycling saves energy which reduces our cost for power bills, gasoline usage, and more!
Creative Ways to reduce waste by reusing items instead of throwing them away
Throwing the used bottles can be harmful to the environment, but if you recycle or reuse them, you can do a lot of recycling and reuse. Here you will get so many recycling and reuse ideas:
Cut the top off a pill bottle and use it to store cotton balls
One of the greatest ways to reuse pill bottles is by recycling them into a cotton ball holder. Cut the top off of one pill bottle and use it as storage for your cotton balls, Q-tips, or other small items that need to be stored in an upright position.
This idea is both practical and very inexpensive since you are recycling something rather than purchasing something new! The best part about this project is that they will last indefinitely so long as you take care of them properly. When washing out the container, clean inside thoroughly with hot water first, then wipe dry before storing again.
Fill a pill bottle with rice or beans for cooking
You can use the pill bottle with rice or beans for cooking. The rice and beans are not just to make the recycling pill bottles heavier for recycling, but they also add a little extra flavor to the dish you’re making!
The recycling pill bottle is perfect for cooking up some DIY soup from leftover vegetables or beef stock. Fill your recycling pill bottle with water-saving ingredients such as potatoes, onions, tomatoes, carrots, celery root (or other winter squash), and fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary. Then press down on them so that all of their juices mix well into a rich broth before sealing off the top of the recycling pill bottle with foil and then placing in the refrigerator until needed.
Use a pill bottle as an ice pack in your lunch bag
A pill bottle can be used as an ice pack for your lunch bag. Fill the bottle with water and freeze it overnight.
In the morning, place the now-frozen ice pack in a resealable plastic bag or wrap some aluminum foil around it for extra protection from leaks. Keep in mind that if you plan to use this technique at least twice during one day’s work commute, there will be more condensation inside your lunchbox when you open it, later on, so try not to store anything sensitive like food scraps or recycling items near it!
Put together an emergency kit by filling up some bottles with matches, candles, band-aids, etc.
You can put together an emergency kit by filling up some bottles with matches, candles, band-aids, or other first aid items and recycling the bottle after you are done using it.
This is a great way to reuse glass containers in case of any emergencies that may happen at home while saving space for other things! Not only do these kits make sense because they’re environmentally friendly but also for storage purposes as well.
Make jewelry out of old plastic lids from soda cans, water bottles, etc
By making a set of earrings and a necklace, recycling plastic lids is not just great for the environment; it’s also very stylish.
- Take a large craft knife or razor blade to cut through the edge of any wrappers still on your recycling cans (this will help you peel them off).
- Use an old rag or paper towel to carefully remove as much residue from the surface of each lid as possible before cutting– this makes smoothing rough edges later much easier.
- Cut out shapes with holes in them: hearts, stars, circles…anything goes! You can use only one shape at first if you don’t want too many details right away.
- Spray water over what you have made so far until the plastic is wet, then take a squeegee and smooth over the top of anything that you have cut out.
- Add more layers with different shapes until your recycling project has a substantial amount of detail on it!
- Allow drying completely before using an old nail file or emery board to gently round edges.
- Paint if desired– be sure not to use paint containing lead as this can cause contamination for children who may put their hands in their mouth after putting jewelry on.
Put together a DIY terrarium using an empty water bottle (cut the bottom off)
This recycling project is a little more advanced, but it’s worth the effort. You’ll need A clean water bottle or jar with a lid- about 16 ounces in size; sand and pebbles for your soil mix–enough to fill ¾ of the container; potting soil as filler material; moss for greenery if desired.
Using a sharp knife, cut open one side of the top fold line on both sides of the plastic bottle. Use small pliers or clippers to remove any metal that may be sticking out from where you’ve cut through so you don’t puncture yourself when handling them later on. Once this has been done, carefully peel away the top of the bottle, taking care not to break any recycling.
Add a couple of inches of sand and gravel to the bottom before adding your potting soil into it. Push down on all three layers, so they’re compressed together tightly with no air bubbles. Add more sand or gravel if needed for stability purposes–the weight should hold them in place as well, but you want to make sure that everything is secure enough beforehand just in case! Fill up ¾ of the container with both materials so that there’s a raised lip around where the plastic sits at the top edge- this will allow for drainage when watering time comes later on down the line, which you’ll be doing about once every week.
Create luminaries using clear glass jars and tea lights
You can create small luminaries or DIY candles to use outdoors at night. Fill glass jars with water and add a recycling-safe wick (you can also find these for sale in craft stores) before placing the tea light on top of it.
I love how recycling more seems like such an easy thing to do, but then I end up having way too many leftover containers that clutter my room – not any longer! These are some great ways that you can reuse those extra pill bottles from your medicine cabinet:
If you have a bunch of them lying around, line them up and cover them with pretty wrapping paper or fabric scraps so they’ll look awesome lined up altogether on your shelves!
Use them as vases to display flowers.
Recycling pill bottles can be used as vases to display flowers. You can cut the top off a recycling pill bottle and use it as a container for your fresh-cut stems.
- Place water in the bottom third of recycling pill bottles before you start arranging your flower stems inside; this will avoid them drying out too quickly from exposure to air.
- Before placing any flowers into recycling, pill bottles make sure they are clean with no dirt on their roots.
- When finished filling recycling pill bottles with live plants, leave enough space at the top so that when watering, excess water doesn’t run outside or drip down onto where other plant parts are
- Lastly, if you want to get creative, try adding some cinnamon sticks or cloves that naturally repel insects while also adding a fresh scent to your recycling pill bottle arrangement.
Store small items like screws and nails
One of the best ways you can recycle your pill bottles is by storing small items like screws, nails, or jewelry.
A recycling center often has a bin where they will take the empty containers for recycling, and you can use them to store these things in between uses.
You may also want to cut down on clutter while saving space at the same time. This way, when it comes time to recycle an old container, all those little bits of metal are now neatly stored inside!
This method works best if you’re not planning on throwing away any excess debris anytime soon–since this adds weight that might stress the seams of recycled plastic more quickly than usual.
Keep track of the pills you take each day by labeling different colored bottles accordingly.
You can keep track of the pills you take each day by labeling different colored bottles accordingly. Red is for painkillers, green is for antibiotics, and orange is for vitamins. This will help you remember what bills are due when they should be taken the next time. However, recycling pill bottles can also be helpful if done properly! The first step to recycle your bottle starts with washing it out thoroughly so that no residue remains in the container from its previous contents. Then fill up with water and place under a bright lamp or outside on a sunny day until all the water evaporates, leaving only plastic behind. Leave them to dry before storing them away again until needed.
Make a pen holder by drilling holes in the top and bottom of your bottle
You can make a pen holder by drilling holes in the top and bottom of your bottle, then adding a clip on one end with an elastic band to hold pens together.
- Drill two holes at opposite ends of the container; drill smaller if necessary to fit your needs.
- Attach a metal clip or fastener (such as binder clips) to each hole for use as pen holders.
- Use any other materials you have lying around, such as old rubber bands, fabric scraps, stickers, etc., and glue them onto the outside surface of the recycling pill bottles for decoration purposes!
Create a homemade air freshener by filling it up with potpourri or essential oils
You can create a homemade air freshener by filling up your recycling pill bottles with potpourri or essential oils.
The empty containers will emit a pleasant, homey fragrance and can be placed in your bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms, and hallways to create an enjoyable environment for you and your guests that lasts all day!
Pour the scented material into the bottle until it reaches about three-quarters of the way up on the side. Securely screw on top of lid closed tightly; do not fill airtight as this may cause pressure buildup, which could lead to explosion when opening again. Add water just enough so it sits at least one inch from the top if you choose to use liquid soap rather than potpourri or oil because some liquids are heavier than others and might overflow otherwise.
Summing Up,
Recycling your old pill bottles is a great way to reduce the amount of waste you produce. You can also make some pretty cool things with them! Check out our list below for ideas on how to use your saved-up, recyclable plastic containers. If you have any other innovative ways that we missed, please share in the comments section below or tell us about them over social media. We’d love to hear from you and see what creative ideas are floating around out there!
