Uses for empty plastic milk "bottles"?

mioliere

Not practical for most of us, I know, and I can't vouch for the validity, but a few years ago I read that somebody had collected thousands of empty plastic milk containers, joined them together and turned them into an island which he is now living on! Apparently, it's off the coast of Mexico! If I can find any more information on this, I will post it.

dianasnan

cut off the bottom portion and use it to grow seedlings-no risk of diseases from pre-used pots.

use the cut off handle bit as a disposable scoop

use the bottom bit as drawer dividers for undies and other small items

I collect liquid fertiliser from my wormery in them

put the 4/6 pt ones filled with water in the sun for some free warm water and add to washing machine.Could be put in black plastic bag for extra effect.

cut up for plant labels

bottom bit used as a mini cloche for seedling

gritts

I use the 6 pinter ones to store water from the water butt in.

rosh12

Firstly, is there a scrap store / play school / kids club etc near where you live which might like them for arts and crafts?? It's a lot more satisfying to know they will be needed and used rather than bunging them in the recycling and hoping they aren't going to end up in a landfill in China or somewhere...!

Secondly-...
Ok this description is so not going to work, but at a kid's holiday club I helped at, they all made an amazing "Elmer the Elephant" from plastic milk cartons.

Stand the plastic milk bottle up, and basically cut across about halfway down the handle, across the whole body of the bottle (i.e. you cut off the top 1/3rd of a 4-pint plastic milk bottle!).

The top section (with the lid- which ideally you need to take off) then becomes the elephant. The handle is the trunk, and to make the legs, you just cut out an archway shape in the sides of bottle section. Then you stick squares of coloured paper (tissue, or any scrap) Elmer-style, all over the elephant and give it some eyes etc.

Of course you could use ordinary newspaper and make a whole herd of non-technicolour elephants too...

The bottom half of the bottle (ie the left over bit!) can then be used in some of the ways listed above!!

navig8r

dianasnan wrote: »

cut off the bottom portion and use it to grow seedlings-no risk of diseases from pre-used pots.

Yes! we do this and it saves 20 pence a time (the cost of a plant pot)
and we still have the top to recycle although we do use the occassional one as a funnel when we can't find the bought one.

put the 4/6 pt ones filled with water in the sun for some free warm water and add to washing machine.Could be put in black plastic bag for extra effect.

Mmm! Can't see anyone paying for the conveniance of an automatic washing machine and then hanging around to fill it with warm water from a pile of milk containers which would have to be done through the soap dispenser drawer.:D

Dave

hawkwind

I use them as a paint pot when painting doors windows etc.
Just cut out a section on the opposite side to the handle.

Solomon_Broad

Fill them with water and stick them in your freezer. A full freezer if more efficient than an empty one.

kitekat

You could use the bottom half as a plant pot,or melt them down and mould them into tupperware type dishes.

moonrakerz

Add 3 toilet roll tubes, an empty fairy liquid bottle, some tin foil, a roll of sticky tape and some powder water paints and you can make a nuclear power station.

They did it on Blue Peter some years back !

tiptoes

last year the kids and I used tow of the 6lte to make ball catcher to play with the elastic band ball that my son had collected. they cut around the line of the bottle and left some of the straight side of the bottle inplace.


doitmyself Hi, wont re-cycling be more useful, to everyone than what you may be able to make out of them? They are milk bottles, now used milk bottles, let them be recycled to be once again milk bottles..

to reuse is better than recyle as the plastic milk bottles unlike the glass equivalant many not end up being recycled as a milk bottle.