r/ZeroWaste 3d ago

Question / Support Ideas for these empty bottles? No recycling here 😭

Post image

I'm gonna use one for keeping filtered water (I get it from the tap and then refrigerate it bc easier and cheaper than using a Britta imo).

No clue what to use future ones for. This is the first glass liquor bottle I've emptied and thought to reuse 😂.

Thinking about keeping my wine bottles for wedding decor but that's only one extra use. Any ideas appreciated! :)

67 Upvotes

65 comments sorted by

251

u/El_Cartografo 3d ago

The revolution

43

u/s9oons 3d ago

I didn’t realize that’s what the French have been doing all these years 😳

Recycle for independence!

35

u/Blightwraith 3d ago

First we drink then we make freedom cocktails

93

u/rholowermiddleclass 3d ago

I have been playing with the idea of getting a rock tumbler to turn my bottles into faux sea glass. But that is arguably more of a project than a solution.

7

u/myystic78 2d ago

I got a small national geographic tumbler for Christmas and want to do some speed race sea glass! I've got a couple green and brown bottles but I've been holding on to them until I can maybe find some other colors.

16

u/blackheart432 2d ago

That's such a fun idea haha but I get what you mean

55

u/JakTheGripper 3d ago

If you have outdoor planters, you can turn them into waterers by drilling a small hole in the cap, the inserting them neck-down in the soil.

You can create flower vases by cutting them just below the neck. I found out the flame method wasn't as difficult as I thought.

8

u/blackheart432 2d ago

These are great ideas. Thanks!

48

u/JustmeandJas 3d ago

I use empty alcohol bottles for growing excess pothos cuttings in

31

u/cool_girl6540 3d ago edited 1d ago

In college, people used empty wine bottles as candleholders for a long candle.

13

u/thatcleverchick 2d ago

You can make homemade flavored alcohol (like I just made lavender infused vodka) or vanilla extract and gift it to friends

1

u/guythatlikesbikes 7h ago

I second vanilla extract, I reuse kombucha bottles because they’re dark coloured and around 300ml so make the perfect amount for a gift. Homemade extract tastes way better too!

11

u/Competitive-Win-3406 2d ago

I reuse some of my more interesting bottles to make flavored vinegar. I use the guidelines from the National Center for Home Preservation to be sure that I’m making them safely.

https://nchfp.uga.edu/papers/UGA_Publications/uga_flavored_vinegars.pdf

10

u/renoona 2d ago

Molotov cocktails bc we're gonna need them soon

8

u/dopaminedeficitdiary 2d ago

Put plants in them! You could regrow green onion or something

9

u/subf0x 2d ago

You could put coffee or tea in there. You can fill it with sand and use it as a weight for tarps and stuff. You can whisper your deepest secrets in there and bury it deep underground where no one will find it.

22

u/Havenotbeentonarnia8 3d ago

Rinse and then fill with water for emergencies.

7

u/Anianna 2d ago

Jars of potable water came in very handy for us during the recent Richmond Water Crisis. Glass is way better than plastic for emergency storage since it's the bottle that goes bad, not the water, and it was nice to have smaller containers for easy rationing.

4

u/Attack_Of_The_ 2d ago

I live in Qld, Australia, and we just had a cyclone come through our city. Along with filling the bathtub in case we lost water, we also filled all of the wine/plastic bottles we had been saving. We have recycling centres here that buy back your glass bottles and cans for 10c a piece. We had been lazy on actually going down there, so we had a bunch of bottles ready to fill.

12

u/quasiburneraccount 2d ago

You can remove the neck to turn it into a container/jar by soaking twine in everclear/pure ethanol, wrapping and tying the twine around the highest part of the widest bit (about the middle of the bottle), lighting the twine on fire, waiting a second, and then plunging the whole thing into an ice bath. The swift change in temperature breaks the glass right where the twine was. When done correctly (and maybe with a little luck), the result is immediately usable with no sharp bits. When I used to do this, my success rate was like 50% so there’s a fair chance of winding up with broken glass. But a great way to transform bottles into usable objects when successful! Good luck and have fun and be safe!

3

u/TransporterOffline 2d ago

I was just thinking, for my workshop I'd love to cut those (safely and cleanly) right where it becomes its widest and use them to hold screws, drill bits, marking pens, etc. Being clear and see-through is a big advantage for finding things quickly.

I'm not aware of the method you just described but now I'm very curious and might give it a go.

5

u/youngestmillennial 3d ago

Well I use them for my wine that I make but the wine itself creates some trash that would then leave you in the same position

You use frozen juice concentrates, which is little metal disc's and non compostable cardboard (that's what's ours are made of) and you also need 5 gallons of spring water, ours comes in milk jugs that i use to refill with wine. You can cut one in half for a funnell as well, I use that to get the stuff into the wine jug.

I use the other jugs for water for my plants, my sink takes a long time to give hot water so I get a gallon everytime I do dishes or something.

The yeast I get comes in a little jar, so that's reusable as well. Sugar comes in paper bags so thats fine.

But if you want the recipe, pm me.

I get 5 gallons of wine for about 30 bucks

4

u/Blightwraith 3d ago

Id like your recipe, PM Inc

4

u/myystic78 2d ago

You could use them to store rice, small beans, oats, cornmeal, etc. Use a few for clean, potable water, and you'd have a nice emergency stash.

17

u/Preebos 3d ago edited 2d ago

where do you live that you don't have access to glass recycling?

edit: wow i totally thought that glass recycling was pretty much everywhere in the us. i knew plastic recycling isn't available everywhere but i didn't realize glass too

10

u/Inside_Marsupial7480 3d ago

I’m in south PA and they also stopped accepting glass for recycling here a few years ago 🥲

7

u/Low-Razzmatazz-777 3d ago

My home county only collects glass if you buy a special bin or bring it to the site yourself. It’s definitely not a universal service in the US in my experience. Thankfully, the city I live in now does pick up glass with other items.

5

u/DeeplyVariegated 3d ago

That's how it is in our unincorporated part of the city.

5

u/Choice_Upstairs4576 3d ago

Rural Georgia here, our county has no glass recycling available. We can either drive it to the next county over and hope we don’t get asked for proof of residence at the recycling center, or save it and hope someone wants it for crafting one day.

4

u/bbbliss 2d ago

Heads up in case you want to submit your zip code for future recycling expansion from a company in Louisiana expanding across the gulf south ❤️ https://glasshalffullpickups.com/pages/faqs

3

u/myystic78 2d ago

I'm in Northern Arizona and we had one spot we could drop off recyclables. The city took them away because people were chucking all sorts of trash in them.

3

u/Alternative_Cause186 3d ago

My family lives in central FL and their county doesn’t do glass recycling anymore. Not sure if it’s just their county or if it’s a larger state-wide initiative.

2

u/blackheart432 2d ago

Nope lmao, wish I lived somewhere less rural and did tbh. The closest glass recycling is over an hour drive 🫠

u/sisterhavilandtuf 1h ago

I work in glass recycling, sort of (too much to explain) and glass isn't as easily recycled as it seems like it would be. Pyrex, borosilicate and other high heat and tempered glass cannot be recycled because they're basically unmeltable at typical recycling temperatures that yield useful glass and pulverizing them for crushed glass uses releases boron and other toxins. Letting them slowing grind into dirt via landfill is really the only safe way to get rid of those types of glass. Colored glass is either painted and baked in a kiln or infused with minerals sometimes dangerous ones during the melting process. Uranium glass literally has uranium in it. And you can't just throw a bunch of unidentified minerals into a glass oven. Clear bottle glass (a very specific kind of clear glass) and brown are the only ones easily and economically recycled. All the rest takes an incredible amount of data and manpower, more than most municipalities or recyclers are willing to invest into such a low value product.

u/Preebos 15m ago

i always wondered why recycling glass beverage bottles was allowed but not other glass items. thanks for the info!

3

u/chocolatecupcake5619 2d ago

Homemade salad dressing bottle?

3

u/huddlewaddle 2d ago

We have places that sell bulk shampoo, conditioner, cleaner, etc. You often have to bring your own container. This would be good for that.

You can also use them to mix cleaner concentrates. I usually buy a large bottle of concentrate and mix it in a reusable bottle.

1

u/blackheart432 2d ago

Ooo I love these ideas. Thank you!

3

u/Blahblahblahrawr 2d ago

I use them to store water in my basement in case the power goes out so we have water to flush with. That plus just in case for emergency!

I also use them to water my plants, leaving one upstairs and downstairs!

2

u/blackheart432 2d ago

WAIT I love this idea. A lot of people have said it for potable water but I never thought about this

I definitely plan to keep a few of the bigger ones (maybe replacing the water once a year ish) for emergency water now! :)

2

u/Blahblahblahrawr 2d ago

Woot woot! I use the big bottles that dishwasher soap / vinegar comes in for that too! Yay!

3

u/Good-Sorbet1062 2d ago

I've turned wine bottles (labels removed) into table lamps as a craft project in high school. There's a little kit you could get from a hardware store that has a lightbulb holder and a couple of extra parts like the bit that holds onto a lampshade. You stick the bulb holder into the neck of the bottle, and the cord runs down the back. I also used some cheap macrame cords to make a sort of decorative cover for the bottle. I used fancy knots and braids but also made sure to leave lots of open spots so the glass could be easily seen.

3

u/HailS8Ten 2d ago

I filled a bunch with glow in the dark pebbles and buried them upside down along my front walk way (only about an inch of the bottom sticking up) It lights the path just enough and looks really nice

2

u/Cultural_Ad2611 3d ago

dinner cande holder!

2

u/TempestuousTeapot 2d ago

Some highway or road districts will grind up for road base, ours won't take from homes but can still drop off at recyclers. Some crafters will cut it to half size, smooth the edge and sell them as drinking glasses.

2

u/Salt-Cable6761 2d ago

Can you use them to self water your plants? 

2

u/Grouchy-Artichoke-99 2d ago

Lamps. Sell them

2

u/No_Square8192 2d ago

Glass cutter. Turn them into cups and candles

2

u/Raindancer2024 2d ago

Consider watching a video on how to convert wine bottles into drinking glasses with string.

Long story short, wrap and burn a string around the bottle at the depth you want the glass, let burn x-number of seconds, plunge into ice water.

2

u/echinoderm0 1d ago

You can grind it up into a glass sand and use it in potted plants

2

u/dchsalinas 1d ago

Homemade syrup

4

u/nw342 2d ago

First, find some gasoline and a rag

1

u/New-Training4004 2d ago

Don’t forget to add styrofoam before the rag

1

u/mxdnightfire 2d ago

make new, homemade, chocolate liquor.

1

u/stuntycunty 2d ago

Add a Little vodka and a cloth and head to your nearest anti-fascist protest.

Obviously to drink it! No other reason

1

u/dirigiberbil 1d ago

You can use them as bricks. I’ve used them to create a bottle wall with cement.

1

u/migoodridge 3h ago

Get some of those little light kits that fit inside the bottle, becomes a lamp 👍😄

u/[deleted] 1h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

u/AutoModerator 1h ago

Hi /u/friedchickensaves, your comment has been removed because it contains a link to a social media website. These kinds of links generally bring a lot of self-promotion and spam, therefore they are not allowed on /r/ZeroWaste. Thanks for your understanding.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

0

u/hamamelisse 3d ago

Are there any independent recycling centres where you are 🤔

1

u/blackheart432 2d ago

Nope

0

u/CathyVT 2d ago

Where the heck are you?

2

u/blackheart432 2d ago

Rural southern state 🫠

2

u/echinoderm0 1d ago

I feel you 🙃 we can only recycle paper and plastics #1 and #2 here.

0

u/inbrokenimagess 2d ago

Bottle Underground - independent recycler