The creation of plastic in 1907 marks an important point in mankind and the history of Earth. It is the year in which we created one of the most durable, but also environmentally harmful materials and we are starting to face the consequences now.
Because of its low manufacturing price, chances are that it will never completely disappear from our markets, but we can still make some steps towards reducing its use and recycling it.

MacRebur’s mission is to help solve the waste plastic epidemic and the poor quality of roads we drive on around the world today.

Since plastic represents a great threat to our planet, a UK-based company called MacRebur, is trying to take measures to recycle it effectively. They have figured out a way in which they reuse plastic to build new and more durable roads and create cheap asphalt. Toby McCartney, the company’s CEO, came up with the idea while working in Southern India and observed people collecting plastic and melting it into pothole fillers.

© MacRebur
The best part of this new technology is that it can reuse almost any kind of plastic and create a new environmentally friendly asphalt.
The plastic used in this process must come from those that are labeled as waste, and once collected it is melted and combined with asphalt concrete formula.
According to McCartney, this new form of asphalt helps builders create roads that are 60% stronger than traditional ones and encourages the development of new eco-friendly technologies.

We all love to eat, from time to time, that delicious kebab! Whether it’s cooked in a specialized restaurant or prepared in someone’s home, that meat dish is simply irresistible. That is why we are going to show you the greatest trick ever: how to make kebab on skewer sticks at home. Actually, this next DIY project will unveil the process in which you build your own kebab machine! The really impressive part is that the finished product will only need a few items that may already be lying around the house and plastic bottles. You can see in the clip that the device is quite simple to manufacture and ready to use right away. One filling of the machine with meat (chicken meat in the case shown) can yield 3-4 kebabs on skewer. Enjoy! If you liked my idea of making the DIY Lula Kebab machine at home, click “like” buttons and share in your comments what you would like me to show in my next video!

I found this concept device on Kickstarter and I thought it useful to share with you. The absolutely astonishing amount of plastic bottles that everyone uses and throws into the garbage can every day is truly impressive. This represents an economic waste, since the plastic of bottles is a commodity that is worth money and can be reused. Also, from an ecological perspective, this poses several problems.
Pavel & Ian developed “Plastic Bottle Cutter”, that is a smart pocket-size tool with which you can very easily cut any plastic bottle – of juice, soda or other – into a fine plastic rope that can be used for just about as many purposes as you can think of.

more details on Kickstarter

Plastic bottles are the biggest enemy of our environment, as they will practically remain there forever once thrown out. The US is among the world’s largest consumer when it comes to plastic (buying bottles and containers) and a large percent of these bottles end up in the trash. In order to protect our environment, you should think about reusing plastic bottles and turn them into new projects. There are so many great tips and tricks out there, you can make almost anything from reused plastic bottles starting from lamps to creative curtains and even storage units. The following link contains a set of 15 cool recycling ideas, each of them involving a plastic bottle or container.

1. Plastic Bottle Lamps

2. Bottle Bottom Curtains

3. Plastic Bottle Boat

4. DIY Spinning Plastic Bottle Dog Treat Game

more details here…

It may seem unbelievable but you can build houses out of plastic bottles filled with sand. These projects are made especially by NGOs from African countries. For example, the house from the video below was made by the Samaprman Foundation. The plastic bottles were gathered from trash cans and then filled with sand. This way, volunteers managed to make 6,000 `bricks` from sand-filled plastic bottles. With the help of these bricks they succeeded to build a small house which is used as a classroom. See more details in the video below.

When you’re feeling bored and you want to make some awesome improvements to the interior design of your home, why not mix it up with some cute toys? The nicest part of this type of decorating is that it transforms regular household items, which would otherwise just clutter the garbage can. Here is some ideas on how you could make such toys (decorative or otherwise) and a little tutorial that will come in handy. First, you will need the following materials:

• colored detergent plastic bottle;
• sharp cutter and scissors;
• some glue;
• sticky eyes;
• different color fabric and feathers;
• small metallic skewers (to use as feet);

Then, this sort of a creative DIY project will require you to plan ahead the model you wish to make. Maybe draw the toy (creature) you wish to fashion before and afterward make the appropriate cuts. Start with some wings, continue to something of a mane (the feathers will make the hair look more realistic), and end with drawing a funny face onto the upper side of the bottle. If the design you seek needs some removal of material from the bottle, be free to cut away. Stick all of the pieces together with a bit of glue. Finally, stick the metallic skewers in the plastic to act as legs and place your creative repurposed detergent bottle toy on the coffee table to get the deserved appraisal for your work.

Copying Mother Nature might be kind of difficult, but if in the process you manage to help it less polluted, it is worth it. Not to mention, you will impress with your DIY art project. These are the materials needed to make a plastic bottle lily flower from recycled stuff:

• a pair of scissors;
• three white bottles;
• one yellow bottle;
• a lighter;
• a piece of fringed paper;
• (optional) some glue;

You ought to start by fashioning 3 hollow cone shapes from the white PET. Then, cut off the head (top side) of the yellow bottle and with the help of a scissor, cut petal-like shapes into it. Check to see if your work matches the one in the photo. Next, use the lighter to round up the `petals` and actually give them a natural look.

Now, you have two options. Either you cut a middle piece from the yellow bottle and fashion it into a shredded spiral, or you use a piece of fringed paper which you might have in the kitchen or from Christmas, and place it in the middle of the upside-down bottle. Then, take each white cone and cut petals into it, like the ones in the picture; be careful not to cut them off, because you will need another bottle for that.

Finally, place each cone with their `petals` intermingling on the neck of the yellow bottle. You can secure the top non-petal part of them to the bottle with a bit of glue, just to make sure. When turned upside down, it looks like a beautiful lily flower. Congratulations! You saved the planet a bit and maybe inspired someone to do the same.

source: www.pinterest.com

]]> https://goodshomedesign.com/diy-art-project-plastic-flowers/feed/ 0 https://goodshomedesign.com/diy-piggy-banks/ https://goodshomedesign.com/diy-piggy-banks/#comments Fri, 01 Nov 2013 19:25:13 +0000 http://goodshomedesign.com/?p=12770

It’s not an original idea to use plastic bottles for all sort of DIY projects, but it remains among the most creative ways of making a unique thing. Recyclables materials are often used in this domain because they are cheap (even free!) and usually easy to handle. If you want a more fun method of keeping your money, you can use plastic bottles to manufacture a piggy bank. All you need is 2 bottles, from which you only need the bottom. Carefully use a knife and scissors to cut the bottles to the necessary size and then simply put them on top of each other. Then use any brand of acrylic craft paint to give the transparent plastic bottle a colorful bright new animal facade. Involve your kids; they’ll love to paint the new piggy bank in any animal they want: cow, pig, dog, bunny, pony etc.

 The piece of bottle which has the face of the animal will act like a lid for your small plastic bank. You can find Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Spray here…

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What we have here is a cool idea for kids: recycled plastic bottles becoming lovely turtles! Isn’t it great? … and it is not difficult to be put into practice. The entire family will have some fun together: firstly, when creating them and afterwards, when playing with them (this part will mostly be enjoyed by your kids).

What you’ll need:

Craft foam or foam sheets
Bottom of PET bottle
Marker pen (alcohol)
Scissors, needle, embroidery thread, buttons

Photo credit: www.krokotak.com