Finally, a simple way to reuse the material from one of our most common ‘waste’ items.
What do you do with used plastic bottles? Since you’re reading this on TreeHugger, maybe you don’t use them in the first place, but if so, I’m assuming that you’re probably putting them into the recycling bin, or perhaps reusing or repurposing them into something for your home or school or workplace, which are great uses for something which is kind of like our planet’s Kryptonite.
However, considering that one of plastic’s strong points is its relatively soft nature, and its ability to be cut, molded, melted, and shredded, it seems as if we really ought to be more creative in the ways that we use it once it has reached the end of its intended life. After all, a lot of energy and resources have gone into making the bottle and filling it and delivering it to us, so if we can get a little more life out of it by repurposing it before recycling the bottle, then that seems like a natural fit for us treehugging greenie types.
And there are some really cool projects that are exploring the use of old plastic products by using them as the raw materials for another product, but none (that I know of) are really geared toward a low-tech and homegrown approach, so when I saw this plastic bottle cutter on Kickstarter, I just had to share it, as I thought you guys might appreciate it.
This deceptively simple device, which is basically just a wooden handle with an embedded razor blade and cutting guide, can effectively turn an old plastic bottle into one continuous strip of plastic, which can then be used as ‘rope’ or as raw materials for other uses, such as crafting or DIY projects. It’s one of those ideas that makes me say, “I wish I’d thought of that. It makes so much sense!”
Brilliant, right? The product is currently in a wildly successful crowdfunding phase (currently with $97,000 in pledges on an initial $9,445 goal), and a pledge of €20 (about $22 USD) will reserve one for you when they ship in June of 2016. The one caveat is that if you’re not in Europe, the shipping charges are actually more than the product itself.
Website: www.treehugger.com
