5 ideas to upcycle plastic bottles

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest threats to our planet. We’ve all seen the haunting images of “plastic islands” floating in the oceans, piles of bottles on riverbanks or marine animals suffering due to ingesting plastic parts and microplastic¹. Whilst these images might be scary, there are solutions to fighting plastic pollution, and everyone can start simply by reducing, reusing and recycling more.

We’ve shared some tips already on how to reduce the amount of plastic in your bathroom. Now we want to share a few ideas on how to upcycle one of the most common plastic items in our households: the plastic bottle.Upcycling simply means repurposing a product, giving it a new role, without using any new materials. Our beauty routines are dominated by plastic bottles, so we want to share a few ideas on how to reuse them, including a few creative ways to upcycle our cute weDo bottles.

Reusing plastic has numerous benefits. By upcycling a bottle or a pot, that will be one less item that goes into the waste bin. We have become too comfortable with throwing everything away without even considering that it could be transformed it into something else, giving it a new life.
It will also reduce the need to produce more plastic. Just think how much we can reduce demand if we simply refill a plastic water bottle rather than buying a new one every time we are out and about and get thirsty.
On a more personal level, upcycling will make you feel better because you get to make your own, unique things, practise arts & crafts skills and just play your part in protecting nature.

¹https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/plastic-pollution/

Are you a plant lover? You don’t need to invest money into planters to house your precious green friends because you have everything you need to make your own: plastic bottles and scissors. Bigger plastic water bottles (think 2 litre capacity) work best here because they have a larger circumference. Then all you have to do is cut the bottle in half and fill the bottom of the bottle with compost, then pot the plant. If your pot is going to sit outside, you can also add some small draining holes by piercing the bottom. Don’t throw away the top: turn it upside down and create a small greenhouse, which is perfect to help seeds germinate.

You can also get creative with paint and decorate the planters – some people even turn them into cute cat designs!

Used up all your weDo hair mask? Guess what, you can use the pot as a planter as well. This works best with our bigger mask sizes but just depends on the size of your plant. Here’s how you can make a cute new home for your succulents (or any other plant):

Looking for a cheap way to organise and declutter? No need to run to the homeware store just yet–you can create your own pen holder with just one plastic bottle.

Just cut the bottle closer to its neck (depending on how tall you want the holder to be). You can also decorate it by colouring it, applying stickers, glitter – whatever you like. Our shampoo and conditioner bottles can’t wait to get a makeover.

Buying liquid soap in bulk is a great way to reduce your plastic consumption. You can also reduce it further by upcycling other beauty bottles with a pump and use them as a soap dispenser. Our Natural Oil bottle is great for storing other liquids, such as soap or dishwashing liquid. Bonus: it will look cute on your sink top.

Finished with a pot of face cream? Or a weDo hair mask? Don’t throw that pot away! These pots can be reused in so many ways. They’ re great for storing smaller items such as bobby pins, jewellery, cotton pads, tampons – anything that could use a bit of organizing. You can also use these pots to store your own DIY beauty products like homemade body scrubs or hair masks.

Let them up soak in warm, soapy water first. Then scrub the pots clean and let them dry.

We all know the pains of having to choose what beauty products to pack when travelling light. But rather than buying travel size containers, use the empties you’ve got already. Our small shampoo bottles and the bottles from our hair and body cosmetics range are great for reusing once finished. Give them a good clean and fill them up on your next trip with products of a similar texture.

Looking for more upcycling & recycling ideas? We share more tips and tricks on our Instagram or Tik Tok ! Learn more about sustainable beauty and living an eco-friendly life on our blog.