Plastic pollution is a major problem and one that is constantly growing. Yet as hard as we might try to avoid plastic products altogether, in some situations, they are completely unavoidable.
For instance, almost all prescription pills come in those little plastic orange bottles, which often aren't recyclable.
Luckily, one TikToker is here to show off how she repurposes these bottles.
@howdoesshe This is what I do with these when they are empty. It's the best #MOMHACK or #hiddensecret ever! #healthyliving #learnwithme ♬ Bongo cha-cha-cha - Remastered - Caterina Valente
The scoop
Content creator HowDoesShe (@howdoesshe) shared the hack with her 91,000 TikTok followers.
First, she cuts off a section of the bottle with some scissors to make a ring. Then, she slides it on the top of a repurposed plastic bag. Then, she reattaches the screw-on lid and has an "instant easy dispenser for dried goods."
How it's helping
According to a report from Greenpeace, in 2021 only 5% of the 51 million tons of plastic waste in the U.S. was recycled. And practically all of the plastic pill bottles were among the 95% as they are typically too small for most American recycling facilities to process.
A National Academy of Sciences study, also from 2021, showed that the United States is the world's leading contributor to plastic waste, generating more plastic pollution than the entire European Union combined (about 332 million people versus 447 million). The vast majority of plastic is made from highly planet-unfriendly sources, such as oil, and basically never decomposes.
The above hack is just one way to ensure that pill bottles don't go to waste. Another TikToker recently showed how she repurposes them into seed organizers. And an Ohio-based charity accepts donations of pill bottles and sends them to disaster victims so that they can be used again for medication storage.
What everyone's saying
The TikToker's followers were excited to try out the hack for themselves.
"Just what I needed thanks!" wrote one commenter.
"Absolutely GENIUS!" wrote another.
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