They say one person's trash is another's treasure, but by repurposing plastic bottles into plant containers, one TikToker is showing that your own trash can be made into treasure, too.
The scoop
In a video shared by MightyNest (@mightynest), an account committed to making sustainable living simple, a crafty upcycler shows how to turn soda bottles into an herb garden.
@mightynest Repurpose plastic trash to make this herb garden! Best thing I've done all year 🌱 #MightyNest #upcycling #sustainabletok #herbgarden #sodabottles ♬ original sound - <3
"I took my trash, and I turned them into treasure," the narrator says as the video begins. "Turning trash into a beautiful indoor garden," reads the text over the video.
As the video continues, the demonstrator cuts the bottoms off the clean, empty bottles before drilling several holes in the lids. They then screw the bottles into a narrow piece of wood with the lids pointing downward. Once attached, they plant herbs in the bottles and water them.
"Planting the herbs vertically in this way are perfect because it doesn't take up much space, and it actually saves water from the drainage," the narrator explains. "The water flows downward, rewarding you with fresh herbs every time you cook. And the best part is you can just pick it up and place it wherever you like in your home."
How it's working
This hack is beneficial in more ways than one: It reduces trash while providing the person practicing it with fresh herbs anytime they want.
"Every year, plastic bottles end up in landfills from the oceans, which takes hundreds of years to decompose," the narrator explains. To be exact, about 40 million tons of plastic waste are thrown away each year in America, according to Statista, and only about 5% of it gets recycled.
As the narrator points out, the rest ends up in landfills and oceans, where it creates planet-warming pollution and breaks down into smaller microplastics that devastate ecosystems and wildlife and are detrimental to human health.
Aside from that, growing your own food, whether in a vertical garden like the OP did or a larger space, allows you to have healthy ingredients on hand and reduces the demand for mass-grown produce, the cultivating and transporting of which contributes significantly to the overheating of our planet.
🗣️ Do you worry about how much food you throw away?
🔘 Definitely 😭
🔘 Sometimes 😢
🔘 Not really 😞
🔘 Never 🤷
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
What people are saying
Users took to the video's comment section to offer praise and enthusiasm for the hack.
"Love this! I've been trying to reduce, reuse, & recycle. Reuse is my favorite because it save money too!" said one.
"I've been wondering what I can do with the HUNDREDS plastic liter bottles I use a month. thank you!" another added.
"This is a STELLAR idea!" said a third. "Looks cute too."
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