A clever way to repurpose plastic bottles and jugs for use as scoopers in gardening (and beyond) wowed Instagrammers.
The scoop
"I was brought up by my Great Aunty Kim who was & is industrious to the T and taught me to McGyver the crap out of any situation," cook and Australian personality Poh Ling Yeow (@pohlingyeow) wrote in sharing the hack. "... I love that she's passed this sensibility to me - to never waste and always be grateful for EVERY resource."
Indeed, the video demonstrated how to avoid waste and convert a plastic jug into a gardening spade or multipurpose scoop.
"Here's a repurposing idea," Yeow said. "Simply cut the bottom off used bottles and a little U shape out of the top part." She showed a plastic laundry detergent bottle and large water bottle that were neatly sliced on the diagonal. Then, she explained, "[Now] you have the most boss scoop to pot plants with with maximum efficiency."
"The bottom parts you cut away can be used for more detailed work," she added, showing herself using a narrower plastic spade to funnel dirt on the side of a small potted plant. "I also love to make disposable scrapers with any flat panels for DIY jobs like gap filling."
How it's helping
Repurposing containers around the house helps to make the most of every dollar you spend by giving new life to items that would otherwise be discarded. It also means keeping those plastic items out of landfills, which is beneficial for the environment.
Since plastic is very slow — or even impossible — to break down, it accumulates everywhere it shouldn't be, from oceans to city streets. Plastic even ends up in the stomachs of wild animals, who then starve to death because they're stuffed full of it.
So, anything you can do to reuse or recycle your disposable containers is worth your while. (Always wondered what, exactly, all those different recycling numbers mean? Check out this article for an explanatory guide.)
Or, if you want to reduce your waste even further, support brands that use plastic-free packaging instead of traditional plastic jugs, such as these laundry detergent companies.
"The dreamiest thing about it, of course?" Yeow added. "No cleaning!"
What everyone's saying
Commenters on the post eagerly tried the hack. "I made a spade out of a milk bottle to scoop my cat's litter cos I couldn't find the size I wanted," one person wrote.
"Genius! We need more of your Great Aunty Kim's tips!!" another said.
"What a simple & amazing idea!!" a third agreed.
Poh had one final tip: "Also, top & bottom used together = excellent dog [poop] scooper!"
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