Keeping your home looking its best can take a lot of effort, but this tip can help you turn your trash into a quality centerpiece.
The scoop
In a video shared to TikTok, viewers can learn a fun way to upcycle leftover kombucha bottles. The clip was shared by Health-Ade (@healthade), and although it is a kombucha company, it does occasionally share ways to recycle and reuse the brown glass bottles the product comes in.
@healthade am I a genius for this? #healthade #kombucha #upcycletip #glassbottles #booch #friendsgiving ♬ original sound - Health-Ade
In this particular TikTok, the creator shares how to use three bottles to make a surprisingly elegant centerpiece for your table.
Wash your bottles with hot water and soap to help remove the label, and then clean them again to get any remaining glue residue off. To set up the centerpiece, place a nice taper candle in two of the bottles. For the third bottle, bring the arrangement together with a handful of flowers; in the clip they used dahlias, but you could use any flower you like.
How it's helping
Reusing containers you already have at home is a great way to extend their lives and save money. Vases can be very expensive, so using bottles instead can save your wallet. Plus, you can make a fun craft project out of your recycling.
In addition to being a great way to save money and reduce waste, repurposing glass may be one of the best ways to keep it out of the trash in the United States. Unfortunately, only about 31% of glass containers get recycled successfully in the U.S., according to the EPA. Some glass that is put in the recycling can still go to waste in transit, so any way to reuse or upcycle a container is always best when possible.
"Glass is 100% recyclable," said Robert Weisenburger Lipetz, executive director of a trade association called the Glass Manufacturing Industry Council, in a report by Chemical & Engineering News. "It has an unlimited life and can be melted and recycled endlessly to make new glass products with no loss in quality."
Countries in Europe regularly recycle around 90% of their glass, so hopefully the U.S. will be able to remedy its shortcomings. Companies like Glass Half Full are creating glass sand to help with natural disasters, so innovations are happening when it comes to glass waste.
Besides reusing your glass at home, learning more about proper recycling techniques is a great place to help more of your glass get recycled.
🗣️ Which of these groups has the biggest role to play in reducing food waste?
🔘 Grocery stores 🛒
🔘 Restaurants 🍝
🔘 Individuals 🗑️
🔘 The government 👩⚖️
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
What everyone's saying
The comments were very positive on this TikTok.
"Repurpose queen," one person wrote.
While most communities do not require removing labels to recycle, another commenter interested in repurposing their glass at home asked, "How did you get the sticky glue off of it?? Mine is still sticky," to which the creator responded, "Run and wash your bottle with warm soap water if it's still sticky you can run it through the dishwasher til it's no longer sticky!"
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