Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Preparing Plastic Bottles for Disposal
• Method 2 of 3: Paid recycling
• Method 3 of 3: Recycling bottles
• Tips
• Warnings

In Russia, about 800 thousand tons of plastic bottles are thrown away annually, mainly produced as containers for various drinks. Moreover, most of them are either burned or buried in the ground. This state of affairs does not have the best effect on the state of the environment. To keep plastic from contaminating the environment in landfills, consider recycling or recycling it.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Preparing Plastic Bottles for Disposal

1. 1 Check the bottom of the bottle, it will show a number from 1 to 7. It denotes the type of plastic the bottle is made of. It will also tell you if the bottle can be disposed of at your local recycling center.
   • If the bottle is not recyclable, try reusing it or turning it into a craft. For more ideas, click here.
2. 2 Remove the cap from the bottle. In some cases, plastic recycling centers do not accept bottle caps. If this is your case, you can either throw the caps away, try to find a recycling center that will accept them, or use bottle caps to create crafts. If the recycling center accepts caps, remove the cap from the bottle and set it aside temporarily, as you will need to rinse the container and then replace the cap.
   • The reason recycling centers may not accept caps is because they are usually made from a different type of plastic than the bottle itself. As a result, such caps can be a source of contamination of recyclable materials from discarded bottles.
3. 3 Rinse the bottle with water. Fill the bottle halfway with water and close the lid. Shake the bottle to rinse it out. Open the lid and drain the water. If the bottle is still dirty, you may need to repeat the rinse a second or even third time. The bottle does not need to be perfectly clean, but it must be free from obvious remnants of the old contents.
   • You can skip this step with a drinking water bottle.
   • If your local plastic recycling center accepts plastic bottle caps, leave the cap on the bottle.
4. 4 If necessary, remove the packaging film and label from the bottle. In some cases, the presence of the packaging film and label on the bottle is irrelevant, while in other situations (for example, when buying plastic by weight), recycling centers may require the removal of these materials.If you plan to reuse the bottle for crafts, you will probably want to remove the label yourself for neatness.
5. 5 Repeat the above operations for all bottles. It is usually wise to dispose of a large number of bottles at once, especially if you plan on taking them to a recycling center. This will save you travel costs.
6. 6 If you have a lot of bottles, consider crushing them. This approach will save space in the plastic waste bin or in the bag in which you are going to take the bottles to the recycling center. If there is a cap on the bottle, first remove it to crush the container. Next, squeeze the bottle with both hands or just step on it with your foot.
7. 7 Place plastic bottles in a bag. Instead of a bag, you can use a paper or plastic bag. You will not be returning your used bag for recycling, but it will make it much easier for you to transport bottles to the waste container for plastic or to a recycling center.
8. 8 Find out what recycling programs are in place in your area. In some localities, you will need to take your plastic bottles to the recycling center yourself, as in other cities special containers for plastic may be installed at waste sites. In some cases, vending machines for paid acceptance of plastic bottles can even work. If you are interested in receiving a certain monetary reward for the disposal of plastic containers, click here.
9. 9 If you live in an area where separate collection bins are installed, transfer the contents of the bag to a plastic container. If you live in an apartment or in a private house, and your city has a separate waste collection program, special containers will be installed at waste sites for plastic. For convenience, you can even create your own container for temporary storage of plastic containers at home. When it's time to dump your trash, bring the plastic bottles with you to put in your plastic waste bin.
   • If you live in a dormitory of an educational institution, then containers for collecting plastic may also be provided in it.
10. 10 If waste sites do not provide for separate collection of waste, take the plastic bottles yourself to a plastic recycling center. To do this, you will need to find out where the nearest recycling center is located. In most cases, you will be able to get to it either by public or private transport.
11. 11 Consider taking plastic bottles to a plastic collection point, if available in your community. In some localities, collection points for plastic containers and even special vending machines can be organized, where empty bottles can be returned for a small fee. If you live in such a locality, visit the website of your local city administration to find out where you can find the nearest plastic collection point. For more information on the paid recycling of plastic bottles, click here.

Method 2 of 3: Paid recycling

1. 1 Check out the prices for purchased plastic bottles. The cost of buying old plastic bottles can be per piece or by weight. Check out the specific rates in your locality. The amount that you can get out for the bottles you handed will depend on them.
2. 2 Don't try to make extra money by picking up other people's bottles from the plastic recycling bin. This is unethical and not entirely legal. Potential problems with neighbors, employees of recycling companies and the police do not cost a few extra rubles, which you can bail out for bottles.
3. 3 Find out in which cities of the Central Federal District (CFD) there are plastic recycling centers and collection points. If you live in the Central Federal District and there is a program for the purchase of plastic bottles in your city, then you have the opportunity to hand over them for recycling and help out about 15-19 rubles per kilogram of plastic (depending on the volume handed over). Also, sometimes it is possible to hand over bottles by the piece through a special machine and get a few kopecks for them. The purchase price may vary depending on the specific recycling center, the type of bottles, as well as the demand for recyclable materials. At the moment, there are plastic collection points, for example, in such cities of the Central Federal District as:
   • Moscow;
   • Voronezh;
   • Belgorod;
   • Bryansk;
   • Lipetsk;
   • Kaluga;
   • Ryazan;
   • Vladimir;
   • Tambov;
   • Tver and others.
4. 4 Find out in which cities of other federal districts of Russia there are plastic collection points. If you live in the Central Federal District, but in another federal district, you may also have the opportunity to hand over plastic bottles and get a small amount for them. For example, at the time of publication of this article, there are plastic collection points in cities such as:
   • St. Petersburg;
   • Ufa;
   • Vladivostok;
   • Chelyabinsk;
   • Magnitogorsk;
   • Komsomolsk-on-Amur;
   • Omsk;
   • Krasnoyarsk;
   • Murmansk;
   • Tyumen;
   • Yoshkar-Ola;
   • Surgut and others.
5. 5 Make sure bottles are clean and caps removed. In most cases, the collection points refuse to repurchase dirty bottles. Some of them also require the caps to be removed from the bottles. Check the specific requirements of your local plastic collection point.
6. 6 Take the bottles to a plastic collection point or directly to a recycling center. To find out exactly if your city has plastic collection and recycling centers, visit your local government website. Also remember that having a recycling center does not necessarily mean that pick-up points will accept all kinds of plastic. In most cases, only certain types of plastic will be accepted, and other types of plastic bottles not suitable for the local recycling center will not be accepted.
7. 7 Try to find out more information about available bottle recycling centers in your city. In some cases, these centers offer plastic collection services using their own transport. This may be a good option if the volume of bottles returned is large enough, but in this case, the price of their redemption is reduced. The price can be set either for a kilogram of plastic or for a specific number of bottles. Also, the following factors can affect the price:
   • type of plastic;
   • plastic color;
   • physical properties of plastic (its density, melting point, and so on);
   • the actual amount of plastic handed over.
8. 8 Please be aware that not all plastic recycling centers accept all plastic bottles. Bottles can be made from various types of plastic. The most common bottles are made of type 1 and type 2 plastic (PET and LDPE). It is they who are most often taken. In addition, the shape and size of a particular bottle will also affect the recyclability of a particular bottle. Some collection points can only accept bottles of one specific size, while others may have specific size frames for bottles.

Method 3 of 3: Recycling bottles

1. 1 Use the bottom of a 2 liter soda bottle to draw sakura blossoms on a large piece of paper. With a thick brush, draw a branch of the cherry on a long piece of paper. Dip the bottom of the bottle in pink paint, and then use it to paint sakura flowers on the branch. In the center of each flower, draw some black or dark pink dots.
   • It is best to use bottles with 5-6 legs on the bottom for this purpose. It is they who will print flower petals on paper.
2. 2 Craft a grass from the bottom of a 2 liter bottle. Cut off the bottom half of a 2 liter soda bottle. Hot glue the bottle cap on it to make a big funny nose, also glue two eyes with movable pupils. Fill the craft with soil and moisten it with water. Sprinkle some fast-growing lawn grass onto the surface of the soil.
3. 3 Convert 2L bottle bottoms into dry food bowls. Cut off the bottoms of several 2 liter bottles. Decorate the outside with paint, colored paper, or stickers. Fill these bowls with nuts, crackers, or candy and display them for your next party.
4. 4 Make a zippered case out of two plastic bottles to store coins. Using a craft knife, cut off the bottoms of the two bottles at a height of 4 cm. Discard the tops of the bottles and leave the bottoms for crafts. Find a zipper that's long enough to wrap around the circumference of the bottle. At the top edge on the inside, apply a bead of hot glue to one of the bottoms. Attach the zipper with fabric tape to the glue. In this case, the zipper dog should be on the outside, and its teeth should be located along the edge of the bottom. Then open the zipper and apply a bead of glue from the inside to the edge of the second bottle bottom. Press the other half of the zipper into the glue. Wait for the glue to harden and then close the zipper. You now have a coin storage case.
   • In the same way, you can make a pencil case for pens and pencils. To do this, cut off the top from one bottle and the bottom on the other at a height of 4 cm. You will have one high and one low detail. Use them to craft a pencil case.
5. 5 Create a greenhouse to germinate flower seeds. Fill a small clay pot with soil. Moisten the soil and make a small depression in the center. Place some seeds in the hole and sprinkle with soil. Cut a 2 liter bottle in half and discard the bottom. Remove the cap from the top of the bottle, and then place it domed on top of the flower pot. In this case, the half of the bottle should either stand directly on the upper edge of the pot, or completely cover the pot.
   • Consider painting the pot with blackboard paint. Then you can sign the pot with chalk, thus giving it a rustic design style.
6. 6 Make a bird feeder out of a plastic bottle. Cut a 2 liter bottle in half and discard the top. Cut a rectangle in the wall of the bottom of the bottle. It should be no wider than your palm. Then you need to pour seeds into the bottom, and in order for it to hold well, do not make the cutout too wide. Punch two holes along the top edge with a hole punch (they should be placed opposite each other). Pass the cord through both holes and tie in a knot. Place bird seeds on the bottom of the feeder and hang it on a tree.
   • If desired, the feeder can be painted with acrylic paint to make it more elegant. You can also paste over it with squares of wrapping paper. Just do not forget to protect the feeder with clear acrylic varnish later.
7. 7 Use plastic bottle caps to create a mosaic. Not all plastic collection points accept bottle caps, but this does not mean that they are useless. Hot glue can be used to glue them onto plain white or board board or foam board. To do this, simply apply a volumetric drop of glue inside the lid (so that it protrudes) and press the lid against the selected surface.

Tips

• There are various ways to dispose of plastic bottles. In most cases, bottles end up in general household waste and are taken to landfills or incinerated in incinerators. Recently, in Russia (and in other CIS countries), the program of separate waste collection has been expanding more and more, involving the use of separate waste containers for plastic.
• Do not forget about your responsibility for the environment.
• In addition to recycling plastic, you can also recycle glass bottles. To do this, you will need to follow the same steps, but find the appropriate collection points for glass containers.

Warnings

• In Russia, about 800 thousand tons of plastic bottles are thrown away annually. Moreover, most of them are either burned or buried in the ground. To keep plastic from contaminating the environment, consider recycling it.
• Don't try to make a few extra bucks by picking up plastic bottles from your recycled plastic dumpster. Not only is this unethical, but it can create additional problems for you. It's not worth it.
• Filling a plastic bottle with water and drinking it might seem like a good idea, but it isn't. Some plastic bottles release chemicals into the water, altering its taste. Plus, the longer you use the plastic this way, the more bacteria it collects.