6 Environmental Uses for Empty Bottles You’ve Never Thought Of
Monday, July 27th, 2009The next time you go to toss that old whiskey bottle in the trash, think again. With a little but of inspiration inspired by the examples below you can easily put those bottles to good use.
#1- Build a Temple!
This very cool Buddhist temple in Thailand built by monks is made entirely from one million recycled beer bottles. Buddhist monks built the Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew temple in the Sisaket province of Thailand from Heineken and Chang Beer bottles, and must’ve taken a while to build (not to mention a lot of beer)!

This rather ingenious idea from Alfred Heineken, head of the Heineken Brewery was apparently inspired by his Caribbean vacation here he noticed beer bottles littered across the beaches (including his own bottles). To combat the lack of affordable housing he decided to create bottles in the shape of interlocking bricks!

#2 – Build An Entire House Out Of Whiskey Bottles

If you have a bit of architectural know-how, construction experience, extra money and spare space – why not build an entire house out of empty whiskey bottles? The nature of empty whiskey bottles lends itself quite well to insulation and ventilation – but they might be a great breeding ground for insects, so beware.
#3 – Make A Solar Water Heater

One very creative man in China used empty beer bottles to create a solar water heater. In this instance, holding on to those old whiskey bottles might prove to be more Earth-friendly than bringing them to the recycling center; water in the bottles is warmed up by the sun, then sent to a bathroom or other area in the home where warm water is required. You can reduce your dependency on your water heater – and can probably lessen your electric and/or gas bill, too!
#4 – Put A Recycled Dome Bottle Roof On Your Home

Over at the Centre For Alternative Technology in Powys, Wales in the United Kingdom, a domed roof has been created using old glass bottles. There’s no reason why glass whiskey bottles couldn’t be used for a similar purpose. This design doubles as a green way to reuse old bottles – and as a very interesting architectural look.
#5 – Make A Hummingbird Feeder
Instead of throwing your old whiskey bottles away and adding them to the local landfill, you can use them to give back to the world of nature by turning them into hummingbird feeders. Hummingbirds are fascinating to observe, and they add a lot of character to your yard.

Making a hummingbird feeder is surprisingly easy to do; you could even make a variety of them and hang them around your yard to make it a hummingbird haven of sorts.
#6 – Turn Empty Whiskey Bottles Into Drinking Glasses
If the idea of refilling an empty whiskey bottle with more whiskey and drinking it that way doesn’t appeal to you, you could always try turning your old whiskey bottle into a drinking glass. Round whiskey bottles or wine bottles would probably work best in this instance, but you can definitely let your imagination run wild.

This way, the container stays out of the trash heap and begins a new life as a glass that can be used again and again – best of all, it saves you money on having to buy more drinking glasses and creates excellent conversation pieces to boot.
















