Reduce and Reuse; the practical recycling

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Reduce and Reuse; the practical recycling
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Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 04 11:18 am Post subject:

Quote:

Can anyone think of a use for wine bottles - we send a lot of those for recycling!

Funny, so do we. I don't know where they all come from

I've seen wine bottles turned in to various containers using a bottle
cutter. You can cut the top off and turn it in to a vase.

But like compost scoops - how many vases do you need?

Some people bury them neck down to make edging for beds etc. Looks a bit dangerous to me.

Top use that I've seen is chopping off the next and fixing it to the base so you have a stemmed wine glass. Now, a girl can never have enough wine glasses, especially if a girl is very clumsy.

Unfortunatley, I don't know how to do those, safely, as I've only seen them for sale - they do say that they are truly made from wine bottles though.

Last but not least, of course, you could use them to bottle your own wine? You'll only be doing it for the environment, you know

I wonder if you could smash them up yourself, and put them in one of those tumbler things that people use to polish stones, and turn them in to a glass mulch? Seems fraught with danger though.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 04 12:37 pm Post subject:
Lowlander has edged one of her veg plots with upturned wine bottles and it looks fantastic. The photo is on the RC site.

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 04 1:15 pm Post subject:
They are completely safe when used this way; they are buried quite deep, and they are very stable. That particular bed took exactly 100 bottles, by the way.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 04 2:32 pm Post subject:
What about when you hit them with a wheelbarrow, drop a spade on them, or fall over (all things I do regularly in the garden.. )? Does the soil support them enough to cope? I suppose it's a bit like the standing on an egg experiment...

Gervase

Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 8655

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 04 2:56 pm Post subject:
If you've got a mortar mill, you can grind old bottles to make an excellent aggregate. Makes for very colourful plaster!

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 04 4:03 pm Post subject:
I saw broken glass used as garden decoration once. It had been 'tumble or something so it was all smooth like pebbles from the beach.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 04 4:36 pm Post subject:
Not wishing to be too obvious here, but we tend to use wine bottles for putting more wine in. Best use I can think of for them

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28239
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 04 5:02 pm Post subject:

Cab wrote:

Not wishing to be too obvious here, but we tend to use wine bottles for putting more wine in. Best use I can think of for them

yep, was planning on bottling some Shiraz in a tick.

jema

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 04 5:07 pm Post subject:

jema wrote:

yep, was planning on bottling some Shiraz in a tick.

That's funny, I was planning to unbottle some Shiraz in a tick. Or maybe some Merlot...which will go best with chilli sin carne?

Oh well. I'll just have to try both.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 04 5:31 pm Post subject:

jema wrote:

Cab wrote:

Not wishing to be too obvious here, but we tend to use wine bottles for putting more wine in. Best use I can think of for them

yep, was planning on bottling some Shiraz in a tick.

jema

I have lemon balm, mead and watermint to bottle. When I can be bothered. Some time before Christmas will do.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28239
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 04 5:34 pm Post subject:

Cab wrote:

jema wrote:

Cab wrote:

Not wishing to be too obvious here, but we tend to use wine bottles for putting more wine in. Best use I can think of for them

yep, was planning on bottling some Shiraz in a tick.

jema

I have lemon balm, mead and watermint to bottle. When I can be bothered. Some time before Christmas will do.

A lot more interesting than the wine kits, but I do have 15 gallons of assorted elderberry on its way

meanwhile I'd like a stocked cellar.

jema

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 04 5:37 pm Post subject:
If I had space to make wine, believe me I would. Himself will drink anything, so even if it's awful, it will get used! I like the sound of lowlanders lemon wine - might have to find a space for that somewhere!

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 04 5:50 pm Post subject:

jema wrote:

A lot more interesting than the wine kits, but I do have 15 gallons of assorted elderberry on its way

meanwhile I'd like a stocked cellar.

jema

15 gallons? Roughly 90 bottles? Wow. Not bad.

Lets think... Actually, no, I'll post it in recipes rather than here...

Dunc

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 134
Location: Lancashire

Posted: Fri Nov 26, 04 1:15 pm Post subject:
Can't compete with all the wine related talk but my favourite reusing mission of the moment is... ...Bullying everyone in my office to give me their used vending machine coffee cups. If they're stupid enough to drink the garbage that comes out of the machine, they can provide me with pots for seedlings for the greenhouse!

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri Nov 26, 04 1:17 pm Post subject:
Not a bad idea, luckily we have a kettle and mugs round here.

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