• Recycling plastic bottles provides a great way to help the environment. Reusing a glass bottle represents a better solution, but you may already have a stash of plastic bottles at home. You can reuse them in some surprising and fun ways, making a statement about the importance of recycling. Plus, you'll have convenient and inexpensive solutions to many of your household needs.
  
  

A Bird Feeder

• An empty soda bottle makes a great bird feeder, writes Rachel Keller on the website BetterBudgeting.com. A gallon milk bottle can serve the same purpose. (See Backyard Bird Feeders in the Resources section for ideas and instructions.)
  
  

Cat Toys

• A plastic bottle makes a great toy for a cat who likes to tackle things. Wrap a scrap of fabric around it, gluing it in place or gathering the fabric at the top with a few stitches. Glue fake feathers or fur around the bottle, then place the end of a string or a piece of yarn in the bottle and screw on the cap, taping it in place if needed. Hang the other end from the back of a chair, or any other solid object that a cat won't topple over.
  
  

Boot Trees

• Why pay for boot trees when plastic bottles can serve the same purpose? Depending on the size of your boots, bottles can support them well. "Reader's Digest" suggests using a 1-liter bottle in each boot to keep them from wrinkling or folding.
  
  

Storage

• Plastic bottles also make great storage containers. Cut off the tops of milk jugs to create storage containers for crafts, says "Reader's Digest," or store sugar in a plastic bottle to allow for easy pouring. The tops can serve as funnels, the article adds.
  
  

Vases

• Use old Nalgene bottles made with Bisphenol A (BPA) as vases, since the FDA has deemed them highly toxic, suggests Makenna Goodman in "The Huffington Post." Paint and decorate them if you like.
  
  

Plant Starters

• Cut off the tops of plastic bottles and plant seeds in them, suggests Make-Stuff.com. This gives you an easy way to start seedlings indoors before planting them in a garden. You can even use an empty soda bottle to water a garden, as the website suggests. Just fill it with water and leave it upside down in a hole in the ground. Screw the cap on---but not too tightly, so water will slowly leak out.
  
  

Sculpture

• Recently, many visual artists have used plastic bottles in creating sculptures that make a statement about sustainable living. A nonprofit group even used plastic bottles stuffed with plastic bags to build a school in Guatemala while containing trash, says Matthew Preusch in "The Oregonian."