Extreme Recycling...wow!

[di]

I'm hoping to at least attempt to make a little greenhouse using plastic bottles, whilst googling for ideas and inspiration, I came across this...Veggie Chicken, there's even one for you to use up your surplus wine bottles.

Plastic Bottle Homes and Greenhouses

Amazing.

[veggiechicken]

Nice one, Di. Not sure about the mattress resting on plastic bottles though!
One could make a mini frame from just a few bottles.

[snohare]

Wow, that is really inspiring ! (And a heck of a lot of pouring sand into small bottle mouths ...! )
This just inspired me - I am about to start making my lean-to greenhouse, and I was thinking of just doing a double layer of plastic sheeting. Instead, it makes sense to have a single layer of plastic sheet outside, and have stacks of plastic bottles attached to the wooden superstructure, for further insulation...I'd never have thought of that if I hadn't seen those, ta Di !

[di]

Thank Google

[northepaul]

They look amazing!!

[Seahorse]

Those are fantastic!!! So beautiful and artistic, as well as practical!

[Acanthus]

Thanks for this link, what wonderful creative ideas!
I am about to do 'Sustainable' topic with my Environmental Science group, and this will fit the bill nicely.

Acanthus

[rana]

Some great looking projects but for a greenhouse made of plastic bottles I only see problems. In the short term I'm sure a bottle greenhouse would be fine but what about build up of algae and mosses in and around the bottles. Also sunlight causes the plastic to degrade and it eventually goes brittle and friable. Within a few years I suspect such a greenhouse would look a sorry sight.

[julesapple]

Might be a good project for schools' gardening - a mini greenhouse made from the small water bottles. I wondered about warping though, as it does get terribly hot inside greenhouses.

I do love those houses, really beautiful aesthetic shapes and the little flower shapes from the bottle bottoms are pretty.

Jules

[di]

I have children Rana....they'll be locked inside with toothbrushes and not allowed out until it's clean

[di]

Might be a good project for schools' gardening - a mini greenhouse made from the small water bottles. I wondered about warping though, as it does get terribly hot inside greenhouses.

I do love those houses, really beautiful aesthetic shapes and the little flower shapes from the bottle bottoms are pretty.

Jules

I'm hopefully going to see one at a local school on Wednesday Jules.

[veggiechicken]

There is a bottle greenhouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales on the school plot. It has been there for several years now. I went inside it in January and it was very warm in there, warmer than my glass greenhouse. You cannot actually see what is inside it because the bottles distort your vision but the bottles themselves did not seem to have deteriorated. I'll have a better look next time I'm there. They had used some green plastic bottles too.

[julesapple]

Had a quick Google and found "Actual breakdown time for this type of plastic (PETs) under perfect conditions can range from 5 to 10 years." Perfect conditions are daylight and sea water.

So, I guess these could look good for quite a while. I like the idea myself, but I never buy stuff in plastic bottles - maybe ketchup once in a while.

Jules

[Seahorse]

I'm not sure how much the issue of the bottles degrading really matters. I've seen plenty of people bemonaing that their bought plastic g/hs are looking tatty, or that their glass ones have broken panes. As the only real cost of a bottle one is some framework and time, even if you had to rebuild and replace every few years, it still seems a sound ecological and economic idea to me.

[di]

I should be OK for the framework, I've got loads of posts at the lottie and an old chicken run to take down...meaning I can secure the bottles with the chicken wire also.

I love the bottle top curtains, I might get the kiddies threading tops on string at home to put up at the door when it's open.