Life Hacks: Bottle-cap-snacker-top-thing

Posted by Mathew Braun on Oct 20, 2011 in Arts & Culture | 0 comments

Predicament:

With the growing trend of “being green” and recycling everything but your toenail clippings, the question arises about what to do with the things that aren’t recyclable?

A plastic bottle cap is one of those rare items that we all assume gets thrown into the blue bin alongside the bottle it came from, but it is, in fact, non-recyclable plastic that gets thrown out (quite literally) with the bathwater. These bottle caps tend to find themselves in landfills, rivers, beaches, and trapped in the ocean current that we know as “Garbage Island.”

Aside from being socially and environmentally aware, the application of this project saves one from those pesky twist ties that end up in a cosmic knot no boyscout could ever untie. Not only do twist ties look ghetto, they are an inadequate way to close bags, predestined to poke your fingers, causing you to throw your snacks out in a fit of rage and disgust. Forget that. So, as responsible adults and insatiable snackers alike, here a one clever way to re-use what we cannot recycle that would even make David Suzuki feel less guilty about drinking his Dasani.

This is a great way to store bulk foods, such as candy, granola, or pretty much anything you want to create an airtight seal for, so the flavor crystals and tasty bits don’t dry out like flaked oregano.

Provisions:

- 1 plastic bottle with the cap
- Snacks
- Plastic bags (sandwich bags, or “bulk” bags from a grocery store will do)
- Scissors
- A third graders ability to follow instructions

Plan:

- Take the scissors and cut the threaded portion of the bottle off. Remove the cap.
- Fill your bag with things to eat.
- Push the top of the bag upward through the removed bottleneck; fold the bag down and over the bottleneck.
- Twist cap into place.
- Enjoy.

Mathew Braun