Don’t Toss Those Plastic Bottles Yet, They Have a Back-to-School Use
Plastic bottles headed for the recycling bin can hold pencils, pens, markers, and other school supplies with a few cuts and a zipper. This project uses two bottle sections to create a clear pencil case that opens across the middle and keeps its contents in view.
Our full video tutorial shows the process from the first cut to the finished case, including how to attach the zipper and join both plastic sections.
Two Bottles Form the Pencil Case
Two matching plastic bottles provide the main structure. Bottles with straight sides work well since the plastic gives the zipper a consistent edge to follow and leaves enough interior space for pens and pencils.
The bottle necks are not needed. Each bottle gets cut across the body, leaving two bottom sections that will become the top and bottom of the case.
Cutting the Bottles Creates Two Matching Sections
Mark the cut lines at different heights if you want one section to hold most of the supplies and the shorter section to work as the lid. Cutting around the bottle leaves two open plastic edges that face each other once the case comes together.
Keep the bottle bottoms intact. Their molded bases close both ends without adding another piece of plastic or cardboard.
Zipper Runs Around the Open Edge
Measure a zipper against the bottle circumference before attaching it. The zipper needs enough length to wrap around the opening while leaving room for the slider to move from one side to the other.
Hot glue secures the zipper tape against the inside edge of the first bottle section. Working around the opening in small sections helps keep the zipper aligned with the cut plastic.
Second Bottle Section Completes the Case
Once one side of the zipper is attached, the second bottle section connects to the remaining zipper tape. Both cut edges meet at the zipper, turning two separate pieces of packaging into one container.
Opening the zipper separates the sections without detaching them. Closing it pulls both bottle pieces together and keeps pencils from falling out inside a backpack.
Finished Case Keeps School Supplies in View
The clear plastic makes it easy to see which pencils, pens, or markers are inside before opening the case. The bottle shape also gives the container a rigid shell instead of the soft sides found on most fabric pencil pouches.
A discarded drink bottle has few reuse options in its original form, yet cutting and joining two bottle bases gives the plastic a new job that fits right into a backpack.
Watch the Full Plastic Bottle Pencil Case Tutorial
Our video tutorial shows each part of the project, from measuring and cutting the bottles to gluing the zipper and filling the finished case with school supplies.
It is a back-to-school project built around materials many households already have, giving two plastic bottles another use before they reach the recycling bin.