Actionable Recycling Tips for Wine Bottles

Are you looking for ways to make your wine consumption more sustainable? Actionable recycling tips for wine bottles can help you achieve that goal.

Every year, millions of glass bottles are discarded in landfills or end up as litter on the streets.

Reducing that waste is possible if you know how to recycle your wine bottles in an eco-friendly manner. Here are a few tips for recycling wine bottles responsibly:

1. Donate Your Bottles 

Collect all of your empty wine bottles over time and donate them to local charities or organizations in need. Many alcohol-based charities and shelters accept donated glass bottles to help fund their operations.

2. Use wine bottles as water bottles

The most obvious way to recycle wine bottles is to reuse them as water containers. Be sure to clean it well with soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Add a little baking soda to the water and shake the bottle to eliminate any residual alcohol smell.

3. Recycle wine bottles as vases

If you want to use the bottle as a vase, remove the label and wash the bottle thoroughly with warm water and dish soap. Ensure there are no cracks or chips in the glass before you fill it with water.

Spray-paint the outside of your wine bottle if it has an attractive shape or design that you want to highlight.

A wine vase doesn't have to be limited to flowers. You can put a large green leaf, artful-looking feathers, or fabric stems. Place the wine bottle flower vase in your kitchen, dining table, or wine cellar.

4. Turn a wine bottle into a charming candle holder

Recycling wine bottles into candle holders will make your tablescape more chic.

You can paint the bottles in your favorite hue and design, cover them with cute doilies, elegant craft stickers, and captivating patterns like maps or book pages, or wrap them with jute strings or ribbons.

You may add some baubles inside the bottle, such as:

• Shells
• Sand
• Pebbles
• Gel beads
• Marbles
• Acrylic pearls
• Small fake plants
• Greeneries (pine sprigs or eucalyptus)
• Twigs and branches
• Small toys
• Glitters

If you have the patience and the skills, you can cut the bottle of wine and recycle it into a succulent or small cactus planter.

You can use multiple wine bottles together for a party table, wedding reception centerpieces, or redecorate your home.

5. DIY LED light lamp wine bottle

Place a short-string battery-operated fairy light inside the wine bottle for a beautiful soft night light in your room, patio, garden, or sparkling holiday decor.

By following these Actionable Recycling Tips for Wine Bottles, you can enjoy your wine while doing your part in saving the planet.

There are many ways to reuse and recycle wine bottles, from turning them into water bottles or vases to creating chic candle holders or DIY LED light lamps. With a little creativity and effort, you can make beautiful decorations for your home while reducing your carbon footprint at the same time.

For more ideas on how to creatively repurpose old wine bottles, we recommend checking out the video below about Upcycling Old Wine Bottles from Birchbox Grooming's YouTube Channel. Enjoy!

Recycling old corks

The organic look of corks, especially natural ones, makes them good art pieces, toys, or accessories. Here are some fun ways you can recycle your old wine corks:

1. Make a cork stamp

Draw your preferred pattern on a wine cork and carve it with a knife. (Check this tutorial).

2. Recycle wine cork into a ref magnet

Attach a magnet to the cork by drilling a hole or using adhesives like a glue gun.

3. Create a cork bathroom mat

Cork is an ideal material to use for bathroom floors. They're absorbent, anti-slip, and have non-allergenic, antibacterial properties. Follow these DIY steps for recycling wine cork bathmats.

 
Photo: Sustain my Craft

4. Toys made of corks

Your kids and cats can enjoy playing with toys made from recycled wine corks. You can carve them into geometric pieces, use them as boat toys, use them with watercolor or paint to create art, attach accessories or small bells, or let your kids draw faces on them.

Remember to keep an eye on your pets and young kids while playing with small toys.

Recycling wine barrels

The regal look of natural wood makes it an easy piece to mix and match with any design theme.

Wine barrels can be recycled into a dog bed, plant pot, wall shelf or storage, or beverage cooler.

They also make gorgeous home furniture. Check out these exquisite homemade wine barrel furniture highlighting your love for wine. These eye-catching pieces are both functional and decorative.

Did you know you aside from recycling your wine barrels, restoring them is also a good option? Check out this interesting video of a 100-year-old Wine Barrel being restored from the YouTube channel Heiko of all trades.

Final Words

Now is the best time to live sustainably. Recycle wine packaging like empty wine bottles, wine barrels, and corks. This is an excellent opportunity for the eco-conscious wine lover to bring out their creativity, beautify their home without spending big on decorations, and show their love for the environment.

Randy Green

Randy is a true wine storage aficionado and expert in wine cellar design. He gained construction experience as a partner in a general contracting business before niching into and passionately focusing on creating wine storage solutions for clients in 2016. He takes great pride in bringing these designs to life, and is dedicated to ensuring that every wine cellar he creates is not only functional but also a beautiful addition to any home or business. The Wine Cellar HQ team also includes refrigeration sizing experts and licensed HVAC technicians to ensure optimal climate control for your wine cellar, so that your wines can age to perfection.