For most of us, buying something that comes in a two-liter bottle is inevitable as part of feeding our families.
Those bottles, though, can be used in many different ways beyond their intended and initial purpose.
Store water. 2 liter bottles make great water storage containers. After the original contents have been emptied, wash the bottle thoroughly, rinse with a 10:1 water bleach solution if desired, and fill with fresh tap water. Screw the lid on tight and write the date on the bottle with a permanent marker so you’ll know when it’s time to rotate it (6-12 months after filling). These bottles slide easily under beds or behind couches! Make a holder for your bottle from paracord and it’s ready to bug out with.
Purify Water. Solar Disinfection (SODIS) uses sunlight and clear plastic bottles to make water safe to drink. Clear plastic bottles are filled with water, then laid in the sun for at least 6 hours. The sun’s UV-A rays combine with heat from the infrared rays to pasteurize the water. To use your soda bottle for SODIS, it must be clear, and this method works best between 35 degrees north of the equator and 35 degrees south of the equator (which includes some of the southern part of the United States).
Store food. Smaller grained foods can be stored in emptied 2 liter bottles. Wash and disinfect as you would to store water in them, then make sure they are thoroughly dry before filling with food. Add an oxygen absorber for extra freshness and longer storage life, then screw the lid on tight, mark the bottle with the date and put it in your food storage.
Make a funnel. Cut the top of the bottle off about where the curve starts turning into the straight sides. Remove the lid and you’ve got a funnel. To use this funnel to fill other 2 liter bottles, you’ll want to tape them together to secure the funnel during filling since the necks will be the same size.
These are just a few uses for a two-liter bottle as opposed to throwing them away.
Other uses include making a simple minnow or crayfish trap, using them to start vegetables in your garden and marking areas in a body of water (such as a rock outcropping.)
Feel free to list your own uses for a two-liter bottle below and for other ideas, please visit Food Storage and Survival.