Most recycling centers will not accept plastic bottle caps for recycling so it is a challenge to find something to do with them. Many things can be made with plastic bottle caps with just a minimum of supplies.
One of the easiest crafts with plastic bottle caps is to make Christmas ornaments. The supplies needed are glue, a hole punch, a circle hole punch, old Christmas cards or patterned paper, glitter and ribbon. Punch two small holes close together in the side of the bottle cap. Find a circle punch that is the same size as the bottle cap and punch out two circles from either an old Christmas card or patterned paper. Use a large darning needle to thread two pieces of ribbon through the holes. Tie a bow with one of the ribbons and tie an overhand knot with the other near the ends to make a hanging loop for the ornament. Glue the circles to the front and back of the bottle cap. Squeeze glue around the edges and embellish with glitter. This is a good craft for kids to do after an adult has punched the holes in the bottle cap.
Try making a curtain with ribbons and plastic bottle caps. Punch a hole in the side of the bottle cap and one in the opposite side. Cut a piece of thin ribbon about two feet longer than the length of the window. Tie a large knot about six inches from the tail of the ribbon. Use a large eye darning needle to thread the ribbon through the holes. Slide the bottle cap down to the knot. Space the bottle caps a few inches apart and tie knots to keep them in place. Once the final bottle cap is in place, make a loop with the ribbon that is large enough to go over the curtain rod and tie a knot above the bottle cap to seal the loop. Thread the ribbon back through the bottle cap hole and tie a sturdy knot. Make as many strings as it takes to fill the curtain rod.
Another craft idea for bottle caps is to make a game of checkers with them. Cut a piece of foam board to the size of a checkerboard. Measure off the squares with a ruler and paint them. There should be eight rows with eight squares in each row for a total of sixty-four squares. Pain the squares red and black in an alternating pattern of black, red, black, red, etc. Paint several coats on the foam board letting each coat dry thoroughly. Spray several coats of clear sealer over the board and let dry. Paint twelve bottle caps red and twelve bottle caps black. Spray the bottle caps with clear sealer also and let dry. Once everything is dry, challenge someone to a game of checkers!
These are just a few ideas of what can be done with plastic bottle caps. Use your imagination and see what you can come up with instead of letting them go to the landfill.
