Recycled bottle tops to seal open plastic packets

Last month I came across a random facebook picture ( the kind that circulates itself through friends’ walls and you glance at it, maybe hit a like button, and then move on forgetting all about it 30 seconds later ) and fell in love with it. This one had a sliced off bottle cap sealing an open plastic bag.

We all are familiar with this sight: (at least I hope you are, it will make me feel better :D)

This facebook pass-around picture caught my serious fancy. It just flashed by me, and while I just did not remember who posted it and when, I remembered what I saw. And I LOVED it. I love it even more now that I am using it. Now, the packets look something like this:

The method is so simple that it makes you feel like a twit for having thrown away all those golden opportunity juice bottles that could have capped that annoying semolina packet that kept spilling over despite your best intentions to keep it tightly folded over, secured with a band and made to stand upright.

It was something that I HAD to give a try. You know how you feel driven by something at times? This was one of those times. So I hunted for used bottles. Just as my luck would have it, I had thrown away trash the previous day and along with it went a golden stash of used bottles. So I started with water bottles lying around, and struggled to fit in the caps to these large plastic bags. I soon realized that size matters 😀

You need:

Used plastic bottles

Sharp, heavy scissors

A Kitchen towel or soft cloth

Wash and dry the bottle.

Using the scissors, make a puncture about 1-2″ from the ring.

Slide the scissor in into the puncture and cut it out in a circle.

Slice the top of the plastic bag neatly.

Gather the folds and insert the ring, and pull up the ends creating a ‘neck’.

Seal the cap tight. You might have to push it down a bit to make the cap onto the ring.

For thicker plastics, it’s wiser to use sturdy bottle caps with a wide mouth – like a juice bottle. For thin plastics, you can use water bottle caps. If the plastic is too stiff, then transfer to a more pliable bag, like a bread plastic bag, and then use the cap method to seal it.