Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle: 6 Fun Do-It-Yourself Projects from PepsiCo Recycling

In a way, the fall months can feel like the “New Year.” The weather cools down and we’re in the swing of a new schedule of activities and school programs. One fun activity you can do with friends and family as is get crafty and upcycle with some of the materials that turn up from autumnal cleaning and organizing, such as old newspapers, pipe cleaners and shoelaces.

PepsiCo Recycling, the nationwide initiative on a mission to increase the U.S. beverage container recycling rate, has created a series of Do-It-Yourself crafts you can do at home or in school.

DIY Basketball Hoop Recycling Bin

Project materials: colorful tape, ruler, 40” shoelaces or string, pen or marker, 2 3” pieces of hook and loop fastener, old mesh (basketball) jersey, wire hanger, binder clips, pliers, scissors

Instructions:

1. Bend the hanger into a circle. This will be the rim.
2. Using pliers, bend the hook up 90 degrees.
3. Draw and cut a 20 x 13 inch rectangle from the cardboard. This will be the backboard. You can customize your backboard by cutting rounded corners!
4. Cut a 35 x 12 inch rectangle from the jersey. This will be the net.
5. Fold 1 inch of the jersey over the rim. Use binder clips to hold the jersey in place.
6. Starting at the hanger’s hook, thread the shoelace through the jersey from the outside. Tie a knot at the back end.
7. Wrap the shoelace over and over the hanger and reinsert 1 inch from your last hold to make a stitch. Tip: Be sure to tighten the laces and keep your spacing consistent.
8. Stitch all the way around, then tie the two ends of the laces to pull the jersey together.
9. Stitch up the back of the jersey using another shoelace and tie it off to the hook.
10. Using colorful tape, make a square in the bottom middle of your blackboard.
11. Add a recycling symbol to your blackboard to help your friends score one for your team. Download the stencil here [LINK].
12. Tape the hanger hook to the back of the backboard.
13. Attach the hook and loop pieces to the back of your backboard near the top and bottom.
14. Remove the hook and loop backing and press onto the wall a few feet above your recycling bin.
15. Help score for the planet. Make recycling part of your day!

DIY Recycling Corn Hole

Supplies needed: Two open-top recycling bins, cardboard, colorful duct tape, yard-stick, cutting mat, craft knife or scissors, pencil, ruler

Instructions:

1. Measure the opening of your recycling bin. You’ll need a bin that is at least 11” wide.
2. Cut a rectangle out of cardboard that is 5” wide and 1” longer than the length of your bin. Make sure to get an adult’s help when using the craft knife!
3. Cut this rectangle diagonally, so that you have two right triangles. These are the side walls of your lid.
4. Measure the long side of your triangles. This is the length of your lid.
5. Now that you have the length of your lid, cut a rectangle out of cardboard.
6. Your lid should be 1” less than the width of your bin. This is your lid.
7. Draw a 9” x 3.5” rectangle about three-quarters of the way to the top of your lid. Or, you can download our template here [link]. Cut out the rectangle.
8. Cut a rectangle out of cardboard that is 5” wide and 1” shorter than the width of your bin. This is the back wall of your lid.
9. Line up the side walls and the back wall of your lid on their short sides and tape them at the seams.
10. Fold the two sides in and tape the back face of your lid to these three walls.
11. Tape the back of your finished corn hole lid to your recycling bin. To play against someone else, make a second lid with a different color!
12. Use colorful tape to decorate and protect the edges of your lid. Now start scoring one for the planet!

DIY Eco Pledge Flower – Make your pledge to the planet with this beautiful do-it-yourself upcycled flower and help the world blossom.

Supplies needed: Clean plastic bottle, push pin, scissors, acrylic paint and brush, craft glue, pipe cleaner, paper straw, thin cardboard, pen or pencil, hole punch, paint markers

Instructions:

1. Remove the cap from bottle, set it aside.
2. Squeeze your bottle flat and use scissors to cut it in half. Cut closer to the bottom for longer petals. Cut closer to the bottom for longer petals. Tip: Save the bottom to hold your paint later.
3. Cut 5 Cut 5 -7 straight lines from the new 7 straight lines from the new opening to the mouth of bottle. Keep your cuts evenly around the opening. Tip: The more cuts you make the more flower petals you’ll have.
4. Bend the petals outward and crease them near the mouth of bottle. It’s already beginning to look like a flower!
5. Carefully shape each flower petal with your scissors. Tip: Take a walk outside to get inspiration.
6. Place the flower on the table with the mouth of the bottle facing up and paint the petals your favorite colors. Tip: Use water-based paint markets on the tops of the petals to get an extra layer of detail.
7. Once the paint has dried, brush over it with craft glue to protect your petals.
8. Find the middle of a pipe cleaner and wrap it around the mouth of the bottle, keeping your tails even. Put the bottle cap back on tightly and put your flower aside.
9. Cut a strip of cardboard that’s at least 1.5 inches wide and about 12 inches long.
10. Cut frills along the long edge of the cardboard and tightly roll it up. Make sure any coloring is facing inward.
11. Glue the rolled cardboard to the center of your flower with the frills facing outward. Bend the frills outward to reveal the color on the inside.
12. Draw and cut out a large leaf from cardboard. Make sure the stem of the leaf is at least half an inch wide.
13. Paint your leaf and wait for it to dry. Once dry, write your eco-pledge onto the leaf.
14. Use your hole punch to put a hole in the stem of your leaf. Take one tail of your pipe cleaner and tie it through the same hole to create a daisy chain.
15. Take your daisy chain and use the two tails to string it over a whiteboard, door frame, or across your ceiling to remind you to do your part for the planet every day.

DIY Rolled Up Recycling Bin – Roll out great recycling habits with this Rolled Up Recycling Bin!

Supplies needed: Old newspapers, glue stick, duct tape, 5 gallon bucket, cardboard, scissors, ruler, hot glue, markers, spray paint

Instructions:

1. Roll newspaper into tubes and secure the edges with a glue stick. The length of your tubes will be the height of your bin. Tip: Wrap paper around markets to make rolling easier.
2. Lay out two long strips of duct tape and line up tubes across the tape. You’ll need enough tubes to go all around your bucket. (We needed about 60).
3. Mark and cut the tops of the tubes so that they’re all the same length.
4. Wrap your tubes around the bucket and tape the two ends together from the inside.
5. Remove the bucket and, using the widest end, trace a circle onto a piece of card board. Cut the circle out.
6. Trace and cut another circle out from cardboard about one inch larger in diameter than the first. Tip: To draw the bigger circle, make a compass out of a market and a piece of string.
7. Place the smaller circle inside the tubes and tape it to the inside of the bin.
8. Spread hot glue around the edge and middle of the larger circle and center the bin on top. Tip: You may need to reinforce this with hot glue on the inside of the bin.
9. Decorate! Use spray paint and colorful duct tape to color the bin. Download our recycling symbol template to cut out of cardboard. Attach using tape.
10. Roll out great recycling habits with this Rolled Up Recycling Bin!

DIY Bottle Cap Bank – Aim high and level-up your recycling game! Let the jingle of recycling ring in your ears!

Supplies needed: Empty 2 liter bottles, permanent marker, clear packing tape, scissors, thumb tack, ruler, push pin, multi-surface craft paint and paint brush, small craft jingle bells (6-12 mm), cardboard, hole punch, string, pens and markers

Instructions:

1. Cut the bottom of the first two-liter bottle off where the bottle starts to curve. This will be the very top of the bank.
2. Cut a hole large enough to fit one bottle cap into the curved part of this bottle.
3. Out of cardboard, cut an oval that is 2.5” wide, 3” tall, and has a 1” x 2” rectangular tab on a long end of the oval. Or download the template in the description below. Bend the tab back so it creases.
4. Use the hole punch to create two holes near the bottom of the oval, and two holes along the crease. This is your backboard!
5. Decorate your backboard!
6. String the jingle bells between the two holes on the bottom of the circle.
7. Thread a 12 inch piece of string through the two holes in the tab of your backboard.
8. Put the backboard and strings inside the bottle from below. Pull the strings through the mouth.
9. Screw the cap back on over the string then cut off the extra string. Your backboard is now ready to rumble.
10. Press the tab against the inside wall of the bottle and tape it in place.
11. Cut the top of the second bottle off where it starts to curve. This will be the very bottom of the bank.
12. With the other bottle(s), cut the top and bottom off so it becomes a straight tube. This will be the middle of the bank.
13. Slide one bottle inside the other so the plastic overlaps by half an inch. Secure with clear packing tape.
14. Repeat until you have attached all your bottles to each other.
15. Decorate your collection tube with craft paint!
16. The higher you save caps, the more your bank will cheer you on!

DIY Juice Bottle Ukulele– Rock out on recycling!

Supplies needed: juice bottle, cup, permanent marker, push pin, scissors, 6 paper fasteners, 3 rubber bands, paint markers, pencil stub

Instructions:

1. Trace a cup onto the front of the beverage box.
2. Poke a hole in the center of the circle with a push pin.
3. Carefully insert your scissors and cut out the circle.
4. Poke 3 holes at both the top and bottom of the bottle.
5. Insert the paper fasteners through the holes and secure in place.
6. Cut open the rubber bands.
7. Double knot a rubber band around one paper fastener at the top.
8. Pull the rubber band tight and tie a double knot around the matching fastener at the bottom.
9. Repeat for the other 2 rubber bands. Trim any excess.
10. Decorate your ukulele with paint markers.
11. Insert the pencil stub.
12. Strum your way to paradise with this juicy project. Make recycling part of your day!

Looking for more fun projects and recycling resources? Sign your school up for PepsiCo Recycle Rally today! Recycle Rally is a free nationwide program that directly benefits K-12 schools and students by providing valuable incentives and resources to help make recycling easy, fun, and rewarding!