How to recycle a plastic bottle into a lamp

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Which plastic bottle to convert into a lamp?

You can indeed convert any plastic bottle, but the ones initially used for chocolate or bonbons can be better reused as a table lamp for several reasons:
  • Being made of plastic material, it is easier to work with than glass.
  • The stickers peel out easily.
  • Their bottom opens meaning you can consider any type of filling material.​

How to make a table lamp out of a plastic bottle

You need the following to build your plastic bottle lamp:
  • A table lamp flat cable pre-fitted with a switch, that can be found at any diy stand of a supermarket for $3
  • A E14 or B22 lamp holder. Do not use an E27 lamp holder since you can only fit large shades on the latter which will result in a disproportionate lamp.
  • Two plastic lamp holder nuts (middle)
  • A 9.5 mm HSS drill bit for metals 
Be careful when drilling the bottle since the plastic is so thin and brittle.
Drill first with a 4 mm bit then enlarge the hole till 9.5 mm. Still the hole would not be necessarily perfectly round but it will be hidden later on.
Fit a washer on the lamp holder nut and use a screwdriver to push it through the hole you made in the bottle.
Fix the lamp holder by rotating it like a screw. 
Tighten well but not too strong to avoid breaking the bottle's head.
Fit the second nut into the electric cable as shown as it will be used later.
Let the cable pass through the lamp holder base and connect the wires. 
The electrical works on the bottle table lamp are now complete.
Now chose your filler for decoration and for providing the necessary weight to make the lamp steady, pebbles in this case.
The bottle is turned upside down and the smallest pebbles used first while the cable is maintained centered and vertical.
This is to make sure the bottle neck gets filled completely and that the cable will remain in the middle not to be visible once the filling is complete.
Little by little larger pebbles are used to fill the bottle table lamp. The cable should be maintained in the center.
Finally the second nut is moved into the hole to avoid that the sharp plastic edges damage the cable insulation.
A few drops of super glue will secure the bottom in its place.
And that's it. It's a 15 minutes job !
And here is the final result: an elegant pebble table lamp on which you can fit the lampshade of your choice.

Using readily available bottle lamp kits

If you have no patience to work with small accessories for converting your bottle into a lamp, or simply want to immediately make a glass bottle lamp without drilling it, or even convert your empty bottle to a torch...you may buy your readily available kit from our partners' stores:
Wireless and rechargeable bottle lamp kit converter:
Kit for converting wine bottles into lamps:
Crystal bottle lamp kits for whiskey bottles:
Converting a glass bottle into a torch light:

See also how to make a table lamp out of a glass bottle without drilling

and buy other wine or liquor bottle light heads from our partners' stores: