Pocket-sized contraption turns bottles into tough rope

French environmentalists

Pavel and Ian (surnames apparently unnecessary) think there’s a better way to do things. Instead of sending plastic bottles off to a recycling plant, why not figure out a way to ‘upcycle’ them and make something useful?

In an effort to encourage upcycling, the duo have created a brilliant pocket- sized bottle cutter that can turn any plastic bottle into a very strong, versatile rope. Aptlycalled the “plastic bottle cutter,” this simple device, made out of a wooden handle, razor blade, and a cutting guide, can turn any type of plastic bottle into a long, thin strand of plastic, which turns out to be flexible enough to be used as a rope. To use the device, the bottom portion of the bottle must be cut off. Users will then insert the bottle into the slot and the tool will slice the rest of the bottle into the thin strand.

The long, thin strand of plastic can be used for just about anything – car towing, DIY arts and crafts, securing a torn hammock, and possibly surviving the end of the world. How sturdy is the rope? “For its thickness, it is very strong, only one bottle can be used to pull a car out of the ditch! It all depends on the bottle, but the tape of the ordinary Coca- Cola with a width of 4 mm can withstand a load of seven kg,” says the contraption’s website. For one of the tests, the plastic rope was left under the sun for about two years and it is still able to carry the load of soda. Available from June, cost will be around NZ $32.