Hot water bottles
Did you know you can recycle your hot water bottles?
When the weather gets colder and the cost of heating our homes is becoming more expensive. We all look for alternatives to keep the chill at bay, and hot water bottles have been a popular choice over many years.
But did you know that hot water bottles have a shelf life of 3 years? As the rubber may perish, they could become unsafe to use. The manufacture date can be found on the neck of the bottle. There will be a daisy shaped symbol showing a number, this indicates the year in which the hot water bottle was made, and the number of petals specifies what month.
If you no longer want your hot water bottle or feel it isn't safe to use, they can be recycled! Rubber is easily recycled, and all you need to do is remove the brass screw that helps forms the stopper and place it in the metal recycling, then find your nearest collection for the rubber bottle. This might be included in your household recycling collections or you may have to find your nearest recycling centre. Rubber is a valuable product, which is getting more expensive to produce, but if it is recycled it can be transformed into many items. Such as, playmats, rubber flooring, plumbing fitting and tyres.
Reuse ideas for unwanted hot water bottles
You could also reuse the hot water bottle and turn it into something else you might need, here are a few examples:
- Cut your hot water bottle into squares and use them as jam jar openers or as non-slip mats for your plant pots
- Cut up you hot water bottle into smaller strips and place them at the bottom of your plants pots for drainage
- Fill your hot water bottle with material such as re-used foam chips and create a kneeler for your gardening
PLEASE DO NOT burn your unwanted hot water bottles in your fire. When burned they can produce very harmful gasses.
