MAKE YOUR OWN PHONE CHARGING HOLDER WITH REUSABLE ITEMS! - In Conjuction with EarthHour 2014

We are often reminded of the 4-R’s – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. These 4 habits if practiced regularly can go a long way towards keeping our environment healthy. Oftentimes though, we simply toss things into the trash without fully extending its lifespan. Among the many things that are disposed, empty plastic bottles rank high on the list.

Here’s an idea on how you can reuse an empty plastic soap dispenser and perhaps even make your home safer! We tend to leave our phones on the floor while charging it, but doing so means someone might  trip on the wires, potentially causing damage to the phone and charger, not to mention harm to the person. Children especially are susceptible to trip over wires that are spread out around the floor. 

The solution, a simple DIY with an empty plastic soap dispenser and you can have your very own phone charging holder which keeps the phone and wires off the floor! Here’s how it looks like:

This is just but one of many variations that you can design, depending on the shape and size of your plastic container. You can also decorate them in various ways, just be sure to keep away conductive or flammable items away from the power outlet. Want to make one? All you need is a clean plastic soap dispenser that’s washed and dry, a marker pen, a cutter (be careful using this!), and your creativity!

Step 1:
- Prepare the container by cleaning and drying it. Be sure the size of the container is big enough for your phone.

Step 2:
- Visualise the shape that you like and trace the outline of where you want to cut with a marker. Make a square at the back that is approximately the size of your power outlet.

Step 3:
- Once done, carefully cut out the unwanted pieces. You can use a file to soften the edges. Be careful as some plastics are rigid and may be hard to cut. Adults should be doing this.

Step 4:
- Decorate the container if you like using leftover materials like ribbons or just apply stickers. You can also label it using a permanent marker.

And voila! Your very own phone charging holder made out of used plastic containers. 

Other bottles that also work for this purpose are shampoo bottles, lotion bottles, softener bottles and detergent containers. Everything really depends on the size of your phone.  Just be sure to find a plastic container that’s sturdy enough – some plastic containers such as soda or water bottles may be too soft for this purpose.


So reuse and extend the lifespan of the items we have. This helps minimize waste and indirectly, we are contributing towards a greener planet. Better still, switch off the power mains when the phone is fully charged to avoid wasting unnecessary electricity, even though it’s minimal. A little bit goes a long way.

#earthhour

Posted by Ayu
Learning Specialist, Petrosains