This Ingenious Kit Allows You to Turn Used Bottles Into New Soap Dispensers

A million plastic bottles are produced every minute—the overwhelming majority of which aren't recycled. A new product raising money on Kickstarter finds a use for old bottles destined for the trash while simultaneously satisfying a need for new ones. Meet the Unicow.

The Unicow is a kit that allows anyone to upcycle a used bottle into a liquid soap dispenser. A suction cup and strap secure the bottle to the wall above your sink (or wherever you choose to place it) and a soft, squeezable pump makes it easy to squirt the soap into your hands or onto a sponge. It works with plastics, like old soap dispensers, water bottles, and soda bottles, as well as glass containers. Even heavier items like glass wine and liquor bottles are compatible with the system.

Unicow not only repurposes old bottles, but it can also be a sustainable replacement for single-use soap dispensers. According to the project's crowdfunding page, the Coca-Cola company makes enough plastic bottles in a single day to replace all the soap dispensers in the U.S.

After launching a campaign on Kickstarter on November 7, Unicow has raised a little over $700 of its $14,784 goal. You can contribute to the effort and reserve a kit of your own by pledging $20 before December 7.

But limiting plastic waste shouldn't stop with the Unicow soap dispenser. Companies like Method and Puracy offer soap refill pouches—so you don't need to buy a new bottle each time you run out—that help reduce plastic, water, and energy waste.