In an effort to improve recycling, major soft drinks manufacturers could come together to standardise the cap size of their 500ml bottles and add three threaded cap-sized indents to each bottle.

Each tree would start with a single bottle, screwed into a weighted base (widely available from drinks outlets). From there, empty bottles could be screwed into the indents in the original bottle, creating endless new 'branches' and an office sculpture.

Eventually a "bottle tree surgeon" would come round to recycle the bottle tree, and the process would start again.

Five or so bottle designs would help randomise the tree structure (maybe the different brands could have slightly different indent positions).

For students and educational establishments, there could be a molecular structure version.
-- Fishrat, Jul 14 2005

Bottle tree http://www.cellar-h...Washing%20Equipment
[normzone, Jul 14 2005]

Traffic Light Sculpture http://www.artofthe..._Traffic_Lights.htm
Reminded me of this for some reason, which I also like. [wagster, Jul 14 2005]

Holly Hill's Bottle Tree http://www.hollyhil...lilies.com/art.html
A vision in blue glass. [jurist, Jul 14 2005, last modified Jul 15 2005]

My Kind of Bottle Tree http://www.clearcre...om/Pearinbottle.htm
Lovely pear Eau de Vie. [jurist, Jul 14 2005, last modified Sep 24 2005]

I Like it!....[+]
-- Minimal, Jul 14 2005


me too.
-- po, Jul 14 2005


If the bottles could be connected in quite a tight triangular mesh, then very tall towers could be built....
-- Minimal, Jul 14 2005


Interesting. +
-- sartep, Jul 14 2005


I smell bum art! [+]
-- daseva, Jul 14 2005


lovely +
-- jonthegeologist, Jul 14 2005


Include 2l bottles as well!!!
-- Minimal, Jul 14 2005


Different colored glass, I hope. What the hell, even clear, glass bottle trees would be remarkable.
-- blissmiss, Jul 14 2005


Homebrewers have been using bottle trees for some time now [link]
-- normzone, Jul 14 2005


I like the concept, however I don't think that current PET extrusion manufacturing methods could accomplish this. You'd need to develop another method.
-- waugsqueke, Jul 14 2005


this gave me an idea. when i read the title i thought that it meant a tree in a bottle. Mabye a bonsai tree in a small bottle to keep on a desk. or mabye a flower in a bottle.
-- Shades244, Jul 15 2005


Shades244, I have a large test tube with a living fir sapling in it I got from a forestry company I worked fir.
-- Giblet, Jul 15 2005


I guess it would depend on where you wanted the threads to appear on the bottles. I can't see them being possible anywhere except maybe the bottom.
-- waugsqueke, Jul 15 2005


You invented "bottle bamboo", waugs.
-- Fishrat, Jul 15 2005



random, halfbakery