Recycling Trash into Christmas Trees

The image of a Christmas tree made from plastic bottles by the Marines in Iraq three years ago still stays with me. The Marines stacked plastic bottles in a tree shape and added lights for a beautiful tree. 

Cpl. Cullen J. Tiernan took the photo of Staff Sgt. William Lee, the utilities chief with Marine Tactical Air Command Squadron 28, standing next to the plastic bottle Christmas tree the Marines of MTACS-28 built at Al Asad, Iraq, on Dec. 16, 2005.

I was awed that they could take the time during war to build such a beautiful tree from plastic bottles.

I saw a video today which included a tree decorated with stars made from aluminum cans. The tops were removed from the cans and the sides were cut to make rays from the bottom of the can. These were used in an outside display.

If you have collected lots of beverage cans, stack them into a tree shape. I did this once when I was young just to decorate my sparse apartment. It was my attempt at early trash art, but I could have used it as a Christmas tree.