As you sip water from a plastic container know that the plastic bottle can serve a secondary purpose after quenching your thirst.

Ever year more than 17 million barrels of oil are used to manufacture bottles for water, pop and other drinks in the U.S.

According to Ban the Bottle, Americans drank from 167 bottles last year, but only recycled 38 of them. Americans use 50 billion plastic bottles per year, but only 23 percent are recycled.

The danger of not recycling plastic bottles is they make their way into our landfills and waterways posing an environmental hazard when they start to break down and release harmful chemicals.

So what is the solution? The good news is PET bottles, which are primarily used for consumer drinks, are entirely recyclable. They are reused to make more plastic bottles and some artists made unique crafts.

Artists have found creative ways to turn plastic bottles into art.

Companies like Nestle, Naya Water, Eldorado Water and Naked Juice use PET bottles made entirely from recycled content. Coca-Cola and The Body Shop use recycled plastic in some of the packaging of its products.

The construction industry uses recycled plastic in manufacturing of damp proof membranes, drain pipes, ducts and flooring. Recycled plastic is also found in landscaping materials used in walkways, pontoons and bridges.

On a bigger scale plastic bottles and containers that are recycled can be turned into useful, purposeful products. Creative engineers have figured out clever ways to turn plastic bottles, bags and containers to make composite wood, clothing and furniture.

Here are seven reasons why you should recycle plastic.

Patagonia has been using recycled plastic material to make its fleeces since 1993. The plastic material is turned into polyester fibers, which are transformed into fleece.

Over the years the California company has experimented with its recycled materials and now uses the transformed trash when making base layers, shell jackets and board shorts.

EcoSpun has developed an earthy line of clothing that combines recycled plastic polyester fiber with wool, cotton and tencel.

The green company makes T-shirts, vests, jackets, pants and blankets.

Teeki has given recycled bottles a new purpose by developing an urban, sexy line of clothing.

Teeki has designed clothing for an active lifestyle. Its clothing is for yoga or a night dancing, going to the gym or surfing.

 Repreve is another firm making clothing with recycled plastic and mixes it with cotton. .

There are many purposes for recycled plastic material beyond clothing. Trex is probably one of the more well-known brands. Trex is created from plastic bags combined with recycled wood.

Trex is used to make decks, fences and outdoor furniture. The company goes beyond using recycled materials for its product. It also recycles its manufacturing runoff and refuse as well as its trailers are run on vegetable based oil.

One of the most fascinating and new uses for recycled plastic is the recent announcement that the Netherlands will be using the recycled product for roads.

While engineers are only in the planning stages, they are proposing using recycled plastic in road resurfacing instead of asphalt. There will be one of these environmentally-friendly roads in Rotterdam within the next three years. Researchers believe the road will last longer, require less maintenance and leave a smaller environmental footprint than oil based products used now.