One's Trash is Another's Treasure 
One’s Trash is Another’s Treasure
Designers, artists, and
creative businesspeople are making beautiful things out of trash.
Artists have used recycled materials in their artwork since the early
20th century – Picasso, Braque & Gris built priceless collages out
of newsprint, labels, and other found materials. Here in Santa Barbara
local artist Rafael Perea de la Cabada exhibits pieces that incorporate
recycled and found materials in many of his compositions.
In
Mexico colorful tinware is made from old cans and hubcaps. In Morocco
steel-rimmed tires are fashioned into elegant water urns. Stripped out
multicolored telephone cable wire is woven into baskets in South
Africa. In Columbia craftsmen weave recycled plastic into baskets in a
traditional style, while in Indonesia these same plastics are used to
create children’s furniture.
We have a long history of recycling
materials in the U.S. as well. Decades ago a practical and instructive
practice was to paste newsprint on walls for wallpaper. Children
learned to read as a new decorative style was introduced. Today
contemporary designers coat floor surfaces in newsprint with clear
varnish to complement an industrial style. Recycled glass is appearing
in architectural tile and custom slabs for table and countertops. Teak
and barnboards are salvaged from buildings and deconstruction sites to
be used again in furniture and flooring. Yogurt and milk containers are
becoming counters, industrial woodwaste pulp is transformed into floor
tiles in a variety of colors. Salvaged doors, shutters, windows,
architectural metalwork and trim become focal points for new
construction projects even though it their second time around.
Landfills
are filling up, toxic runoff from construction and landscape practice
is running into the oceans, and incinerators are spewing noxious
gasses. While recycling materials for re-use in our homes and
workspaces is not a new phenomenon, it is definitely more popular as we
recognize the crucial need to be more environmentally responsible. It
is necessary, creative, economical, and smart to choose to re-use.
Source: http://www1.livingreen.com/blogs/green-articles/135652-b-recycling-b-ones-tra...
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