Amazing ways to make an art of waste

Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash

Sending ton after ton of rubbish to landfill for decades or even centuries before it biodegrades is a bad idea from any perspective. Fortunately, in recent years, we have got a little wiser with our waste. Recycling is on the up, but that doesn’t just mean putting your cans and paper in the right coloured container. Here are some unusual ways that those with some imagination can recycle their rubbish – by turning it into art.

The art of trash
It’s not unusual for great (or at least expensive) works of art to be rubbish. But you do not have to be “out there” to the extent of Tracey Emin to make art from waste. There are some truly outstanding pieces that can be appreciated by anyone and have been created from real waste found in landfill or rubbish bins.

One such example is the work of Jason Klimoski. He created a huge installation called “Head in the Clouds,” made from more than 55 thousand empty plastic bottles. Another famous American artist, Lisa Hoke, collects waste from well-known brands and uses it to construct unusual installations that have been hosted by the biggest galleries in the world.

Or art from trash
3D Systems has developed one of the most unusual and promising 3D printers in the world. The Ekocycle Cube uses empty plastic bottles as a printing medium. Sadly, the technology doesn’t allow you to simply insert your old bottles into the printer – that really would be spectacular. It needs special cartridges that are partly comprised of plastic bottles.

Right now, recycled plastic makes up only a quarter of the cartridges, but this will significantly increase in future. Coca Cola Corporation, who is a partner in the Ekocycle Cube project, sees this initiative as a way to increase its environmental contribution to society.

Of course, it will be a few years before we can create our own works of art using this technology. But that doesn’t stop us from using our standard printers to create works of art from paper that would otherwise end up in the recycling. Make it even more eco friendly by using an energy efficient printer and cartridges like these canon ink 540 541 that are long-lasting and can, themselves, be recycled.

Garbage clothes
The world has truly talented people who create masterpieces of modern fashion literally out of the real rubbish. A good example is the ONE: Outfits from a New Era junk collection, created collectively by fashion designers from Montreal. It consists of a couple of dozens of amazingly beautiful dresses, which were sewn from the most seemingly unsuitable materials.

For example, one dress is made from black plastic bags, another from used gun barrels and a third consists of the remains of a car. It has to be seen to be believed, but this is not just “art for art’s sake.” These dresses can be worn, and are just the thing for making an impression at a celebrity night out – so keep an eye on the fashion magazines to see who is making the biggest environmental statement on the red carpet!

Disclosure – this is a collaborative post