With climate change effects and recycling quickly becoming embedded into public consciousness, more individuals and businesses are turning waste into everyday usable products. In fact, there are companies that offer total waste management solutions to businesses that need help managing their wastes.
Others use creativity and resourcefulness to turn waste into usable products that buyers love. So, the next time you ask yourself “What if I decided to scrap and sell my car?”, remember that one’s man’s trash can truly be another man’s treasure.
Here are some of the products that were made (partially or fully) from things other people have thrown away:
A fleece jacket
A company called Patagonia crafts fleece jackets made from discarded plastic soda bottles. Their Nano Puff model, in fact, is made using 100% recycled polyester shell. The company is so into the whole recycling idea that they actually launched the Worn Wear program, through which used Patagonia gear can be traded in for purchase credits at Patagonia stores. Now, that’s what you call brilliant marketing with an eco-friendly twist.
Decorative bowls
A company called Vinylux had the great idea of turning discarded and old vinyl records into stylish bowls that can be used to decorate homes and offices. What’s more, the scrap materials from the manufacturing process are re-recycled into new vinyl records. It’s music to any nature lover’s ears.
Products from recycled PET bottles
Officially designated as plastic #1, soda or PET bottles can be recycled into carpets, backpacks, sleeping bags, and fleece jackets. Given just how many PET bottles are consumed and discarded at any given day, recycling them into these products is a good step.
Products from old newspapers
Today’s news can be tomorrow’s dinner plate. Wait, what? It’s just so much fun knowing that old newspapers can be turned into a lot of things, such as paper plates, kitty litter, egg cartons, and many others.
Paper can be recycled repeatedly into a wide array of useful everyday products. This makes them among the most versatile recyclable materials that we have.
Miles and miles of roads
As it turns out, a lot of asphalt makers have been extensively using roofing shingles that have been dumped by their previous owners. Given that asphalt is a highly popular paving material for roads, driveways, and parking lots, we should probably thank our neighbors who renovate and remodel their roofing every year or so.
This gift from the ocean
Parley for the Oceans is known for teaming up with companies to create products made from reclaimed ocean plastic items. This glass bottle features a sleeve that is made from plastic bottles that were finely ground and recycled into what can be called ocean fabric.
Some stylish shoes
Parley loves doing collaborations with established brands to upcycle ocean plastics. Case in point: the AdidasX Parleyline of sneakers. Parley shoes are not only truly nature-friendly but highly comfortable and stylish as well. In fact, Adidas intends to create all of its shoes from 100% recycled plastic come 2020.
These awesome everyday products just show that when we’re determined to do so, we can easily reduce our carbon footprints and help conserve nature simply by recycling things.
Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash