Recycling, Reusing, and Creating Art
Art can be done in various mediums and it allows artists to express themselves through their creations. Sculpting, sewing, patchwork are all types of arts and crafts. If you have tried these art forms before then you most likely bought materials from a craft store. However, you can reuse materials around your house to make these artistic creations.
Plastic waste is a prominent problem in the United States and according to the National Geographic 79% of plastic waste is amassed in landfills or in the environment globally. It is anticipated that there will be an increase in plastic pollution in future years. About 84% of clothing in the United States is amassed in landfills. Materials like plastics, papers, and fabrics can be used to create art instead of being collected as waste. There are many different arts and crafts that you can complete using recycled or reused materials. Sculptures can be created with plastic bottles, bottle caps, wood, and paper. You can use any type of material that you would normally throw out like egg or milk cartons to create your own sculptures. You can use paper from newspapers, magazines, and old notebooks to create collages or scrapbooks. They can also be used to create origami crafts or decor for your bedroom walls. Painting glass bottles and jars is not only a fun summer activity to adorn your home but it’s also an attempt to prevent this waste from entering landfills. Fabrics like old t- shirts, jeans, blankets, and bedsheets can all be reused to create different crafts.
These materials can be used in making quilts or even making new items of clothing to wear. Instead of throwing away old pieces of clothing, you can try to find ways to improve them or turn them into something useful. Try making a new bag out of the waste fabric from t-shirts and jeans or maybe modify a pair of jeans by painting on them. Remember that you’re not limited to these crafts, art is used to express the creator so you can choose any piece of waste in your creations. Before you throw out these materials in your house try to think of how they can come into use. The effort to reuse and recycle items from your daily life in order to create something new and beautiful is also an effort to help the environment.
Bibliography:
● National Geographic Society. (2019, July 1). A whopping 91 percent of plastic isn't
recycled. National Geographic Society.
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/whopping-91-percent-plastic-isnt-recycled.
● Brown, R. (n.d.). The environmental crisis caused by TEXTILE WASTE. RoadRunner
Recycling. https://www.roadrunnerwm.com/blog/textile-waste-environmental-crisis.
● Corporativa, I. (n.d.). Upcycled art, when waste becomes art. Iberdrola.
https://www.iberdrola.com/culture/recycled-art.
● Berry, B. (2020, November 17). Making quilts out of recycled clothes. Home Guides | SF
Gate. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/making-quilts-out-recycled-clothes-79100.html.
● 22 creative DIY BOTTLE painting ideas that are Pure upcycling fun. Homebnc. (2021,
June 10). https://homebnc.com/best-diy-bottle-painting-ideas-designs-art-decor/.