designbuzz.com

Neat upcycling projects that tune your green thumb

We are all thumbs up for the upcycling movement, which makes recycling look like a pathetic effort at best. After all, it is not just about doing the same thing over and over again, it should be about enhancing value and coming up with novel ways of reusing refuse. Anyhow, we give to you some of the best upcycling ideas that have caught our attention.

TerraCycleโ€™s head office:

TerraCycleโ€™s head office

In 2001, a company started in New Jersey, which was centered on compost. Since then TerraCycle has grown to be global but it has stayed true to its roots, with no greater testimony than companyโ€™s head office. Tiffany Threadgould, TerraCycleโ€™s head designer has upcycled everything from old film reels to recycled graffiti from walls outside. To give you just one instance of their ingenuity, the walls inside the office are created from old plastic bottles.

Bohemian Guitars:

Bohemian Guitars

Shelling out huge bucks for a musical instrument can be a drag on spirits. After all music is about creativity and artistic reflection. This is where Bohemian Guitars come in. Musical instruments get created out of old metal oil cans, and discarded rubber. Even old guitars contribute by donating parts. Conceptualized by Lee brothers from Johannesburg, these guitars contribute in yet another green way. A tree gets planted for each instrument sold.

Wine Barrel Hotel:

Wine Barrel Hotel

Hotel De Vrouwe van Stavoren in the Netherlands has come with a great idea to reuse the old wine barrels. With a 15000 liters capacity it would have been pretty difficult to find an alternate use for them. That is until four of these were converted into a series of cozy hotel rooms. Perhaps this may be start of a trend and more conversions of wine barrels may be in the offing.

The Great Crate:

The Great Crate

Last entry in this post is an upcycling project that takes care of that dreaded plastic. Plastic milk crates have found use as a mammoth container garden. Australiaโ€™s Art & About festival in Sydney is the setting for this exhibit which came about as a result of community participation. Seeds for planting were distributed in the neighborhood and people nurtured the plants at home before transferring them to the cratesโ€™ installed. After the event, the crates were given back to people who helped creating it.

Upcycling projects not only display uniqueness and creativity but also help in reducing the carbon footprints of the people involved and this, sustaining the environment.

Today's Top Articles:

Scroll to Top