Earth Day Recycling Challenge

With the current celebration of Earth Day you’ve had plenty of time to appreciate your natural environment.

You’ve taken part in and read all to . Today we want to offer the readers of Patch and the supporters of Sustainable Long Island a recycling challenge; a sustainable assignment that will test your “green” imagination.

Sustainable Long Island challenges you to take any item that was destined to be recycled, whether it’s from home, work, or a friend’s house, and turn it into a product you can reuse in a bunch of new ways.

Hundreds of extraordinary reusable projects over the years have originated when commonly recycled objects were turned into unique appliances, imaginative clothing, and beautiful artwork. It can start with a teenager in his backyard looking for change, a college student in his class brainstorming new ideas, or even you today embracing this exciting task.

One example, in 2008, was a team of students from Appalachian State University who created a bicycle out of recycled plastic bottles; winning an award from Google along the way. Not only did the project reuse waste, the students reduced their usage of cars; lessening extra pollution and added fuel-use.

Similar projects have inspired thousands to take the challenge and see what they can generate. Recyleart.org is an online community of people who use their sustainability creativity to craft and share products they have reused and recycled into newer items. Some of the more unique ideas include a toy box made out of an old tire, a colorful lamp shade made out plastic straws, and a chair made out of used cassette tapes.

Then there are companies such as HIMANE Upcycled designs. In 2004, a young woman decided to create a water resistant bag to protect her work patterns on rainy days with old umbrella fabric. She began to look at discarded clothes and other general waste items and turned them into imaginative fashion designs. 

So are you up for this challenge? Do you think you have what it takes to rethink, rebuild, and renew old items into innovate art, gadgets, devices, or designs? It’s time for you to reduce, reuse, and recycle all that waste into something truly inspirational. Use one of these five household items and see what you can come up with:

• Condiment jars or containers (ketchup bottle, mayonnaise jug, etc,)
• Empty egg cartons
• Coffee filters or milk cartons
• Old, used wine corks or soda caps
• Used toothpaste tubes or better yet, an actual toothbrush