One of the greatest frustrations I’ve had for years is how difficult it is to buy food and online items w/o getting a ton of plastic containers, wraps, bags, and packing material. With the recent uptick in Amazon deliveries the bubble wrap packaging has truly proliferated.
Online stories abound with photos of birds and marine wildlife choking on, ingesting and dying from suffocation from plastics entering the waterways. Microplastics are getting into the digestive tracts of every living being on Earth, including humans.
Many recycling locations have stopped accepting plastic items which leaves us with a pile of ‘stuff’ in the middle of the garage that has no where to go; I don’t have the heart to put it in the garbage. My hope is, within our lifetime there will be technology in place to deal with this nasty mess humans have made.
In the interim we must find and act on ways to upcycle these plastics and keep them useful. A little internet search revealed a number of creatives out there doing just that. Take a look at the links below and see if they spark you into action. If nothing else, please try to find produce not sold in plastic, talk with your grocer about non-plastic options, and write manufacturers urging them to consider earth-friendly packaging options. Let’s do this!
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Lots of creative ideas on Pinterest
https://za.pinterest.com/plasticssa/upcycling-plastics/
Kids in Colorado Recycle Plastic Bags into Mats for the Homeless
https://www.greenmatters.com/news/2019/01/23/6BWNiwH-a/plastic-bags-homeless-mats
Crochet Artists: Make Waterproof sleeping Mats!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/140033869643325176/
Turn Plastic Bags into Drinking Coasters
https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/plastic-bag-drinking-coasters
Make Lanterns! This One Even Looks Like An “Ode to the Corona Virus!” https://inhabitat.com/sarah-turners-repurposed-plastic-bottle-lamps-illuminate-the-beauty-of-upcycled-materials/
Make a Decent Looking Trash Can Out of Plastic Bags
https://diyjoy.com/diy-trash-can-plastic-bags/
Create Pretty Little Trees
https://feltmagnet.com/crafts/best-plastic-bottle-crafts
Did you find some other creative ideas for up cycling plastics? Please share in the “comments” section below. Love to hear your ideas!
Regina Chante 