Upcycling and the

Eco-Arts in the
st
21 century

Eric Tomczak
Replantea Press 2015

This book is dedicated to my wonderful partner, Claudia

Gabriela Gonzalez Davila for introducing me to the art of
upcycling and continuing to inspire me to create new things.

Introduction
Objectives
Materials, Rates of Degradation, Environmental Impacts
Aluminum
Plastics
Paper
Glass
Hazardous Materials
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
What is Upcycling? The Eco-Arts?
Materials, Tools, & Safety
Easy Upcycling Ideas
Metals
Plastics
Paper
Bigger Ideas
References

Introduction
There exists a problem we face today as humans beings on planet Earth: Too much pollution from
disposable products. Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that
causes adverse change. Disposable products are those which will not degrade naturally and are
designed for a single use. The consumption of disposable and inorganic materials leaves behind solid
waste, which must accumulate somewhere- our homes and landfills. Every major ocean now has at
least one giant, floating garbage patch of plastic debris which oceanic currents have carried from land.
Adding to the problem is the growing human population on Earth- which is estimated at over 7 billion.
All of us require water, food, and shelter to survive. In this example of overconsumption more natural
resources are extracted from the Earth than can safely be replaced to maintain healthy ecological
systems.
Technological advances in the past 200 years have allowed for huge economic growth and development
across the planet we truly live in a mechanized world, and one result of this has been more disposable
goods produced. The convenience of using metal, plastic, glass, and paper materials in practically all
aspects of the human life have led to their ubiquitous use in the 21st century. The use of locally
available and biodegradable natural resources (earth, stone, wood, etc) for fuel, food, and
construction prior to the modern age has been replaced by synthetically produced, inorganic materials.
For example, instead of reusable cloth bags it is now commonplace in practically every country to use
plastic bags and Styrofoam to bring home produce from the market. What is commonly not accounted
for in the low price of disposable products is their ecological price- how much energy was required and
resources needed to produce it.
Ecological footprint is a calculation of how many planets would be required to sustain humanitys rate of
resource consumption. In 2007, it was calculated that as a whole the entire population of the planet
had an ecological footprint of 1.5 planets, meaning at that rate it will take one and a half planets to
meet the demands of the current population. Western developed nations consume much more
resources on average than those nations still developing. Factors are consumption of energy, food,
forests, and freshwater among others. By keeping in mind your ecological footprint while making
decisions as a consumer and what industries you support with your resources (time and money), you
realize a very simple, yet powerful action for creating a cleaner and healthier planet Earth. [1]

Objectives
Our intention with this guide is to examine our collective consumption of disposable products and their
impacts on the environment, and to offer simple examples of how to upcycle wastes into valuable
resources. What we want is to support healthy systems in our relationships, in our homes,
communities, and planet Earth (our external environment), and at the same time support the health of
the natural systems of our bodies and minds (our internal environment). We recognize that clean air
and water are absolutely essential to our everyday experience and wellbeing, and that these precious

resources are threatened. Therefore supporting healthy ecological systems is a primary principle
guiding the creation of this book.

Common Materials and Environmental Impacts

Aluminum
Aluminum is a very useful metal due to its
lightweight, strength, and recyclability. Beverage
can production worldwide has been estimated at
over 450 billion annually. Aluminum mining is
very toxic to the environment, often causing
severe habitat loss. Aluminum is however
exceptional in its recyclability. Cans made from
recycled or post-consumer materials require up
to 95% less energy to produce than one made
from virgin aluminum. [2] In the United States it
is estimated that 54% of aluminum beverage cans
are recycled, leaving over 40 billion cans ($900 million worth!) in landfills every year. [3]

Plastics, Plastics, Everywhere

Plastics are malleable materials made of synthetic or semisynthetic organic solids, most often sourced from
petroleum. A relatively new phenomenon, industrial plastic
production began in the 1940s. The low cost of
manufacturing plastics, along with its adaptability for
packaging has led to the current state of its global ubiquity
in the 21st century. Instead of breaking down over time by
biological forces, (biodegradation), plastics photodegrade,
with solar radiation slowly breaking the chemical bonds
creating smaller and smaller fragments of plastic. There are
many different types of plastics, and rates of degradation
vary, but generally plastic bags take from 20 - 1000 years to fully degrade. Plastic bag production
worldwide has been estimated at over 1 trillion, annually. (The average USA consumer uses more than
300 annually!) Plastics are also recyclable, and many materials can now be recycled after consumption,
creating post-consumer plastics. Unfortunately, most plastics never arrive to be recycled, and currently
it is estimated that less than 1% of plastic bags are recycled worldwide. In conventional economic
theory, the price of using recycled plastic versus just producing new plastic is just not profitable.

Although plastic pollution on land is certainly

more visible, the accumulation of plastics in the
worlds oceans is an ecological threat much
greater. The oceans act as giant recyclers for
planet Earths resources (>70% of the planets
surface area is covered by ocean!), and the
phenomena of persistent plastics in our ocean
waters is an increasing example of human waste
and environmental pollution. In the 21st century
more than 80% of pollution in the ocean is
plastic (plastic bags, packaging, fishing nets,
plastic bottles, etc). A recent study estimated
260 million tons of plastic are currently floating
in the worlds oceans, made up of more than
5.35 trillion individual pieces. [4] The buoyancy and durability of plastics cause them to become evenly
distributed across every major ocean as they photodegrade into smaller particles. The same study
found small plankton sized plastics (<2.5 mm) to be ubiquitous in plankton samples in the Eastern
Pacific, even at times even outnumbering plankton.
Many classes of known carcinogens are released into the environment in the manufacture of plastics.
Toxic chemicals in plastics can also be transmitted directly to us through close contact with our bodies,
food, and water. For example Phthalates are chemicals used in many plastics to make them flexible,
which easily leach out, and have been associated with many serious effects on human health such as
male infertility, asthma, and cancer. The longer term health impacts related to constant exposure to
plastics, as well as the ecological impacts of plastics in terrestrial food chains are still largely unknown.

Paper
The environmental impact of paper production is also significant. Trees must be harvested from the
forest and then processed at a mill to create pulp from which paper is then made. The Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimated in 2005 that 13 million hectares of forest are
cleared for human consumption annually, of which 6 million are primary forest. This number is
increasing and likely much higher today. In the United States studies approximate 54 million trees are
cut each year for toilet paper production alone. Often forests are cleared and replanted as timber
plantations, often of a single species, which is a tremendous habitat change from a productive,
biodiverse forest. This entire process causes substantial air, water, and soil pollution, and destroys
habitat for wildlife. The pulp and paper industry alone accounts for 4% of worldwide energy use. In the
US, paper products account for 40% of all landfill waste, the vast majority of which is recyclable. [5]
Paper products generally degrade more quickly than plastics, but still may take several years to
decompose. Fortunately, paper can be recycled, and paper produced from recycled sources has a much
lower environmental impact than that derived from virgin pulp. The manufacture of recycled paper
products requires 40% less energy than it does to create paper from virgin pulp. The amount of paper

products from recycled material varies across the globe, in North America it is only 20%, while it is 36%
in Europe, and 67% in Latin America.

Glass
Glass is another very commonly used material in the 21st century. Glass is extraordinary in that it is
100% recyclable, and can be recycled endlessly without loss of purity or quality. To make glass raw
natural materials such as sand, limestone, and ash are heated together and molded to create specific
forms. Recycled glass can be used to substitute for 95% of the raw materials needed in glass
production. [6] This means that every time you recycle a glass container it cancels out the need for
additional raw materials to be used to make the next glass container! The recycling rates of glass vary,
and there exists a grand opportunity to increase the amount of glass recyled, globally.

Hazardous Material! Keep It Out ...Of Your Trash

Hazardous wastes are a special class of wastes that pose a significant risk to the health of humans and
the environment. Historically hazardous wastes were discarded with normal household trash, which has
led to contaminated soils and groundwater. Hazardous wastes are those
which exhibit one or more of the following characteristics: ignitability,
corrosivity, reactivity, and/or toxicity, and may appear to be gaseous, liquid,
or solid. Included are common household chemicals, paints and solvents,
among others. Hazardous wastes should be disposed of properly, and this is
best done by waste management services.
Waste from electronic devices and hardware (e-waste) presents new
challenges for waste management systems in the 21st century. Used
computers and other electronic devices and their batteries are dangerous to
handle, and should be treated as hazardous wastes not to be mixed in with normal household waste. By
having a knowledge of what hazardous waste is, how to store it, and later how to dispose of it (contact
local waste managers), you are doing a valuable service for the health of your local community.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The reduce-reuse-recycle model is a useful tool for applying sustainable
practices into your daily life. Every day we are faced with situations where
we must decide what to do with the wastes associated with the products
we consume. We can lower our ecological footprint and save money
when we consume intelligently, choose to decrease how much waste
we create, and to separate our wastes efficiently from what we do
consume. For example when you stop into a store and purchase a

soft drink and bag of chips you will soon have plastic waste to deal with:
o

You may choose to reduce your consumption of products which are meant for a
single use, by simply changing your patterns of consumption. You may reduce your
consumption to zero and choose not purchase disposable products at all, given the
amount of energy that was required to produce them, and their lasting negative
impact upon the planet.
You may choose a reusable product instead, such as a reusable coffee mug, water
canteen (that does not contain BPA plastics, which have been shown to cause
hormonal disruption), or a reusable shopping bag made of cloth or recycled
materials. You may also choose to reuse an otherwise single use product after its
first initial use, such as reusing plastic shopping bags for other shopping trips or a
plastic soda bottle for water. Reusing a product does not change the original
intended function, and the product may still be recycled at a later time.
You may recycle, which effectively breaks down the product into its base materials,
which can then be processed into a new consumer product. Many materials used in
disposable products- metals such as aluminum, papers and plastics, and glass
bottles are actually still valuable after the product has been consumed and can be
redeemed for money. Glass and aluminum are recyclable, as are the majority of
paper and plastic products. Recycling is another very easy way to help maintain
healthy ecosystems in your home, community, and planet.

Reduction will have the most immediate, effective, and direct impact on the issues of overconsumption
and disposable waste pollution facing our planet. We of course admit that it can be difficult to change
your lifestyle, habits, and patterns of consumption. Just remember, although changing your patterns of
consumption may seem difficult at first it is most definitely possible and worthwhile never
underestimate the power of yourself and other humans to evolve and adapt! Also, by supporting and
participating in recycling programs in your city or town you become part of the solution in helping divert
waste from landfills.

What is upcycling? Eco-Art?

Upcycling is the process of crafting from materials which have been discarded. Eco-art is the result of
creative upcycling using whatever resources or methods available. Upcycling is the process; eco-art is
the result!

7 Reasons why you should practice upcycling:

1. It is a practice of transformation; taking something which has outlived its present form and use
and creating something NEW.
2. It is a practice that requires imagination; to create something unique and personal when there
ARE NO RULES. It is especially useful for children, who still carry much imagination and

3.
4.
5.
6.

7.

creativity, as it focuses more on the process of creation and transformation, than on the final
product itself.
It is an earth-friendly practice. It gives another use for things and materials which would
otherwise be considered trash which helps fight pollution in landfills.
It is an empowering practice. It turns around the consumer-producer relationship for an
individual to produce for themselves from commonly available materials.
It is economic. When we upcycle and craft eco-art we spend little or no money on materials.
Instead we use our time- which is valuable too!
It is proactive. For many of the challenges to humanity in the 21st century (overpopulation,
overconsumption of natural resources, environmental pollution, social inequality, etc.),
upcycling can be a simple but powerful practice to take control of your livelihood and become
more self-sufficient.
It is positive. Upcycling waste into eco-art can be an excellent example for family, friends,
neighbors, and our fellow human beings. It really does send the message that you have hope
and vision for the future beyond the current high consumption culture.

Materials & Tools Needed, Safety

The upcycling projects that follow are specifically intended to be made from easily available materials,
and to truly be upcycled they should be free, saved from the landfill. There should be plenty of cans,
bottles, and bags available to you, but if you cannot find any materials in your household, call a friend or
head over to the nearest shopping center and you will find trashcans overflowing with great material.
Soon your friends and family will be saving their recycling just to give it to you!
Tools needed are also those which are commonly found in the household. A basic set of crafting tools
should be sufficient to get started. Scissors, pocket knives, and razor cutters for cutting materials.
Tapes and glues will serve well for adhesion and attaching materials.
Safety should be a top priority when undertaking any of these or any other upcycling activity! If you
cannot find a way to do it safely, do not do it. Clean all materials before upcycling and if it cannot be
cleaned satisfactorily (rust, molds, etc...) use a different piece. When cutting aluminum or other metals,
plastics, and even paper products, sharp edges are exposed and can definitely cut the skin. Be safe, use
personal protection gear such as gloves, glasses, and extra protective clothing, when necessary. Be
smart, no project is so important that you should risk your health to complete it.

Easy Upcycling Ideas

In this section we would like to share some of our favorite upcycling projects that are easy to do-ityourself. We invite you to be creative, think outside of the box, and most importantly- have fun! In this
manual we have included several upcycling projects you can do yourself at home using aluminum

beverage cans, plastic bags and bottles, and paper products. We have not included any using glass but
remember these examples are just scratching the surface so dont hesitate to experiment!

Metals
1. Aluminum and metals
a. Aluminum flowers/ash trays
Materials Needed: Aluminum
beverage can. Scissors.
Pocket knife or Razor.
Step1: Cut the off the top of
the can, just below the neck.
Step 2: Cut strips from the
open end to ~1-2 Centimeters from the bottom neck.
Step 3: Pull strips until they are parallel with the floor.
Materials

Step 4: Fold strips consecutively around the can to create a

pattern.
Remember: Be careful when cutting into the can! Both the initial cut needed to remove
the top and the cutting of the strips with scissors will expose you to sharp metal and
there is a serious risk of cutting yourself!

Step 3
Step 1

Step 2

Also: This simple project has many potential uses. This flower could be a piece of art on the wall. Other
uses could be an ashtray, small waste bin, candle holder, or storage for small things such as seeds or
jewelry. Remember that any extra aluminum scrap can be recycled. Most importantly, use your
imagination!

b. Bottle-cap Earrings
Materials Needed: Bottle caps from glass bottles. Hammer. Laminating plastic. Small
wire (for earring attachments). Images to use as decoration.
Step 1: Place bottle cap top facing down and use a hammer to flatten out the wavy
edges. Step 2: Place images/stickers etc.
on the inside of the cap. Use plastic to
laminate the inside of the cap, covering
the decoration. Step 3: Use a nail with the
hammer to make a small hole at top of
desired side. Step 4: To create the earring
hook you may choose to: reuse hooks
from old earrings, buy new earring hooks,
or use any other wire that you have
available and is comfortable!
Remember: This low cost and easy to make earring is great for yourself or friends as
gifts, especially for a beer lover!
Also: Be Creative! Instead of earrings, make a necklace.

Additional upcycling ideas with aluminum

Frames Begin by cutting aluminum cans into many small
pieces. Next use double sided tape (or glue) to fasten the
pieces to a picture frame or mirror!

Plastics
2. Plastics
a. Weaving with plastic bags/Plarn
Materials Needed: Plastic shopping bags
(remember to clean all plastic bags prior to
upcycling!) Scissors. Crochet hook.
Step 1: Cut the bottom and handles off of
plastic bags, and roll the remaining bag. Step
2: Cut 1-2 centimeter strips, leaving a 2 cm.
strip remaining. Step 3: Unroll the bag, and
cut diagonally from the outside of one strip

Materials

to the inside of the next, creating a continuous string from the single plastic bag. Step 4:
Roll the plastic yarn into a ball for easy storage- as it is now ready to use!
Remember: After creating your plastic yarn/string it may be used for any number of
crafting projects, in these examples we use a crochet hook to create handbags,
bracelets, and hot pads in the same manner as you would with regular yarn. Be creative
and experiment, create something which has never been
done before!

Step 1

Step 3
Step 2

Step 4

Plastic Yarn!

b. Bottle planters/mini-huertos
Materials Needed: Plastic bottle of any size
(1 Liter or less would be best, depending on what you plan to
grow in your mini-huerto). Scissors and/or razor. Paint
(optional)

Step 1: Cut the top off of the plastic bottle. Step 2: Cut parallel strips of ~4 cm length
down from the top of the bottle, at this point you make additional cuts to each strip for
style if desired. Step 3: Cut a small slit below for each strip to fit into tightly. Also put
several holes at the bottom and sides for drainage. Step 4: Paint the outside of the
bottle. Step 5: After acquiring plants and soil for substrate plant it! Place mini-huerto
in a site where it will receive adequate sunlight, and water according to the plants
needs!
Remember: The plastic bottle planter can be a great medium for growing small plants,
such as succulents or cactus in the home.
Also: A fun way twist on this project is in the collection of the plant(s) and soil for the
planter. Ideally the plants can be propagated from another plant, such as a succulent or
herb such as mint or thyme. Placing quartz crystals or other stones, sticks or other
natural items can also enhance the quality of your mini-huerto!
Note: Plant roots do not like direct sunlight, so paint or place something dark around
the base.

c. Pencil/pen holder bottle

Materials Needed: Plastic Bottle. Scissors/Cutting
Razor. Zipper. Hot Glue.
Step 1: Completely cut off the top of the bottle with
a razor. Step 2: Glue the zipper on the inside of both
pieces of the plastic bottle.
This is a simple project which only requires the
purchase of a zipper, which can be found at most
craft supply stores. The resulting pen holder is a very
useful storage for school or crafting supplies, or any
other type of treasure!

PAPERS
3. Paper and Cardboard
a. Paper roll art
Materials Needed: Paper rolls. These can be from
toilet paper or paper towels. Scissors. Glue. Paint
(optional).
Step 1: Cut paper rolls 1-2 centimeter rings. Step
2: Choose a design (or create your own!)
Materials & Step 1

Step 3: Firmly glue

paper roll rings to each
other. Step 4: Paint
or add any other
decoration to the final
design.
Step 3
Step 2

Remember: It is important to make sure that rolls are securely glued to each other. A favorite eco-art
project has been the flower catcher, a flower of life made of paper rolls that hangs in your bedroom!

Flower Catchers!

b. Egg carton flowers

Materials Needed: Egg Cartons. Scissors. Glue. Paint (optional)
Step 1: Cut the carton into individual egg holders. Step 2: Cut each egg holder several
times to create petals. Step 3: Combine to create unique designs and glue it together.
Remember: You can make your flowers any shape you like! For added color and texture
paint each layer before gluing it together.
Also: Soften the petals with your hands to make it
more flexible and easy to work with.

Materials and Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Additional upcycling ideas with paper

c. Cardboard wallets Another idea we have
had much success with is creating wallets
using cardboard boxes, such as those that
cereal comes in. You can choose pictures from
magazines or your own photos to cover the
wallet, then use a laminating plastic to cover
and protect the outside. We have seen many
various designs for upcycled wallets, and each
one inspires us to be more creative!

d. Gift Bags
From using newspaper to wrap presents to creating gift bags from newspaper complete
with handles, there exist many possibilities to create your own unique packaging from
used paper in your house! We have found that whenever you give a gift that you have
wrapped (or created entirely!) by yourself it will always be well received.
e. Square/Box planters (with newspaper)
As we also are big fans of home gardening, we have found that we can use newspaper
as small planters to start seeds in. By creating your own planters from paper you are
saving money and becoming even more self-reliant. You can even place a newspaper
planter directly into the soil and it will degrade as the roots break through, reducing the
need for more transplanting!

BIGGER IDEAS
For each of the material groups covered in this book; plastics, metals, glass, and paper, a significant
opportunity exists to increase the amount of material recycled. Also there exists a great market for
products made with post-consumer materials. Increasing the percent of disposable products that are
recycled is a very realistic goal and with where we can all participate. Every person has the ability and
opportunity to consume less, consume smarter, and recycle more. Anybody can be an example to their
family, friends, and community of what is possible for humans committed to living in better harmony
with the planet in the 21st century.

Sustainable Architecture
There are many organizations and indeed a growing movement worldwide to build using upcycled
materials and methods. In most areas of Earth today, fresh water, clean air, and healthy soils are
natural resources which are becoming increasingly limited and increasingly polluted, and the modern
household is often designed inefficiently to protect them. Earthship Biotecture is a model designed to
create homes that use resources and recycle wastes in an efficient manner, while using locally available
and upcycled building materials to create a comfortable, functional home at a much lower cost to the
homeowner and local environment. [7]
There have been many other projects to raise the awareness of worldwide plastic pollution to the public
consciousness. Plastiki is a project that has been created to raise awareness about the problem of
plastic pollution in the worlds oceans. To raise awareness they have built a boat out of 12,500 2 Liter
plastic bottles and sailed it across the Pacific Ocean. [8]
Other groups have chosen to integrate upcycling into humanitarian projects. RiseNow is one such group
from the United States which creates playgrounds
using recycled materials, primarily used vehicle tires.
Their model is an example of community building
where locally abundant materials such as used tires
are upcycled to create an area for children to play,
something every child deserves! RiseNow creates
eco-parks in places where no playgrounds exist,
bringing together volunteers and the community to
create functional and beautiful public spaces for
children and their families to meet and play. [9]

Ecological Justice
Ecological Justice is a movement which intentionally works towards creating harmony between Earths
economic, ecological, and social systems. Ecological Justice aims to give a voice to traditionally voiceless
populations on Earth the plants, animals, water, air, and soil that sustains all life as we know it. It
seeks to address the fact that it is not the average consumer, but large multinational corporations who
are responsible for the majority of damage to ecosystems via pollution and habitat loss. Classic
economic theory does not fairly value the services that ecological systems provide in monetary terms,
which often leads to the unnecessary damage to ecosystems in practice. Ecological economics operates
within the current global economic/capitalist system to quantify the services that nature provides to
humans in definite terms. Ecological health, economic health, and social health are equally important,
and sustainable when balanced. For example, when a new industrial development contaminates ground
water it is negatively impacting a primary resource for life (ecological health), as well as the people who
live there and rely upon it (social health). Although it may be profitable (economic health) for the
owners of the new development, it is unnecessarily causing harm to the planet and the people living
upon it, and from the viewpoint of ecological economics, not feasible.

References
1. Global Footprint Network. http://www.footprintnetwork.org
2. Aluminum Recycling Facts.
http://www.lehighcounty.org/departments/solidwastemanagement/recyclingfacts/aluminum/t
abid/520/default.aspx
3. Alcoa: Recycling: Our Position On Recycling.
http://www.alcoa.com/recycling/en/info_page/position.asp
4. Plastic pollution in the worlds oceans. PLOS ONE.
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0111913
5. Flushing Forests. World Watch Magazine. May/June 2010. Volume 23. No. 3
(http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6403)
6. Glass Recycling Facts. Glass Packaging Institute. http://www.gpi.org/recycling/glass-recyclingfacts
7. http://earthship.com/Systems/
8. Plastiki Expedition. http://theplastiki.com/
9. Rise Now. http://www.rise-now.org/