Recycling consumer waste has thankfully become a mainstream practice in the UK over the last decade. But some brilliant entrepreneurs have taken recycling to a whole new level by turning our waste into beautiful, well designed products.
Here are 5 of our favourite companies making waste wonderful again!
Reclaim Design
Reclaim Design are South African company that promotes reducing, reusing and recycling. They use recycled and reclaimed materials to create their vertical gardens, wall-mounted terrariums and these colourful handmade planter pots.
They only use heat-treated pallets and reclaimed wood that has not been chemically-treated so you are safe to grow your food in them!
Visit the Reclaim Design website
Rubies In The Rubble
“The tastiest chutneys, made in the nicest possible way”. Rubies in the rubble are small innovative company tackling the big issue of food waste that exists in the UK today. They source all of their fruit and vegetables from surplus, fresh from the market before they get discarded and create delicious chutneys and jams with it.
Visit the Rubies In The Rubble website here
Wishbone Design
Started by a New Zealander in a small New York flat Wishbone design turns old carpet into children’s bicycles. In their native country of New Zealand Jenny and Rich Mclver had seen how old carpet was very difficult to recycle because it was composed of so many different materials and it was so bulky. Having considered the issue they came up with a solution that could turn carpet into strong tubular shapes needed to make a bicycle. Now Wishbone makes a range of bicycles from both sustainable wood and from their innovative recycled carpet materials.
Visit Wishbone Design website here
Factory Twenty One
Factory Twenty One is an eco-friendly home accessories company based in Sussex UK. Founder Christopher Berry blends uses traditional woodworking techniques and modern processes to create beautiful and affordable furniture and accessories for the home.
The wood he uses comes from sustainable and recycled sources. Christopher often uses wooden pallets that have been left on industrial estates to rot.
Visit the Factory Twenty One website here
Bottletop
The Bottletop Foundation was launched in 2002 by Cameron Saul and his father Roger (Founder of British luxury fashion brand Mulberry) through a design collaboration with Mulberry. Bottletop’s Co-Director Oliver Wayman then discovered a stunning silver chain mail bag with a distinctly 1970’s Paco-Rabanne feel in Brazil. Featuring an irresistible lightweight material, the bag consisted of upcycled aluminium ring pulls held together by crotchet.
The Jacki Bag was designed by DKNY and created by hand at the Bottletop atelier in Salvador, Brazil.
It features the signature enamelled ring pulls and detailed crotchet work from Bottletop.
Visit the Bottletop bags website here
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