ReUse and RePurpose Plastic Crafts

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By LENCIA HOLMES   June, 4^th 2018

As you remember the three Rs – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle – consider repurposing plastic products you already have. Have you ever though of making a pencil case out of a plastic bottle or jug? How about a hangable phone holder? Or better yet a full sized boat?

The properties in plastic that make it durable and malleable are why plastics are non-biodegradable and stay in our environment for upwards of a century. The rate plastic products are being produced globally needs to be regulated so that it can be disposed of safety. While people everywhere are making stands and holding their respective governments accountable, what about the plastic we have already produced? For those interested in art and/or environmental advocacy, creating crafts could be part of the answer.

 

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What better way to show the effects of the durability and malleability of plastics than with art? Craft making with kids starts a dialogue that plastic is a powerful material that must be used with care. Imagine a lesson where they get to make a piggy bank shaped like a turtle while learning that turtles and other ocean creatures are hurt by plastic if they eat it or get entrapped by it. The upcoming generation should be equipped with the knowledge that duality exists. Plastic can be good, but how we use it and discard it matters.

   

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 Adults could use repurposing plastic to benefit environmental awareness as well. Art pieces and murals would be great talking points for getting more people invested in plastic reduction efforts. Imagine having a repurposed plastic chandelier or lamp. When visitors complimented the piece for its modern design and durability, you could explain how it’s actually 20 years old and made of repurposed plastics. “Why leave the plastic outside to harm the environment, when I can reuse it in here?”

For some repurposing craft ideas, check out the video and links below:

Kid Crafts

Adult Crafts