Choices

There were a lot of objects I could have made out of various materials. So why did I pick what I chose to do?

Materials:
I wanted to use materials that people would throw away. If I used items that people recycle and ultimately reuse, then it would not be as much of an impact. The average US citizen threw away about 4.6 pounds per day in 2006. (US Environmental Protection Agency) That's about 1,700 pounds per year! Our landfills are becoming filled up and we should to do something to reduce the amount we put out.

Products:
Creating items you would use often would not be a waste. I know I sometimes buy products that I only use once or twice. But I consider that wasting because you are not using the item to its full extent. You did not need to buy it and it ends up in a landfill.
So keeping that in mind, I racked my brain and came up with many products ranging from belts to slippers to purses.

In the end, I chose three products that seemed the most practical:

a crochet plastic bag made out of strips of plastic bags,

a trash can made out of magazines,

and a necklace made out of can tabs and paper beads.