#(because it will have the old fashioned glass mixed in with the plastic and biodegradable business)

[godzexperiment]

nix would collect glitter from through the ages; mixed together in an vial

[mychdesign-blog]

Project 4: Research

We all delegated jobs for everyone to look into some research on fashion so that we could have some foundation information and statistics to work off of.  

Waste Statistics on Fashion Consumption - Claudia

- Second to oil, the clothing and textile industry is the largest polluter in the world. - The fashion industry contributes 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions due to its long supply chains and energy intensive production. - Nearly 20% of global waste water is produced by the fashion industry - 15.1 million tons of textile waste was generated in 2013, of which 12.8 million tons were discarded. - A few communities have textile recycling programs, about 85% of this waste goes to landfills where it occupies about 5% of landfill space and the amount is growing. - Up to 95% of the textiles that are land filled each year could be recycled. - Using recycled cotton saves 20,000 liters of water per kilogram of cotton, a water-intensive crop. -  Only about 0.1% of recycled fiber collected by charities and take-back programs is recycled into new textile fibers - Consumers are regarded as the main culprit for throwing away their used clothing, as only 15 percent of consumer-used clothing is recycled, whereas more than 75 percent of pre-use clothing is recycled by the manufacturers. - The average person buys 60 percent more items of clothing every year and keeps them for about half as long as 15 years ago, generating a huge amount of waste.The average lifetime of a piece of clothing is approximately 3 years.

https://ecowarriorprincess.net/2018/10/facts-statistics-about-fast-fashion-inspire-ethical-fashion-advocate/

https://edgexpo.com/fashion-industry-waste-statistics/

https://www.thebalancesmb.com/textile-recycling-facts-and-figures-2878122

Fast Fashion - Huy

Negative  - Cheap, trendy clothing - One of the most polluting industries - Creates a huge climate change footprint through its unsustainable practices - Popular brands include ASOS, Boohoo, H&M, Zara, Missguided, Shein - Average person discards about 80 pounds (36kgs) of textiles each year, being almost double of what was discarded 20 years ago - Cheap labor, harsh working conditions - H&M produces so much surplus inventory, they began burning the clothing for fuel

Positive  - Better to prioritise quality > quantity of clothing - “Slow fashion” promotes conscious consumption and supports companies that protect the environment and respects their workers. - rent /sell clothing, there is a growing market for second-hand clothes - Many aren’t actually aware of the damage because information on the impacts of our clothes are not readily available to us, so once they are educated, their behaviour is likely to change - Good to inform people in a way that is easily digestible and  visually appealing

https://experiencelife.com/article/6-ways-to-quit-fast-fashion/

https://goodonyou.eco/five-fast-fashion-brands-we-avoid/

https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/understanding-sustainable-fashion?gclid=CjwKCAjw8e7mBRBsEiwAPVxxiCd-idEeP1-zAubixbxUQd0QIAf-LP5FT5ueX2bM91LWgqAJQnmgghoC_7gQAvD_BwE

Fabric/Material Analysis - Oliver

Common clothing fabric

1. Cotton cloth

Cotton cloth is a general term for all kinds of cotton textiles. Most of them are used for making casual wear, underwear, shirts, etc. The advantages are good warmth, softness, moisture absorption and good breathability. The disadvantage is that it is easy to shrink and wrinkle.

2. Burlap

Burlap is a kind of cloth made of linen, jute, sisal, and hemp. Generally used to make casual wear, work wear, summer wear, the advantages are extremely high strength, moisture absorption, heat conduction, and good ventilation. The disadvantage is that it is uncomfortable to wear, rough and blunt.

3. Silk

Silk is a general term for various silk fabrics made from silk. It is used to make a variety of clothing, especially suitable for making women's clothing, such as some scarves and dresses. The advantages are light, fit, soft, smooth, breathable, multi-colored, shiny and comfortable to wear. The disadvantage is that it is prone to wrinkles, easy to stick, not strong, and easy to fade.

4. Wool

Wool is a general term for fabrics of various types of wool and cashmere. Usually used to make dresses, suits, coats, and other high-end clothing. The utility model has the advantages of anti-wrinkle and abrasion resistance, soft hand feeling, elasticity, strong heat retention and secondary use. The disadvantage is that the washing is difficult, and the material is heavy.

5. Leather

Leather is an animal fur fabric that has been tanning. Divided into two categories, one is leather, depilated leather. The other is suede, a treated leather with skin and hair that has the advantage of being light and warm. The disadvantages are that they are expensive, storage, and care.

6. Chemical fiber

Chemical fiber is a kind of fiber textile made from high molecular compound, which is usually divided into artificial fiber and synthetic fiber. Their common advantages are bright colors, soft texture and comfort. The disadvantages are wearing resistance, heat resistance, moisture absorption, poor gas permeability, preheating and deformation, and easy generation of static electricity. Can make all kinds of clothes, but most of them are not comfortable.

7. Blended

Blended, it is a fabric made of natural fiber and chemical fiber mixed in a certain proportion, which can be used to make all kinds of clothing. The advantages are that there are advantages of cotton, hemp, silk, woolen cloth and chemical fiber, and they avoid their respective shortcomings, and the value is relatively low and relatively popular.

Fiber classification: natural fabrics and non-natural fabrics

Natural

A. Plant fiber: cotton, hemp, fruit fiber

B. Animal fiber: wool, rabbit hair, silk

C. Mineral fiber: asbestos

Unnatural

D. Recycled fiber: viscose, acetate, modal, bamboo fiber

E. Synthetic fiber: synthetic cotton, polyester, acrylic, spandex... (Synthetic fiber: Polyester fiber: Polyester, melting point 255~260°C, bonding starts at 205°C, safe ironing temperature is 135°C.

Polyamide: Nylon, melting point 230~270 °C, available on the Internet.)

F. Inorganic fiber: glass fiber, metal fiber.

Old clothes collection process:

1. Clothing eligible for donation - disinfection - donation, charity;

2. white cotton fabric - fiber treatment - cotton yarn;

3. colored fines - fiber treatment - non-woven fabrics;

4. polyester fabric - chemical treatment decomposition - polyester raw materials;

How Clothing Recycling Works (https://www.thebalancesmb.com/textile-recycling-facts-and-figures-2878122)

Clothing recycling is part of textile recycling. It involves recovering old clothing and shoes for sorting and processing. End products include clothing suitable for reuse, cloth scraps or rags as well as fibrous material. Interest in garment recycling is rapidly on the rise due to environmental awareness and landfill pressure. For entrepreneurs, it provides a business opportunity. In addition, various charities also generate revenue through their collection programs for old clothing.

Garment recycling involve a series of sequential activities as outlined below:

Creating Awareness of Clothing Recycling

Website information. A basic step for garment recyclers is to raise public awareness with information about the importance and benefits of donating used items like clothing and shoes. As such, recycling companies often provide educational materials at their websites regarding garment recycling and its importance. They may also explain what items they accept for recycling.

Informative bins and truck signage. Other approaches to raising awareness truck and bin markings. Colorful bins help describe what articles of clothing are accepted and what charity benefits from the contribution. Truck signage can be useful in raising awareness, for example, of home pickup programs for old clothing.

Collection

Clothing recyclers use a variety of strategies for picking up clothing. Post-consumer clothing is picked up generally from bins placed in public places, as well as from clothing drives and door-to-door collection. Bins are typically placed strategically in public places like parking lots in business centers and shopping malls. Colorful bins are positioned in high traffic, high visibility locations to help maximize donations.

One recent development has been the partnering of leading retailers with garment recycling companies such as I:Co. In collaboration with its partners, I:CO collected around 17,000 tons of clothing and shoes in 2015 (or 37 million pounds) while recycling 40 percent of the clothing or almost 15 million pounds.

Clothing sorting

Once collected, clothing is classified into three groups: reuse, rags, and fiber. Typically this is a manual sorting process that requires expertise in identifying various types of material. The process can be aided by such mechanical systems as conveyor belts and bins to segregate various grades of material. There is, however, at least one initiative to automate the sorting process, known as Textiles4Textiles.

Recyclers report that about one-half of donated garments can be reused. Some recyclers bale this clothing for export to developing countries, while some garments are used domestically for sale in thrift shops. Industrial cloth rags and wipes are another important residuals of the recycling process. Additionally, clothing may be reduced to fibrous material.

Processing

Textile fabric and clothing commonly consist of composites of synthetic plastics and cotton (biodegradable material). The composition will influence its method of recycling and durability.

Collected clothing is sorted and graded by highly experienced and skilled workers. These sorted items are sent to different destinations as outlined.

For natural textiles, incoming items are sorted in terms of color and material. By segregating colors, the need for re-dying can be eliminated, reducing the need for pollutants and energy. Then the clothing is torn into sloppy fibers and combined with other chosen fibers, conditional on the planned end use of the recycled fiber. Once cleaned and spun, fibers can be compressed for use in mattress production. Textiles which are sent to the flocking industry are used to produce filling material for furniture padding, panel linings, loudspeaker cones, and car insulation.

The recycling process works somewhat differently for polyester-based materials. In this case, the first thing is to remove zippers and buttons and then to cut the clothing into smaller pieces. Those shredded small fabrics are then granulated and shaped into pellets.

As the textile industry continues to grow, it will be challenged to devise ways to boost recycling rates as well as to develop technologies that will help maximize the value of recovered material.

Conversation with Galleries - Mac

Guidance for appropriate places to display our creative creator as an interactive installation.  - Asking what they are looking for and requirements to get published/displayed.  - What is required to get it displayed on a national level.  Contacted the acting director at Auckland city art gallery Toi o Tamaki about what it would take to have an installation at that level.  The results being that they only publish widely known artists as installations. They gave recommendations for local community hubs and suggested starting at that level. 

[naturecpw]

8 Habits to Start If You’d Like to Live More Eco-Consciously You've got to start somewhere, right? By Amy Marturana Winderl, C.P.T.

If you want to do your part in protecting our planet from pollution, climate change, and the general destructive nature of us humans, one of the first things you can do is take a hard, honest look at your daily habits. When you sit down and really think about it, chances are you’ll realize you’re using up natural resources and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions more than you might think.

The habits below are a good place to start. It’s important to keep in mind: None of these habits are going to magically change the entire condition of our environment. There are lots of things much bigger than one person that are contributing to climate change and eating up our natural resources (and if you want to help make change on a bigger level, getting politically active is a great way to do that). But doing your part when you can to minimize your own carbon footprint in your daily life is a small, very worthwhile, step in the right direction.

1. Stop wasting food.

he U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 30% to 40% of the food supply in the U.S. is wasted at the retail and consumer levels. That food could help feed people facing hunger. It’s a waste of money—and a huge waste of environmental resources. When food is wasted, the land, water, labor, and energy used to produce, process, transport, prepare, store, and dispose of the food is wasted too. On top of that, according to the USDA, food dumped in landfills emits a significant amount of methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. When you grocery-shop, avoid buying more than you can eat before it goes bad. Move food from the fridge to the freezer when you know you won’t be able to eat it before it expires. Instead of throwing out leftovers, get creative and mix them with other fresh ingredients to give them new delicious life.

2. Buy fewer single-use plastics.

Have you ever stopped to think about how many items you buy that are packaged in or made of single-use plastics? Single-use plastics mean just that: Plastic items you use once and then throw out. The vast majority of single-use plastics end up in landfills or the environment, according to the National Resources Defense Council. Plastic bags are one example, but so are the plastic containers berries are sold in, plastic dinnerware, plastic condiment bottles, plastic water bottles, and pretty much any other plastic packaging item you don’t reuse. Make a conscious effort to buy items packaged in glass, a more environmentally friendly material. Bring your own glass jars to buy from the bulk section if your grocery store allows it. Carry around a reusable water bottle so you don’t need to buy plastic ones.

3. Eat more plant-based meals.

Research shows that out of all types of meat we farm and eat, beef production takes the biggest toll on the environment—more greenhouse gases are emitted and more land and water is negatively impacted than with any other type of animal product. And while dairy, poultry, pork, and eggs have a significantly lower environmental impact than beef, plant foods go one step further, having a twofold to sixfold smaller impact on land and greenhouse gas emissions than these nonbeef animal products. Cutting back on meat consumption can help reduce the environmental impact of your diet.

Sweet Earth Foods makes it easy to embrace Meatless Mondays with their lineup of sustainable, plant-based proteins. Swap the meat from your favorite dishes with Mindful Chik’n, Awesome Burger, and Awesome Grounds to get the same delicious meaty texture and flavor of chicken and beef without the meat. Each variety delivers on protein, and their Mindful Chik’n is a good source of fiber—another bonus of adding more plant-based foods to your menu.

4. Start composting.

Composting food scraps and organic household and yard waste—paper, leaves, sawdust, to name a few—is an easy way to keep these items out of landfills, where they contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. By composting them instead, you’ll lower your carbon footprint and end up with healthy, nutrient-rich soil. You can set up a compost at home (here’s how to do it properly), or check if your town or city offers a community composting program.

5. Buy secondhand clothes.

Reducing and reusing are the two most effective things you can do to protect natural resources, according to the EPA. That’s because it takes a lot of energy and materials to produce new items. Fast fashion makes it really tempting to buy new clothes constantly—they’re not expensive, and it’s easy to keep up with fashion fads. But new clothes require materials, energy, and countless resources to produce. Buying gently used clothes from thrift shops or resale websites is one way to keep your closet fresh without demanding more from the environment. On the flip side, make it a habit to resell or donate gently used clothing of your own instead of throwing it in the trash, where it will inevitably make its way to a landfill.

6. Research before you shop.

There are so many brands out there that are taking steps to be more eco-friendly. Many clothing and shoe brands are now using recycled, recyclable, or biodegradable materials in products and packaging and investing in eco-friendly processes to save energy and waste at every point in the chain of production. Before you shop, do some research into the company. Look at what they’re doing to reduce their environmental impact and offset their carbon footprint. It’s still best to cut back on buying new things in general, but if you are going to do it, buy from companies that are taking steps to do better. Check out 25 eco-conscious brands we like here.

7. Walk or bike to work.

Transportation is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. And according to the EPA, over half of transportation-related emissions come from passenger vehicles—cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, and minivans. By driving your vehicle less, and opting for more eco-friendly transportation like walking, biking, or even taking public transportation (if it’s safe to do so), you can cut back significantly on your personal carbon footprint. If you don’t own a bike, see if your city or town has a bike-share program you can sign up for and rent a bike to use during your commute.

8. Use water more consciously.

Water is a precious resource that many of us take for granted. According to the EPA, the average family can waste 180 gallons of water per week, or 9,400 gallons of water annually, simply from household leaks. To put it into context: That’s enough water for more than 300 loads of laundry. Conserving water is easy—it just requires some thought and the breaking of bad habits. Wait to run the dishwasher until it is totally full. If you’re hand-washing dishes, don’t just let the water run—turn it off when you’re not actively rinsing something clean. Same thing when you’re brushing your teeth. Check if your faucets, showers, and toilets leak, and replace old fixtures with water-efficient ones. Not only is conserving water more eco-friendly, it’s much friendlier on your bank account too.

https://www.self.com/story/eco-conscious-habits?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Related:

15 Time-Saving Tips For Eating Healthy When You're Busy

20 Reusable Products to Help You Cut Back on Paper and Plastic at Home

9 Reusable Alternatives to Your Beloved Single-Use Makeup Wipes

The 10 Healthiest Cooking Oils, and How to Use Them

Our Definition of Wellness Is Way Too Narrow. It’s Time to Change That

[vsplusonline]

How Vasudha Rai said no to excess beauty waste, and why you should too

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/how-vasudha-rai-said-no-to-excess-beauty-waste-and-why-you-should-too/

How Vasudha Rai said no to excess beauty waste, and why you should too

I first started writing on beauty in 2002. Since then, I have unwrapped, opened, twisted, slathered, misted, patted and massaged an exhaustive list of products. In terms of volume, I must have discarded a three-storied mountain of vanity. Triple that number with the added packaging, print outs, invites, empty tubs and tubes of product, and you have a landfill in the making.

I’m not proud of it.

During my time as beauty director of Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health, I would discard (on a daily basis) a three-foot hillock of glossy press kits and coffrets. Handling three titles meant triple the amount of information and products. I was worried but not alarmed, assuming that India had the best home-grown recycling system, our local raddiwallah. However, even they don’t accept the most superfluous aspect of beauty waste — the decorative boxes that are handouts for the press and bloggers.

Speaking out

It took me years to take action. Like any other beauty journalist, I didn’t want to offend brands or appear ungrateful. But one day, as the boxes stacked taller than me, I decided (with great trepidation) to write a post about these laminated coffrets. It was around Diwali, when gifting was at its peak. Brands had designed their boxes, and elaborate invitations were pouring in. The worst offenders were invites to wedding shows: reams and reams of laminated paper, with half-broken cookies and earrings never worn. It seemed apt to talk about waste in the season it is generated most.

  I posted my picture with a stack of boxes, reaching over six feet. All in just one month. ‘Could the brands please focus on the products and not accoutrements?’ I asked. The post was shared multiple times, especially because I had tagged influencers and editors. Everyone wanted to say it, but didn’t know how. We all understood that the products are small compared to the mammoth waste created by boxes, bubble wrap and pamphlets.

According to a study conducted by Zero Waste Europe, we have discarded 142 billion units of beauty products in 2018 alone. Beauty packaging is challenging. Most products are water-based, and therefore, require preservatives. So the jars must be non-reactive. The units must also be durable to withstand transport and reach in an impeccable condition. Even though green beauty is the fastest growing segment within the industry, no one talks about waste. Even the most ‘woke’ customer has old-fashioned expectations. We won’t forgive a chip in the bottle and will return a carton if it is slightly crushed.

Know your responsibility

Do you know that mixed/compound plastics or mixed materials are difficult, if not impossible, to recycle? These would include face wipes and sheet masks made with fibre and plastic, packaged in sachets made with plastic, paper and foil. Additionally, bio-plastic, beauty’s blue-eyed favourite, doesn’t degrade naturally, but requires special facilities, which are only available in a few places around the world.

While there are Extended Producer Responsibility guidelines that expect producers (especially of plastic) to collect and responsibly dispose as much as they manufacture, there is neither clarity and nor action. I don’t even want to hazard a guess about how much paper and plastic is dumped by beauty writers, editors and bloggers every week. At the very least, press releases and coffrets must be refused. When asked, the brands are happy to comply.

Sustainable subscription box, Verth  

This January, a friend posted an image on his Insta-story and tagged me. India’s biggest beauty retailer had sent him a package with reams of bubble wrap. When I reposted, it was like the floodgates had opened. DMs flew in, naming names and questioning practices, most notably of the country’s biggest beauty e-tailer. I shared them all. Because of the collective noise, brands are sitting up, taking notice and changing plans. One replaced a box with a cane bag, while another used seed paper for their yearly calendar.

The aftermath

Despite these efforts, beauty companies need to look beyond production and take responsibility for collection. Bio-plastic, glass, seed paper, organic fibre, corrugated cardboard and newspaper packaging may be sustainable options but they’re worth nothing in a landfill. Because landfills are packed tightly with waste, they lack air and soil — two components necessary for biodegradation.

The responsibility for waste disposal extends to customers, too. As people messaged me poor packaging examples on Instagram, I asked them to suggest their favourite waste management services. Out of the 4,000 or so who viewed my story, only five answered with suggestions. While there is no doubt that recycling is a problem in India, a quick Google search for waste management services will throw up many choices in big cities. I signed up with Ecowise, who operates out of 15 cities, including Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow and Bengaluru.

The good news is that everyone wants to do something but lack initiative. There will never be a perfect solution, so it is imperative to begin somewhere. If you can’t recycle, make better choices, reuse the jars. Instead of buying several mediocre products, invest in one amazing serum. Refuse decorative boxes and return superfluous packaging, pamphlets and leaflets to the store. Call out influencers who do ‘unboxing’ videos. Keep making noise. The brands will deliver eventually, but it all begins with you.

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[homesteading-alliance]

The Dirt-Cheap, Frugal Way To Start Seeds

Image source: Pixabay.com

It’s easy to go overboard when shopping for seed supplies. Not only is it exciting to start growing things again, but there are so many tempting products. If you’re not careful, starting seeds can become surprisingly expensive. But with a little planning, you can get your hands on everything you need at a low cost — or even for free.

Containers

Reusing, repurposing and making your own planting containers is one of the easiest ways to pinch pennies.

If you don’t mind transplanting your seedlings, all kinds of plastic food containers can be repurposed into pots: yogurt cups, cheese tubs, milk jugs, water/juice/soda bottles, plastic clamshell containers from purchased fruit and vegetables, or K-Cup coffee pods. Soft plastic containers have an advantage — when you’re transplanting, you can squeeze the soil and seedlings out, without worrying about injuring the seedlings or their roots.

Need Non-GMO Seeds? Get Them From A Company You Can Trust!

However, if don’t want to mess around with a bunch of different-sized pots (which can be a headache as far as positioning your grow lights), you can make seed flats out of larger containers. Foil containers with clear plastic lids are especially useful, because they will create a greenhouse-type effect. Rotisserie chicken trays, frozen cake pans, or trays from the deli section, used for family-sized meals like lasagna, work well.

If you prefer biodegradable pots so that you can avoid transplanting, there are free options for those, too. It’s easy enough to cut toilet paper/paper towel/wrapping paper tubes down to peat-pot size. You don’t really need a bottom on these. Paper egg cartons provide excellent individual seed pots, too — just cut the cups apart when you’re ready to plant. Or, if you’re looking for a project on a blustery winter day, you can fashion pots out of newspaper. There are lots of online tutorials with instructions. All you need is newspaper, a glass or small mason jar to roll the paper around, and tape.

Potting Mix

Image source: Pixabay.com

The next step, of course, is filling your pots with a planting medium. While bringing in garden soil might be the cheapest option, this is the one item that you really should spend money on (one bag goes a long way). Garden soil might contain insects, weed seeds, or pathogens, and it’s likely too heavy and dense to have good aeration and drainage. If you really want to use garden soil, you should sterilize it by baking in your oven, and then amend it by mixing one part soil with one part peat moss and one part perlite or coarse builder’s sand.

You also can make your own soilless mix, which costs more than amending garden soil, but is still cheaper than buying the premixed stuff. A basic recipe is to mix together one part perlite with one part peat moss and one part ground sphagnum moss. Another recipe, posted at The Prairie Homestead, is to mix two parts coconut coir with one part perlite and one part sifted compost.

Seeds

The last essential product you need to start seeds is, well, seeds. If you don’t already save your own seeds from year to year, you might want to plan for that this season. If you buy seeds, you might have extras lying around that you didn’t plant in years past. It’s always best to test the viability of old seeds before planting them. The germination rate of seeds decreases over time.

The All-Natural Fertilizer That Doubles Your Garden Yield!

It’s easy to test the viability of seeds. Simply moisten a couple of layers of paper towels, and space out about 10 seeds of any one variety. Roll or fold up the paper towel and place in a plastic bag. Keep the bag in a warm, bright spot, and make sure the paper towel stays moist until the testing is done, which might take up to two weeks, depending on the type of seeds. Check every few days to see if any seeds have sprouted. If at least some sprout, it’s worth planting them — but make sure to plant extras to make up for the ones that won’t germinate.

Seed Tape

One last tip: if you love seed tape as much as I do, you can pinch pennies by making your own. All you need is toilet paper, homemade flour and water paste, and seeds. There are several online tutorials about how to make seed tape, and it’s another great project for a blustery winter day.

Gardening is already a frugal way to feed your family, but you can stretch your food dollars even further by starting seeds at an extremely low cost.

Do you have any more tips on how to save money while starting seeds? Share your secrets in the comments below:

Bust Inflation With A Low-Cost, High-Production Garden. Read More Here.

This article first appeared on offthegridnews.com See it here

The post The Dirt-Cheap, Frugal Way To Start Seeds appeared first on Homesteading Alliance.

[jeniferdlanceau]

Eight recycled design projects driven by Beirut's trash crisis

After a trash crisis led rubbish to pile up in the streets of Beirut, local designers were inspired to use the waste around them as a resource. Here are eight recycled projects that showcase their ingenuity.

The recycled and upcycled projects were shown at this year's Beirut Design Week, the second held since the so-called trash crisis began in 2015.

"Outside this window you could see a garbage mountain that was about 400 metres high, just across the river," designer Ieva Saudargaite says in our feature about how the crisis has motivated local practitioners. "You see that every day and you're like, I don't want to contribute any more waste."

Read on for a selection of eight of the best recent recycled projects from the Lebanese capital.

Morning Ritual by Paola Sakr

Paola Sakr's biodegradable containers are made of coffee grounds and pulped old newspapers – hence the project name, Morning Ritual. "We often generate waste before our day even begins," Sakr points out.

Individual vessels in the series have slightly different colours and smells – a result of the various coffees used.

Concrete tiles by Guillaume Credoz

Guillaume Credoz is an architect and designer particularly interested in new digital manufacturing techniques and recycled materials. As part of collective Beirut Makers' exhibition during the design week, he exhibited tiles made from 3D-printed concrete that incorporates 40 per cent recycled glass and construction rubble.

Credoz is also currently working on developing a 3D-printing process that uses 100 per cent recycled plastic – a big challenge because the plastic needs to be completely cleaned of debris before it can be extruded.

Nationmetrix by Roula Salamoun and Ieva Saudargaite

For their first collaboration, architect Roula Salamoun and artist Ieva Saudargaite created the Nationmetrix installation – a spatial representation of what it's like to cross borders with a Lebanese passport, particularly given recently added travel restrictions to the US and UK.

Cords of recycled plastic hang from the ceiling in a "heat map" arrangement, with dense clusters representing areas of hostility towards Lebanese travellers and sparser areas representing free movement. It is accompanied by an audio element.

Green Glass Recycling Initiative – Lebanon

The Green Glass Recycling Initiative – Lebanon (GGRIL) was actually born before the trash crisis in November 2013, but has gained momentum since. Its founder, Ziad Abichaker, of organisation Cedar Environmental, saw that the country's only green glass manufacturing plant had been destroyed in the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War, and that the millions of bottles it had previously been recycling were ending up in landfill.

At the same time, traditional glass-blowing was a dying craft, with its remaining practitioners in the ancient city of Sarafand struggling to make a living. GGRIL helps solve both problems by supplying glass-blowers with used bottles and new homeware designs to work on. The glass-blowers are said to have had more work in one year making GGRIL designs than they had for the previous five years combined.

Waste Studio

Waste Studio is another of Beirut's older recycled design projects. Its first product, from 2006, was the Kees el Dekkaneh (aka Grocery Bag), a large tote bag made from advertising banners.

Since the trash crisis, the studio has diversified its range and now makes more than 35 different products – including satchels, duffles, clutches and laptop sleeves – and works with several kinds of recycled materials.

Power of the Nap Addicts by Guillaume Credoz

Another project by Credoz, Power of the Nap Addicts was presented at last year's Beirut Design Week but made a reappearance this year in the KED exhibition venue's rooftop bar and in front of the Sursock Museum.

The lounger's aluminium components are made from recycled cooking pans, while the seat is reclaimed wood. The materials are weather-resistant, making the furniture good for outdoor use.

Ecoboards by Cedar Environmental

When it is not rescuing waste bottles for glass-blowing, Cedar Environmental works on a number of other zero-waste projects, including these green walls constructed from Ecoboards – which are made using recycled plastic bags.

"The panels are fully waterproof, last for hundreds of years and have all the right properties to handle soil, water and roots," Cedar Environmental founder Ziad Abichaker told Dezeen. Most recently, he has used the same Ecoboards for street recycling bins, "using waste to manage waste so no more waste is produced".

Civvies

Civvies is a fashion design studio that views plastic waste as a resource. Still in its early days since being founded in 2016, the studio works with polyester made from recycled plastic, as well as natural linen.

It showcased its new collection during Beirut Design Week at Beirut Creative Space's Open House Event.

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Lebanese designers embrace rubbish following Beirut trash crisis

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