THE BEST Recycled

GRID Studio turns electronic junk into art. To make their unique wall art, they carefully disassemble old smartphones, then meticulously place and glue their components into a shadowbox frame. They currently make versions based on the iPhone 3GS, 4S, and 5, as well as the Nokia E71, and BlackBerry Bold 9000.

This substantial wood speaker looks like something from a high-end audio line, but it’s actually the result of a DIY build. King Minhvuong walks us through their process of recycling pallet wood into this beautiful portable audio system. If you’re feeling inspired, there’s a full parts list in the video’s description on YouTube.

“Surf your skate” is Bureo and Carver Skateboards’ motto for The Ahi, a performance board made from recycled fishing nets. Combining Carver’s tech with Bureo’s NetPlus materials, it’s a 27”x 9” concave-deck, double-kicktail cruiser. Made in Cali with a reverse king-pinned truck system and roundhouse wheels.

Designer Tom Ford’s distinctive black and white watch not only looks great, but it also makes a statement. Its case and hand-braided strap are made entirely from plastics pulled from oceans. It features a Swiss quartz movement, Super Luminova hands and numbers, an anti-reflective sapphire crystal, and stainless steel back.

Maker Laura Kampf has crafted some pretty impressive items over the years. In between larger projects, she decided to do something a little less daunting, and built herself a unique lighting fixture out of found objects and scrap wood. The finished lamp looks like something you’d find in a high-end lighting store.

Builder Steve Jones got his hands on the jet engine nacelle from an old Royal Air Force VC10 airplane, and has since transformed the circular housing into a truly unique camper. It can sleep four in its cozy living space, which can transform into a dining room. Check out the full build history on the project’s Facebook page.

Each one of Revy’s handmade wallets has a slightly different texture, as they’re made from recycled inner tubes. The rubber used in their construction is gathered from discarded tires which are found littering the roadsides of El Salvador. The flexible black wallets offer six card slots, and a poly-lined compartment for cash.

Working in collaboration with Wallpaper* Re-Made project, men’s apparel brand Vollebak comments on electronic waste with a unique timepiece. The colorful Garbage Watch is made from recycled components taken from old circuit boards. Vollebak is accepting waiting list requests for its 2021 release now.

Artist Daniel Shankalonian takes old circuit boards and other electronics, and recycles them into desktop sculptures. Among his many creations are spaceships from Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and Star Trek, as well as a model of NASA’s Space Shuttle. He also made an awesome sculpture of BioShock’s Big Daddy bouncer.

ChopValue recycles bamboo chopsticks into decor and furniture. Their collection includes coasters, serving boards, shelving, standing desks, and even a block-stacking game, with pattern created by stacking and laminating the wood utensils. The company also empowers community-level recycling with microfactories.

“If they look weird, that’s because they’re made of trash.” Nike’s funky and sustainable Space Hippie line is made from 50% recycled materials by weight, including reground rubber, foam scraps, and Flyknit yarns made from recycled plastic bottles, t-shirts, and yarn scraps. We love how the design embraces the irregularities.

Skate4create makes all kinds of nifty items from recycled skateboard decks. One of our faves is this unique Qi wireless charger. It’s one of the few we’ve seen that doesn’t just look like a hunk of plastic, and we’d be happy to display it on our desk, with or without a phone sitting on it.

MotoArt creates furniture and interior pieces using parts from actual retired aircraft. One of the largest items they make is a conference room wall and sliding door from the fuselage of a Boeing airplane. The exposed aluminum looks amazing in matte or polished mirror finishes. Requires a minimum 25-foot expanse.

Builder Andrew Szeto created an awesome custom version of the iconic Eames lounge chair, replacing the traditional bent wood components with layers of laminated skateboard decks. We love the touch of color that Andrew’s design adds to this classic piece of furniture. More here.

Ollari’s shows us how to take slats of wood from a rickety old door and pallets to create a nifty new piece of outdoor furniture. If you put your mind to it, it’s amazing what you can achieve with a saw, some screws, and glue. We dig the burnt look of the finished piece.

IDIDTHAT creates whimsical and functional art by reclaiming vintage objects. They have lots of cool stuff in their Etsy shop, but our favorites are these old rotary phones from the 1950s and 1960 which have been converted to desk lamps. Their coiled cords can be bent into various positions, and their LED light source is nice and bright.

Shmoxd shows us how to make recycled paper using readily available materials. He then adds texture and color to the new paper by adding different bits like plants, food and even shredded electronics. But will it blend?

How to Make Everything is usually busy making ordinary items in overly complex ways by creating them from scratch. But this time, what he made was anything but ordinary – an electric guitar fabricated from junked car parts, complete with a Mad Max-style flamethrower.

Nimble’s iPhone cases are made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, along with fabric exterior for texture. No plastic is wasted in packaging them, and for each one purchased, 5% of the price goes to non-profits who help protect our oceans and marine life.

The upper of VIA Design Lab’s stylish sneakers is knit from yarn made from recycled plastic. It also has a membrane that keeps water, dirt, and odor out for up to 2 hours. Its heel can also be folded to turn the shoe into a more breathable low-top. It comes in three colors.

Everlane’s Tread shoes are made from 45% recycled materials. Only 5.8% of the sole is made from virgin plastic, unlike many shoes where the sole is almost entirely made of the non-biodegradable material. It will be available in six colors starting 4/25/19.

Everlane’s affordable and versatile All-Weather Jacket is windproof, water-resistant and has a relaxed fit. Like the rest of Everlane’s ReNew collection, its fabric is made entirely from recycled plastic water bottles. It comes in black, navy or olive.

Hybrid Green Label makes shoes with outsoles that are partially made from recycled rubber. Depending on the design, the uppers are made with one or a mix of canvas, leather, mesh, suede or knit fabric. They have high top and low top models in various colorways. Also on Amazon.

Design studio Giò Forma was hired by Timberland to create a giant robot sculpture out of recycled plastic bottles. On display for Milan Design Week 2019, it’s a nod to Timberland’s ReBOTL material, a key part of their sustainability efforts.

Jackman Works walks us through the complex process of making wooden coasters with a cool diamond pattern. He starts out with sticks of old pallet wood, stacks and laminates them with glue, cuts them on the diagonal, then slices, CNC carves circles, and finishes each one.

Quartertwenty created this slick piece of upcycled modern furniture which is made using cork from inside of aluminum baseball bats. The cork provides style and cushioning, while aluminum rods and steel provide stability.