Refuse | Reuse - part 1

I'm always eyeing garbage on the street, looking for new things to do with others' refuse. As I was walking down 14th Street this week, I spied two large garbage bags full of shredded paper. It instantly reminded me of paper shred that packs holiday gifts. Sitting at the curb, this bag is considered garbage. Pick it up off the street and put it in a box to protect a precious gift and it's now paper shred. Used to protect and celebrate the item inside. Simply by switching the context the refuse is useful again.

RePlayGround's mission is to bring garbage back to life. The Refuse | Reuse photo series shows these objects side by side - first as refuse and then as their simple reuse counterparts.

I often get complaints from people who say they don't reuse because they're not artsy or crafty. These photos demonstrate that there's nothing artsy or crafty about these items. They are simply reused as-is. No fancy drawing and cutting. No special knitting and weaving. It's taking a look at your waste. And not seeing waste. It's putting your garbage back to use!

Check out your trash can the next time you walk by. What can be upcycled into something more valuable this time around? If you have any images you'd like to share, send 'em to me at tiffany {at} replayground {dot} com. I'll happily reuse them and post them here.

"Waste is a natural resource in the wrong place. Change the place or the context and you have usable objects."
-Daniel Freitag