Ten weird and wonderful things made from recycled materials

By now, we all know the score: filling our green bins is only half the story. Creating a demand for the contents is as important, which is why we should buy recycled products. But what exactly is on offer?
Here are some original ideas to get the ball rolling.

Woven handle bamboo bag
Made of recycled juice packs by a women’s cooperative in the Philippines, I love Doy bags.

Games picnic table
Bit chilly still, but here is a colourful bench that is made from 2000 plastic bottles. 

Drinking glasses
Made from Corona beer bottles, cobalt-blue mineral water bottles and Coca-Cola bottles, snazzy drinking glasses from Ecooutlet.

Recycled chain bottle openers
Made from recycled bicycle chain, find them here –  like the company name, Rebycle, too.

Jimi wallets
A range of wallets, including leather ones, made from recycled designer belts.

Ipod cover
Designed to protect your Ipod from scratches, these colourful covers are made from recycled plastic.

Handmade lampshades
Made from 100 recycled card and sourced in the UK. Find them here.

Table mat
Made from recycled bottle tops and made in Africa, each mat is unique.

The Nokia Remade
The first handset to be made entirely of recycled waste materials, including rubber tyres, as reported on the Mousetrap Technology blog.

Marmot EcoPro sleeping bag
A four season sleeping bag, made out of used plastic bottles and old fabric, soon to be launched by Cotswold Outdoor. In the meantime, they have a rucksack, called Osprey React, made out of 70 per cent recycled materials.

Comments

[Storm]

Wow!

I've started to introduce some recycled materials to my own wares, but I've got nothing on these.

[The Go Green Blog]

I love the lamp shades! My sister just moved and I think I just found an awesome house warming gift for her. They are so beautiful & very eco-friendly!
Thanks for sharing.

[Mekhong Kurt]

Are these items ever neat!

I live in Thailand, and the use -- and re-use -- of bamboo is quite prevalent here, for everything from handbags to clothes hampers to building scaffoldings. the main motivation here is simply to lower costs, but the environmental payoff is nice coincidental benefit.