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61 Creative Ways to Contend with Garbage

From Polka-Dotted Trash Bags to Beer Can Butterflies

— January 21, 2009 — Eco
Anyone can discard an unwanted item; it’s far more difficult, however, to creatively contend with garbage. The innovations in this slideshow have all done so in spades. From unusual designer trash bins to incredible art pieces comprised of recycled refuse, it’s a wonder anyone manages to actually throw anything away at all. Savvy advertisers and activists have even used trash to advance their respective agendas.

Check out these and other trashtastic innovations in the collection below.
5.6
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
61
Inflatable Garbage Animals
Inflatable Garbage Animals
Air Zoo by Joshua Allen Harris
<
60
NYC Garbage Art 2
NYC Garbage Art 2
Trash for Baseball Fans
<
59
$1M Piece of Garbage
$1M Piece of Garbage
Dumpster Divers Recover "Tres Personajes" Painting by Rufino Tamayo
<
58
Plama Process Converts Garbage into Clean Energy
Plama Process Converts Garbage into Clean Energy
<
57
Guerrilla Election Campaigns
Guerrilla Election Campaigns
Trash Cans Marked "DC Ballot Box"
<
56
Trash Ads
Trash Ads
Brazil Salvation Army Campaign (Made From Real Garbage)
<
55
Personal Landfills
Personal Landfills
Sustainable Dave Collects Trash For 365 Days
<
54
Dumpster Diving
Dumpster Diving
This Is The "Freegan" Life
<
53
Eco Umbrellas Made of Garbage
Eco Umbrellas Made of Garbage
The Eco Brolly
<
52
Dumpster Dress-Up
Dumpster Dress-Up
8 Artsy Trash Receptacles
<
51
From Real to Virtual to Real Again
From Real to Virtual to Real Again
The Desktop Trashcan
<
50
Trashy Office Accessories
Trashy Office Accessories
Deck Yourself in Fake Ink Splats and Pencil Shaving
<
49
Sewage & Garbage As Fuel
Sewage & Garbage As Fuel
Hydrogen Fuel From Biodegradable Garbage
<
48
3 Eco Chic Wastebins
3 Eco Chic Wastebins
Trash with Class
<
47
Musical Garbage Cans
Musical Garbage Cans
Xylophone Bin by Dominic Wilcox
<
46
Garbage Can Stepping Stools
Garbage Can Stepping Stools
The Bin Step
<
45
Bag Recycling Made Hip
Bag Recycling Made Hip
The Tubelor Trash Can
<
44
Recycling Trash to Treasures
Recycling Trash to Treasures
Plastic Toy Art by Robert Bradford
<
43
Coffee Taste Like Crap? Ad Firm Brands Garbage Cans Outside Competitor Shops
Coffee Taste Like Crap? Ad Firm Brands Garbage Cans Outside Competitor Shops
<
42
Trash Photos
Trash Photos
'DeletedImages' Junkyard of Art
<
41
Schering Bangkok
Schering Bangkok
Crying Garbage Can Ad Campaign for Birth Control
<
40
Bomb-Proof Garbage Cans
Bomb-Proof Garbage Cans
London's Multitasking Recycling Bins
<
39
Creativity With Dumpsters
Creativity With Dumpsters
Eco and Art Skips
<
38
Trash to Treasure Artwork
Trash to Treasure Artwork
Chrissie MacDonald Recycled Junk Mail
<
37
Guerrilla Trashcan Makeovers
Guerrilla Trashcan Makeovers
The Five Black Bins Project
<
36
Cameras Made of Garbage
Cameras Made of Garbage
Miroslav Tichy's Trash Cameras
<
35
Garbage As Art
Garbage As Art
German Artists Create 1000 Statues From Domestic Refuse
<
34
Garbage-Filled Furniture
Garbage-Filled Furniture
XS Chair
<
33
Trashtography Self-Portraits
Trashtography Self-Portraits
Artist's Giant Collage is Comprised of Everything He Threw Out for 36
<
32
Garbage Seafood
Garbage Seafood
Shock Visuals For Clean Seas
<
31
Luxury Garbage Bags
Luxury Garbage Bags
<
30
Garbage Crochet
Garbage Crochet
The Barkerbell Recycled VHS Tape Crochet Bag
<
29
Starbucks-Inspired Garbage Cans
Starbucks-Inspired Garbage Cans
The Coffee Cup Rubbish Bin
<
28
Garbage Art
Garbage Art
Artist Turns Trash to Time Capsule
<
27
Garbage Strollers
Garbage Strollers
Carriages Made of Trash (For Credit Crunch Babies?)
<
26
Polka-Dotted Trash Bags
Polka-Dotted Trash Bags
Street Art for Awareness
<
25
Trash Collecting Jewelry
Trash Collecting Jewelry
Multifunctional Brooch Doubles as a Mini Garbage Bin
<
24
Body Parts in Garbage Cans for The Truth Campaign
Body Parts in Garbage Cans for The Truth Campaign
<
23
Recycled Trash Sculptures
Recycled Trash Sculptures
Eco-Art by El Anatsui
<
22
Garbage Seafood II
Garbage Seafood II
Guerrilla Campaign Packages Garbage as Seafood
<
21
Rabbit Garbage Bags
Rabbit Garbage Bags
MAQ Inc Makes Trash Cute
<
20
Manmade Islands from Trash
Manmade Islands from Trash
Turning a Gyre of Junk Into a Revitalized Ecosystem
<
19
Recycling Made Easy
Recycling Made Easy
Elegant Barcode Trashcan
<
18
Building Bricks from Waste
Building Bricks from Waste
HYmini POLLIBricks Made of Your Old Garbage
<
17
Expanding Garbage Can
Expanding Garbage Can
Growing Bin
<
16
Shoe Made of Garbage
Shoe Made of Garbage
Nike Trash Talk
<
15
Recycled Cup Lights
Recycled Cup Lights
DIY Garbage Lamps
<
14
Recycled Garbage Projections
Recycled Garbage Projections
Eco Shadow Sculpting
<
13
Personal Dumpsters
Personal Dumpsters
The Bagster
<
12
Celebrities Removing Trash
Celebrities Removing Trash
Sophia Loren Wants to Clean Naples
<
11
Beer Can Butterflies
Beer Can Butterflies
More Garbage as Art
<
10
Garbage Dump Turned Eco-Theme Park
Garbage Dump Turned Eco-Theme Park
Ariel Sharon Park
<
9
Search by Trash
Search by Trash
Earth's Journey Eco Art Gallery For Green Chic Discoveries
<
8
Celebs Made of Garbage
Celebs Made of Garbage
A-List Mosaic Makeover Portraits Are Pretty Trashy
<
7
Orbiting Space Junk
Orbiting Space Junk
Images of Earth's Garbage Ring
<
6
Recycling Garbage into Art
Recycling Garbage into Art
From Freaky Doll Chandeliers to Garbage Chairs
<
5
Garbage Chic
Garbage Chic
Black Bin Bag Couture
<
4
Soda Can Underwear
Soda Can Underwear
Trashy Lingerie
<
3
Trashy Fashion
Trashy Fashion
Wearable Recycled Art From WalterWorks
<
2
Trash Into Art
Trash Into Art
Amazing Beer Can Butterflies (UPDATE)
<
1
Clothes Made of Garbage
Clothes Made of Garbage
Trashy Fashion at Recycle Now Week
<