Top 21 Recycled Plastic Bag Creations (SUPER GALLERY) Edit

You know plastic bags are bad for the environment, but did you know that, when reused, they can make beautiful pieces of art too? Plastic really can be fantastic, as shown by a recent exhibit of reused plastic bags as art, curated by the [re]design for NESTA, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts in London. As this super gallyer shows, plastic bags can be recycled into everything from bags to dresses and even furniture.

The exhibition aims to bring light to the fact that 2.1 billion plastic bags are used in London alone each year. Can you believe the average UK resident uses 290 plastic bags each year? If everyone were to tote their own bag the grocery store, that would eliminate 100,000 tonnes of waste each year. Also, the production of just one bag results in enough CO2 emissions to fill 22 plastic bags.

They’re hoping London can join cities like San Francisco who have banned the use of plastic bags all together. China’s recent announcement they would ban plastic bags makes them the first country to eliminate them.

Check out some of the plastic bag features Trend Hunter has covered:

Museo Aero Solar - Plastic Bages Form Flying Museum (VIDEO)

The Museo Aero Solar is a flying museum made with plastic bags that fly using solar energy. The bag will fly from town to town, country to country, even continent to continent. Each time the bag lands, more bags will be added and increase flight distance. What a great idea to raise awareness of pla… [More]

Plastic Bag Dresses - LUSH Green Awareness Campaign

LUSH, a company known for its dedication to environmental awareness, is engaging customers in an eye-catching live viral campaign. Outside of stores in the UK, LUSH sales reps were spotted in dresses made of plastic bags enticing customers to bring their bags in exchange for fun samples of their bea… [More]

Eco-Friendly Supermarket Fashion - Sainsbury’s Recycled Plastic Collection

The rise in the demand for eco-friendly products has created thriving competition between companies, all fighting to come up with the newest green innovation. Supermarkets are major competitors as they try to offset their eco-unfriendly activities. The latest concept is by UK major supermarket cha… [More]

Recycled Furniture Inspired by Chickens - Ryan Frank’s Free Range Plastic Chair

Festive and good for the environment (but maybe a bit scratchy on bare legs)  the inspiration behind ‘Inkuku’ by London-based, South African designer Ryan Frank is a colourful South African chicken ornament.  Named after the Zulu word for chicken, Frank combines his interest in traditional craft te… [More]

Bag Recycling Made Hip - The Tubelor Trash Can

A great way to make use of unwanted plastic bags is to use them as bin liners. Of course, hiding these bags from being seen are a common problem. That’s why we’re really happy to see that someone finally came up with a great solution! Tubelor is the iF product design award winner in 2008, a pr… [More]

From Shopping Bag to Branded Kite - Shopping Kite for Marketing

Do you really want to make your brand take off? If you’re into innovative approaches that help you soar above the competition, check out the Shopping Kite. After fulfilling their function is a package for delivery, the plastic bags can be transformed into kites to serve as a unique visibility tool f… [More]

Rubbish Runway Collection - Avsh Alom Gur Makes Zoolander’s Derelict a Reality (GALLERY)

London-based fashion designer Avsh Alom Gur had been collecting rubbish from the London streets to turn them into a gorgeous Spring/Summer 2008 Collection in the London Fashion Week. Constructed between jewel colored silk and chiffon fabrics are Fox’s sweet packets and plastic shopping bags while r… [More]

Recycled Flashback Fashion - 1950s Outfit Knit From Old Plastic Bags

Turning trash into fashion is a great concept and it takes an interesting twist here - Artist, Cathy Casdan decided to knit a 1950’s inspired ensemble entirely out of old plastic bags. This great concept will be featured in an upcoming Recycled Art Show along with other similar art pieces from a va… [More]

From Trash to Fashion

Entrepreneurs in New Delhi, India have found a way to craft fashionable handbags from discarded plastic bags. In New Delhi, polyethylene bags litter the streets, clog drainpipes and present environmental hazards. Anita and Shaleb Ahuja used their life savings to establish a non-governmental organi… [More]

Bag Bans

White Pollution Ban - China Bans Plastic Bags

“White pollution” is everywhere. White plastic bags blow around our cities and the countryside. China is banning them and encouraging the return not to paper, but to cloth bags. Plastic bags require a lot of petroleum to make, so the ban makes sense on two fronts- saving energy and reducing pollutio… [More]

Manitoba Town Bans Disposable Bags, Fines Bag Pushers

Leaf Rapids, a Manitoba town north of Winnipeg, will start imposing a $1000 fine on retailers who dole out plastic bags to customers. This move follows on the heels of a 3 cent levy imposed last year, which saw the town of 600 cut its 50,000 bag habit in half. Ironically, Leaf Rapids is a planned … [More]

San Francisco May Ban Plastic Grocery Bags

San Francisco may be the first city in the US that takes the initial step to ban plastic grocery bags. The law (if passed) would require groceries and pharmacies to use recycle paper bags. Some experts expect the law would spread in California.
The plastic bags have already been banned in South Afr… [More]

Plastic Bag Alternatives

Top 12 Plastic Bag Alternatives + XPosed! Grocery Bag (SUPER GALLERY)

If you’ve ever found yourself fascinated by the appearance of your bags going through the airport Xray scanner, then you’ll love the XPosed! Grocery Bag. Not only does it have a cool graphic that resembles the images seen on security screens, but you’ll also be saving the environment if you … [More]

Cooling Eco Bag - Kühltasche Shopping Fridge (GALLERY)

We’re all sick of eco-friendly plastic bag alternatives, but this one actually is something new. The Kühltasche Shopping Fridge is an innovative solution to lugging home those groceries that need to stay cold, like frozen pizzas, ice cream or fresh fish. The hip grey and orange bags are built out… [More]

Environmental Pop Culture - The Celebrity Bag Fights Plastic Bags

We all know plastic bags are set to be a thing of the past, especially in fashion retailers as more and more brands are competing to be at the forefront of the ethical fashion megatrend. Now they are using celebrity endorsements to get their “no plastic bag” protocol across. These retro style, eco… [More]

Build Your Own Bag - Design A Timbuk2 Eco-Tote or Laptop Bag (GALLERY)

By now you must know how hot eco-totes; millions of grocery shoppers have boycotted plastic bags altogether, bringing environmentally friendly ones with them instead. You’ve also heard the boring black messenger laptop bag has been replaced by stylish alternatives, right? If you don’t like any bags… [More]

Reusable Shopping Tote - ChicoBags

I carry a ChicoBag with me everywhere I go. Because they compress to such a small size, I keep one clipped to my keyring so I never forget to take it with me. They say the bags hold 20 lbs, but they definitely hold more, as I’ve stuffed mine with books to return to the library and tons of other item… [More]

Re-Usable Bag To Ball - Flip & Tumble 24-7 Bag

Don’t you wish you could have a shopping bag that you can carry inside your purse? Now you can thanks to Flip & Tumble who have designed just that with the 24-7 bag. This re-usable bag is designed to be the one bag you can carry with you anytime, whether for shopping, hitting the gym or running any… [More]

Enviro-Poop Container – ScooperBox for Dogs (VIDEO)

Poop scoopin’ is just one of those mandatory obligation that comes with the joys of owning a dog, but that doesn’t mean the experience has to be all bad. The Skooperbox is not only eco-friendly, but it also lets your dog carry his own business to the trash. Whereas plastic bags take about 1,00… [More]

Science

Biodegradable Plastic - New Plastic Dissolves in Sea Water

Billions of plastic bags and waste are produced every year for a very short term of usage, but with quite a long life, and when they degrade they result in very toxic products. In some countries plastic bags are not allowed, but as this doesn’t happen in most countries, for now let’s hope this new p… [More]