RECYCLE UP-CYCLE AND RE-USE
Recycling
With daily reminders of environmental issues and the immediate need to be more aware of how and where we dispose of our waste, some really clever solutions are being found.
Recycling is a simple idea, but one with some really fantastic results, not only for our environment but for handmade and handcrafted products and the Arts and Crafts with up-cycled and recycled now being words in common use.
I have tried to choose a good cross section in our recycled collections at Via Cornwall, and our recycled gifts and crafts come from a wide variety of sources across the world. The juice carton products are made in the Philippines and our crisp packet handbags and purses are made in Mexico. The traders in these products say ‘These bags are destined for the landfill, which are in effect doubly wasteful as they never even got to hold the crisps. Carefully woven and shaped by hand, more than 200 crisp packets disappear into a bag. 50% is paid in advance on all orders to help fund raw materials, so the producers are never out of pocket, and the remaining 50% is paid on delivery.'
The company that we purchase these items from is also pleased to be a member of the British association of Fair Trade Shops (http://www.bafts.org.uk/), an organisation that checks the Fair Trade credentials each year before renewing membership for the following year.
Recycled Jewellery
Most of our collection of recycled jewellery has been made by artists and designer makers here in Cornwall. Our collection is expanding fast and now includes such things as earrings created from an old copper water tank, a fantastic range of jewellery and accessories made from ‘thrashed’ skateboard decks and even contemporary glass bowls fused from the remains of old double glazing.
So really, there is nothing that can’t be up-cycled or re-used in some way!
I have personally become incredibly conscious of making sure that I minimise waste and re-use and recycle as much as possible. I have yet to make something I would be happy to sell on the site but if your package from me turns up a little dog eared, don’t worry, your goods will be ok, I’m just trying to re-use old packaging!
