Here are some tips from Joanna Yarrow’s book 1,001 Ways to Save the Earth.
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Tasteful waste. If you enjoy making art, stay away from the art supply store, and take a look in you trashcan instead.With a little imagination, you can transform anything from food containers to leftover building materials into striking artworks.Take inspiration from the Soweto Mountain of Hope( Somoho) project in South Africa, which has turned a growing waste problem into an internationally celebrated community art resource.
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Recycle your Car. If your old jalopy is unsalable, take it to a registered scrapyard for environmentally sound dismantling. Even the most beaten-up wreck probably still contains valuable working parts, and about three-quarters of the material of the car will be recyclable. The majority of this is steel, which can be efficiently and cost-effectively melted down and reused many times over.
On art from trash…
I wish I had a pic to show you of the tea kettle my ex and I found in a heap of garbage, painted, and gave to our art teacher. We called the kettle Joe, and turned the spout into his nose, painted bloodshot eyes on him, gave him a tatto, and turned the lid into a lovely plaid hat with a pompom on top. I love garbage art! I have another garbage art project that I might post on my own blog, so check it out later.