Every day, as you separate your plastics from your paper, your household waste from your tins and glass, you are contributing to a better environment. But, have you ever wondered which new products could be made from the recycled goods before you? Have you ever picked up a plastic bottle or a straw and felt inspired to create something fashionable out of it? If you haven’t before, you will once you’ve read through this article and learned about the three top recycled materials used in sustainable fashion. Who knows? You might be using these approaches to recycling in your own, upcoming collection!

Plastic Straws

Plastic straws have been hurting our planet for longer than we care to imagine and finally, activists and environmentalists across the globe are taking action with Plastic Free Oceans campaigns and the ban on single-use, plastic straws. In Uganda, where plastic bags have been banned, a wonderful collective of women who have been referred to as “straw artists”, are turning the millions of discarded straws in the city into trendy handbags, purses and accessories. The Kinawataka Women Initiative is helping to conserve the environment while supporting vulnerable youth and women with their artisan work.

Tires

It’s no secret that tires are a monumental problem to the environment. Due to their texture it takes years for them to decompose on landfills or rivers – and that’s if they are not burnt and polluting the air and soil. To stop these environmental-hazards from even reaching the landfills, innovative companies such as the Ethiopian shoe-brand soleRebels and the Nigerian Pearl Recycling Initiative, who focus on handmade furniture, intercept the tires and turn them into unique, sustainable creations instead.

Paper

Once you see what these African women can do with recycled paper, you’ll never want to throw your old stack of magazines and newspapers out anymore. Paper makes up for a huge percentage of our planet’s trash, even though it is so easy to recycle. To combat the unnecessary waste, non-profit organizations such as Bead For Life employ female artisans in Ugandan slums to create stunning jewelry, accessories and beads from recycled paper.