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There are so many issues that the world needs to face today. One of those is recycling. Although the developing world has become mildly proactive about recycling, we can all do more, with the exception of a few hardcore recyclers. Approximately 80% of our waste is put into landfill sites, recycling a mere 20% when 60% of our rubbish is recyclable! On average 16% of the money we pay for a good is spent on the packaging, which ends up in the trash so why not help the economy by recycling. According to 'Recycling Guide' website, it is more efficient to produce a good from recycled versions of it than to produce it from scratch. This also reduces the usage of raw materials that we are so readily and rapidly depleting to meet our ‘needs’.
The reason that I have decided to write about this particular topic is because it aids sustainability and that is something I feel is very important, especially in this day and age, to be aware of.
If we recycled efficiently we would leave less rubbish and non-biodegradable waste for the next generations to deal with. Also, we would leave our kiddies with more raw materials to meet their own needs, rather than pressuring them to discover alterative material sources. So not only will recycling help the planet, but it can also lead to some remarkable products.
Gamper Martino , a contemporary furniture designer, took on a project he calls ‘100 chairs in 100 days’. Here he created 100 different pieces, all using second-hand chairs that he found and combining them to make a new chair. Each one was not only unique in its form and aesthetic, it also demonstrated Martino’s innovative thinking. I have found great inspiration in the idea of using second hand goods to make a new product.
Another example of this forward thinking is the recycled cassette coin purse by young designer, Marcella Foschi . Aware of the fact that cassettes have become rather passé, she has decided to collect unwanted cassettes and transform them into little, colourful coin purses by removing the interior of the cassette and using the exterior as the majority of her material. Through their creativity, Gamper and Foschi intend to inspire a conservative and inactive public to recycle. They have tried to publicize the great potenial of what we consider to be 'rubbish' through transforming it and giving it new purpose. So, although they are not directly solving the problems of insuffient recycling, they have tried to increase awareness of the issue through their creations. The lack of recycling is a problem that grows in gravity with each passing day and we can't afford to watch it grow any longer. There are so many people that can see the positives of recycling but cant be arsed to do it because having two bins is far too difficult and the sheer effort that goes into finding the little recycling logo is far too much to ask of some. The mere mortal brain begins to sweat at the thought of figuring out if a material is recyclable. Clearly it is only the superhuman that has the time, brainpower and muscle that is required to recycle.
It would be wise to shift our consciousness towards the awareness that we don't need to consume and acquire excessive amounts in order to survive. Less is more, or at least it is more for the environment and the future that we will present to our offspring. Since we are too far-gone and lazy to shift this habit of consumption, the least we can do is recycle and get creative with that which we have consumed.
Need a new fad? Recycle! Get on the superhuman bandwagon! 
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