second-life examples

From browsing the web, i've found that plastic bottles and the waste they make up are of great concern for many people including designers, craft artists and the general public. Some come from an ecological background, worried about where plastic bottle waste ends up, in landfill or being littered. Others, the designers and craft artists, seem to want to challenge themselves to achieve a second life purpose with a discarded object. I feel it is more difficult to change an object that has an existing function attached rather than designing a new object.

I also want to set myself the challenge... and for some inspiration, i've trawled the web to find the images below:



"Recycline" is a collection of ten examples of 'upcycling' plastic bottles by Ryter Design. Shown here are a range of functions a plastic bottle can provide, with just a little work and some imagination. There are many websites and forums where people can upload their second-life uses for plastic bottles, and I will be uploading some of the best examples. Above: a simple vase showcases natures finest and the sandtimer acts as a metaphor for the tipping point that our ecological situation is in currently.




The pencil holder: similar to the vase in its simplicity. Questions whether second-life design needs to have a certain amount of complexity. Compare this to the magazine holder or the money box and which one is more recognisable as a plastic bottle? The design must change the users perceptions, to do this, the function, application and/or appearance needs to change.