Showing posts with label repurpose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label repurpose. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Integrated Waste Exchange

City of Cape Town has a Waste Exchange initiative! Here's a quote from the website:

What is IWEX?




IWEX (Integrated Waste Exchange) is a free online system that enables waste generators and users to exchange waste materials. Operating on the principle that ‘one person’s garbage is another person’s gold,' IWEX facilitates the re-use of waste, thereby conserving energy, minimising resource use and reducing the pressure on Cape Town's landfill space. The service is freely available to anyone who generates or uses waste, including companies, individuals, institutions, schools, NGOs and community groups.

It's super easy - you register and are immediately able to log in, add your waste materials that you have available, and can look right away at waste materials that other individuals, companies or organizations have available.

Let's make use of this initiative to reuse and recycle! Go to www.capetown.gov.za/en/iwex

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Calling all fashion designers and textile fanatics!


Are you a fashion designer, installation artist or have the ability to sow?
CONTACT Nastasha Daniels to get involved with the next HumanEarth exhibition!

Please also contact if you have any old clothing, fabric, off-cuts, or anything else related that can be used and repurposed.

For more information on the HumanEarth exhibitions, have a look at www.humanearth.ecojunki.co.za


Julia Ramsey



The embrace by Boxi


This website is worth a look: seedandsew.com.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Shipwreck furniture

Old wood makes furniture that just oozes character, don't you agree? So it makes sense to use wood from shipwrecks to make furniture to add comfort and also enhance the visual atmosphere of your home.





Have a look at the Shipwreck Furniture website here: www.shipwreckfurniture.com

If you're an artist, I hope that this gives you some ideas for using old/discarded wood in your artworks - it offers some interesting surfaces to work on, and the shapes are of course also ideal for sculptural or assemblage work!

Friday, July 16, 2010


We had a small presentation at the Atlantic Seaboard Greendrinks at the Cape Creative Exhibition on 13 July and it proved to be a lot of fun. The aim was to give a basic idea of what Ecojunki stands for, and also offer ways in which you could green your creative practice, whether it be painting, making jewelery, making functional objects or any other creative form. After the talk and powerpoint presentation, tools and materials were given to all the attendees and were given the opportunity to make something from things that we would usually just throw away. This resulted in some really funky and interesting designs such as a belt with a Lion matches box as the buckle, a bird in a nest, a small handbag pouch and a hanging wall organizer!



Here is some basic tips and suggestions in greening your art or creative practice:

  • Due to the massive carbon impact of emissions from airplanes, inform buyers outside of Cape Town or South Africa that products are shipped, mule-driven and hand given, and NOT airmailed.
  • Do not wrap products in plastic - rather use re-usable, recycled or re-used packages. Make the container part of the product, and something that can be used again, and add value to your product! Also encourage buyers to recycle or re-use all packaging and containers.
  • Re-use bubblewrap and when it’s worn out, use it as one of the base materials for a sculpture (along with paper mache you could make amazing things)!
  • Don’t always use new wood in your art and for framing, but rather try use driftwood from beaches and off-cuts that are usually thrown away.
  • Whenever possible, use packaging from consumer items, found objects, plastic and other materials usually deemed useless and bound to land up on dumps.
  • Whenever and where possible use eco-friendly, bio-degradable alternatives to all materials and products:
    - Recycled paper
    - low VOC-inks
    - eco-friendly water based paints and glue
    Many stores and suppliers now offer eco-friendly alternatives, or can easily order. Or make your own!! Google for paint and glue recipes.
  • Be careful about how you dispose of your waste water after painting
  • Try use the off cuts and ‘waste’ that you produce in another new artwork
  • Recycle whenever you can. There are services in Cape Town that collect recyclable waste from your studio
  • Instead of buying palettes and mixing bowls, use packaging plastics and jam jars.

…there are SO many ways. Start looking for ways to be more eco-friendly in your art and you’ll be surprised about what you’ll realize!


Monday, July 12, 2010

Come and have fun. Be creative!

Join us at the Atlantic Seaboard Greendrinks on 13 July!

Greendrinks is an informal and comfortable gathering of people who discuss ways of doing things differently in order to tackle environmental issues.

I would love for you to bring some examples of eco-friendly art/craft/design if you have, or otherwise just join in and start creating something right there! If you don't want to participate hands-on on that night, then please join for the open discussion about environmentally conscious creative work.

We start at 18h00 at the Cape Creative Exhibition at 37 Main Road, Green Point.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Change of season

I know I've been very quiet and that it seems like nothing's been happening. But things are actually still on a roll. I'm looking for some eco-enthusiastic writers to contribute to the Ecojunki blog and keep everyone updated on what's green and happening. In the meantime I've got empty milk cartons piling up and I'll soon figure out what I want to create with them in order to recycle or repurpose them.

While on the subject of repurposing - check out Recreate, started by Katie Thompson! Recreate repurposes old suitcases, cans and all kinds of throw-away articles into quirky and pretty decor items like chairs, end tables, candlestick holders and clocks! See some images on www.recreate.za.net and be sure not to miss seeing some of Recreate's very creative furniture and decor items at The Fringe Art Store and Wessel Snyman Creative in Cape Town during May.



The Fringe Arts Store is in the City Hall, Darling Street, Cape Town until 14 May, and Wessel Snyman Creative is at 17 Bree Street in Cape Town, where Recreate will be featured and exhibited from 4-29 May.