feature photo credit: Joshua Klausner
This article was originally posted on Hunker for Plastics Make It Possible®.
When we’re shopping for around-the-house items, we’re always considering our impact as a consumer. We like to get creative with materials and we don’t always want to commit to heavy ceramics or expensive dishware. Whenever we can we’re in favor of the perennial, the reusable, or at least the recyclable. We’ve found that with the new wave of recycled plastic products catering to design fans, we can reduce our carbon footprint and do good while filling our home with good stuff. There are plenty of smart, safe accoutrements that keep plastic out of landfills, while still flaunting eye-popping design concepts and simplicity-is-genius solutions to enduring housewares problems.
Outdoor Entertaining
When we’re entertaining on the deck, enjoying mimosas at a picnic, or toasting the sunset around the pool, the last thing we want to worry about is broken glass, but real-talk: it’s ALWAYS a concern. We want to travel light, be safe and still serve our drinks in civilized style.
Plastic tumblers can easily scale any alfresco wine tasting party. While they’re intended for wine, they would elegantly hold a smooth single malt scotch (or any other cocktail). Stackable, crystal clear, shatter resistant and reusable — these are made from recycled plastics and they’re recyclable too. This is the perfect option for entertaining large groups in your home, or taking wine on the road.
If you’d rather toast with something sparkling, we also found some recycled plastic champagne flutes that are sleek, stemless, Gatsby-esque coupes with aesthetic allure (if the jazz age had lightweight, durable, recyclable, drink ware). The great thing about these options is that they can be hand washed and reused and, if you do find a way to break one, they can be recycled instead of thrown out.
photo credits: Joshua Klausner
Decorating Around the House
Earth conscious decorators can tie a room together by considering alternative materials like recycled premium plastic rugs that are made for indoor and outdoor use. In addition to giving polypropylene a second life, these rugs possess properties that traditional materials don’t. When we looked into it, we were really blown away by what they can do. They’re resistant to mold and mildew, reversible and UV resistant to help ward off the dreaded sun-fade. They’re easy to clean, easy to care for, and their power loomed threads make them super strong and durable, even though they feel soft underfoot.
photo credit: Joshua Klausner
Home Gardening
For the littlest nature enthusiasts, there’s this fun and practical three-piece gardening set that’s perfect for getting kids outside and in touch with the earth. The kit comes with a rake, shovel and watering can that are all made in the United States from 100% recycled plastic. It’s all durable, dishwasher friendly, and ready for the kind of wear and tear kids tend to dish out. Once the kids have dug up some soil, they can help flowers and plants find new homes in a variety of recycled plastic planters that are available at home improvement stores.
photo credits: Joshua Klausner
Dinnerware
Some of the more interesting emerging design we’ve seen in the tableware space often involves new materials. This plastic dinnerware set is made from a high quality melamine. It’s comprised of 40% recycled postindustrial material and it’s dishwasher friendly. The mid-century modern pastel tones and confetti pattern hearken back to a golden age of innovation in design, combining modern eco-consciousness with retro nostalgia. To set the table, we’ve placed them on eco-modern spill-resistant placemats that are made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. But, with their soft texture and contemporary design elements, you won’t be able to tell.
photo credits: Joshua Klausner
Building Materials
Not available at your local home improvement store yet (but coming soon and we can’t wait), recycled plastic construction blocks are one of the coolest and most exciting home products we’ve seen in a long time. Eco-conscious entrepreneurs have invented a new kind of construction block made completely from recycled plastic—any kind of plastic, mixed with any other kind of plastic. When you really dig in to the nuts and bolts of recycling, it turns out there are seven common recyclable plastic varieties, and they usually have to be sorted and washed to be useful. But this isn’t the case for the next generation of plastic construction blocks. All the different plastics can be put together, shredded, heated, and fused into a useful repurposed material, with 95% less greenhouse gas emissions than it takes to make a concrete block.
With countless products online and in stores, integrating recycled plastics into your home is easier and looks better than it ever has. Using plastic has always been convenient, but now we can repurpose it responsibly too.
Sponsored Tip: To learn about more ways plastics can help you green your garden, visit Plastics Make It Possible®.
