Amazing Design Company Turns Plastic Trash Into Traditional Sailor Art (VIDEO)

Plastic Pollution on our lands and in our oceans has become a progressively more serious problem over the last few decades. It is currently estimated that there are a whopping 270,000 tons of plastic debris floating on the surface of the world’s oceans, while an estimated 700 marine species are at risk of going extinct because of these mountains of trash floating around in their habitats. It can take thousands of years for plastic waste to break down, and when it does, it doesn’t disappear but rather simply turns into smaller and smaller pieces. With only a small percent of plastics being recycled, this means that the oceans are set to be inundated with our waste for a long, long time.

However, it is possible to come up with innovative new methods of recycling this trash. The documentary “Landfill Harmonic” charts one Paraguayan community’s efforts to make musical instruments out of their trash. A variety of talented artists, including Veronika Richterová,  Mbongeni Buthelezi, and Alejandro Duran, have also used plastic waste as materials for their work.

And now, there is this stunning new video showing how the design company Studio Swine is attempting to turn a traditional sailors’ art form that has now become unsustainable – the carving of whale teeth – into a creative way to recycle plastic trash. Watch it, and be amazed by the beauty that can be created from a whole lot of ugliness.

For ideas on how to reduce your plastic footprint, and how to be more innovative with the plastic you do end up using, why not check out some of our articles below?

• 5 Innovative Ways to Use Unavoidable Plastics in Your Life
• How to Ditch Single-Use Items and Reduce Your Impact on the Planet
• 5 Simple Go-To Tips to Shrink Your Plastic Footprint
• 10 Life Hacks to Help You Cut Plastic Out of the Picture