Nelson South Kindergarten has come up with a very creative way to deal with non-recyclable waste. They have made a piece of furniture to treasure, almost entirely from items that would otherwise have been thrown away. Here are instructions so that you can undertake a similar project.
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STEP 1 Design and plan your creation. Collect lots of clean non-recyclable rubbish (such as chippie packets, plastic lunch wrap) and tetra-paks (mainly juice and milk boxes). Cut open the lids of the tetrapaks (they don’t need to be the same size). Wash and dry thoroughly and then stuff them full of non-recylables to make solid ‘bricks’. Tape the lids shut |
STEP 2 Make a base out of wood and secure an old chair to it with strong adhesive. The Nelson Re-use Centre is a great place to get old furniture from. Stack the bricks around the outside of the structure. The throne needs approximately 80 bricks. Fill any gaps with old plastic bags. Strap everything together using strong packing tape. |
STEP 3 Re-use packaging cardboard to give shape and structure to the item. Cover the structure with at least three layers of paper-mache, using old newspaper and a mix of two parts wallpaper paste to one part PVA glue. It is a good idea to allow each layer to dry for a few days before adding the next one. |
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STEP 4 Cover the chair with a coat of sealer or undercoat paint. Leave to dry overnight. Add the top coats. |
STEP 5 Decoupage with coloured paper shapes and pictures from magazines (but not photos), coloured paper and add gemstones, stickers etc |
STEP 6 Coat or spray with varnish to seal in the layers and make a durable, wipe clean surface. Sit back and enjoy |
Many thanks go to Nick Kiddey, Emma Heke and the staff at Nelson South Kindergarten for sharing their process.
SOME more SUGGESTIONS:
- Tetrapaks filled with non-recyclables would make great building blocks and construction toys.
- Turn the bricks into large game pieces, for example tic-tac-toe. Coat with an extra layer of varnish if using outside.
- Make sculptures out of the bricks. These could be coated with mortar and decorated with mosaic pieces as a permanent, outside feature.
We’d love to hear from you if you decide to follow up on this idea.
