Check out this video about an amazing orchestra in Paraguay that plays instruments made from landfill waste. The Recycled Orchestra, or “Los Reciclados” are making music from the waste that’s dumped in their home town of Cateura. If I hadn’t been able to see their instruments in the video, I don’t think I would have guessed the cello was made from an oil can and wood waste or that the violin was made from scrap metal. A full-length documentary called “Landfill Harmonic” will tell the story of the musicians involved in this educational effort. You can follow the effort on Facebook here.
It’s an inspiring example of how to reuse things that would otherwise be thrown away. Do you have some examples of reusing waste that you’ve encountered or that you do in your daily life?
OPB’s Public Insight Network is collecting clever ways of reusing waste. I immediately recalled a woman I met who weaves plastic newspaper bags into window shades and table runners and the bulletin board made from wine bottle corks a friend made for me years ago.
Feel free to share your ideas here, and I’ll post a list of highlights later this week.