Recycle Jewelry by Harriete Estel Berman constructed with recycled plastic.


	Jewelry
	RECYCLE Collection

		RECYCLE is a new series of jewelry constructed from post-consumer recycled plastic containers such as milk, orange juice and shampoo bottles; take out trays, plastic packaging inserts, etc., trash that would normally be thrown away. My commitment to "reuse" consumer waste materials started from a sense of social responsibility. Using plastic from commonplace items reflects two competing principals in the same material. One issue acknowledges that thousands if not millions of dollars are invested in packaging technology and seductive design with jewel like colors and interesting forms.

	The second issue is that plastic has serious environmental impact. The volume of single use containers darkens our future, polluting our landfills, oceans, and waterways. Black plastic is the worst offender. It can not be recycled, reused or re-purposed. Only a small percentage of plastic waste is recycled and it does not degrade.
	Instead it breaks down into micro particles eaten by fish and animals further increasing human exposure to plastic in our food.
	Can awareness of the long term environmental impact of plastic change behavior?


	The Recycle Fushia Bracelet above is from a premium quality shampoo that came in a brilliant colored plastic bottle. The black is take out trays.

	The Recycle Aqua Bracelet (right) is made from an aqua plastic shampoo bottle. Sometimes the plastic container's character reflects the contents, such as the "orange" of orange juice plastic or the milky white container for milk. Other times, the container seems more like an exotic Aladdin's lamp attributing magical properties to an elixir that we never see but consume.


	RECYCLE Necklace/Bracelets


	RECYCLE Straight	RECYCLE Straight Curl


	RECYCLE Green


	RECYCLE Exuberant	RECYCLE Subdued

	Recycle is a series of necklaces and braclets fabricated from post consumer plastic waste. Taking materials from the waste stream of our consumer society is the beginning of "trash forming" the mundane into the extra-ordinary. (Read more about the concept behind this work.)
		RECYCLE Orange

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Jewelry

RECYCLE Collection