In Pakistan, garden pots made from old, recycled tires

Hard on the heels of our story about Mexico’s Tubohotel comes word of yet another creative upcycling venture. Rather than recycled concrete pipes, however, Australian UBeauty has launched a line of garden pots made by hand in Pakistan from old, worn out tires. UBeauty’s tire-derived planters are made by a former leather-crafting shop from discarded tires that are past the point of retreading. Any tread remaining on the tires is stripped and used for mulch, while steel belting is removed and recycled. The remaining sheets of rubber are hand-cut and stitched using durable nylon thread; major joints are reinforced using exposed nuts and bolts. Produced in full accordance with the Ethical Trading Initiative, UBeauty’s pots are available online and in select Melbourne and Tasmania retail stores. Pricing per pot ranges from AUD 10 to AUD 75. Whether it’s airline seat covers or discarded tires, there’s no end to the creative possibilities for keeping waste out of landfills. Keep the upcycling innovations coming! Spotted by: Matthew Smith