- [Narrator] Every single year, we humans severely damage the environment by dumping some 2.12 billion tons of waste into landfills. That's equivalent to the
weight of 400 Pyramids of Giza. We all know that recycling our
items can help reduce this, but that's not the only option. Instead of recycling,
some cunning creators have begun upcycling old products. That's transforming them from trash into innovative new designs. From turning trucks into bed frames to revamping plastic
bottles into working boats, join me as we explore the
genius recycling hacks that take upcycling to the next level. (light suspenseful music) - Whoa. (bell dings) - [Narrator] Wheely bright Idea. Most cyclists really love their bikes. Like, really love them. To the point where they'll
refuse to throw them away, no matter how busted
and rusted they may be. But there are ways to
make use of your old bike. Just look at these cunning
creations by Joe O'Connell and Blessing Hancock. This pair of artists welded
what were once bicycle rings and chains into spherical shapes to create six spectacular chandeliers. Fancy. The cycle showpieces became
part of "Ballroom Luminoso," an art installation
found under an underpass in San Antonio, Texas. Inside the chandeliers, an
LED light casts intricate, shadowy patterns through
the metallic gaps, transforming this gray underpass into a picture-perfect setting. Yeah, I think it's fair to say
that the "Ballroom Luminoso" is recycling turned up a gear. Potluck. If you happen to inhabit
a small kitchen space, fitting all your pots and
pans into your cabinets can feel like you're playing
the "Tetris" game from hell. But did you know an old bike could be your kitchen cupboard cure? Let me explain. By fixing and hanging a bike
wheel to the kitchen ceiling, you can create a hanging,
spinning pot rack. All that's left is to
add some removable hooks to let your cookware hang off, and bingo! Even if you don't have an
old bike wheel on hand, you can pick up one of these bad boys ready-made for around $60. Anything that stops your pots and pans from tumbling out of your cupboards is certainly worth giving a spin. Saddle seat. But wheels and chains aren't
the only bicycle parts that have been ingeniously reinvented. Typically, bike saddles
are pretty uncomfortable and tend to leave you with a sore butt if you've sat on them for too long. However, what if I told you bike saddles could be a comfy place to sit and relax? Well, someone had the idea of tessellating 13 bicycle saddles and attaching them to a metal frame to make a bike seat bench. Pretty cool, right? Although, I've gotta say, a standard bench does look like it'd
have more back support. If you're not bothered about transforming into the Hunchback of Notre Dame, then you can actually
purchase one of these things for yourself. MetalArtUSA are selling
their own bike seat bench for an eye-watering $1,600. While it's a smart use of upcycling and looks pretty eye-catching, I think I'll stick with that
regular bench for now, thanks. Blades of glory. We can all agree that wind turbines are hugely beneficial to the environment, they create energy from wind power without releasing harmful emissions that can damage the planet. There's one problem with these
colossal creations, however: What to do with them when
they need to be disposed of? After all, the average
165-foot-long wind turbine blade has a comparatively short
lifespan of just 20 years. And that's where the
Re-Wind Network comes in. This company has set out to repurpose these giant structures more sustainably, converting them into some
weird and wonderful designs. In the Danish city of
Aalborg, wind turbine blades have been transformed into
protective bike shelters. I'm a big fan. In the Netherlands, they
went a step further. This Rotterdam-based kids' playground has been fitted with five
discarded wind turbine blades. And while it may sound like
something fit for the scrapyard, the blades have been repainted and cut up to take the form of a
slide tower, watch tower, tunnels, bridges, ramps, and slides. Mind blown. You know what else will blow your mind? All my amazing videos. To keep up to date with my content, just hit the subscribe button down below. Why not drop a like
while you're there, too? Okay, let's see what
super neat upcycling idea we've got next. Sweet shelter. Did you know the average human drinks some 92 Coca-Cola
products per year? And, considering there are about eight billion of us and counting, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that a whole lot of
empty Coca-Cola bottles are gonna end up on landfill sites. To help raise awareness about this issue, a Chinese company called Penda came up with this ingenious
idea, known as the "Cola-Bow." This public art installation
doubles up as a rain shelter and is made up of recycled
Coca-Cola plastic bottles, with the swirling form
inspired by the design of the Coca-Cola logo. Penda rewarded people with a
free bottle of the sweet stuff for every 10 empty ones they brought back to a recycling spot. By the end of the campaign, they had some 17,000 empty
bottles to work with. The structure itself is
made from a steel mesh, with the 17,000 bottles inserted into small gaps in the material, creating the illusion from afar that the bottles are somehow
supporting themselves. What a refreshing way to raise awareness. Bottle boat. If you thought a simple shelter made from empty bottles was
jaw-dropping, then strap in because we're not done with the brilliant bottle building yet. In America alone, more than
60 million water bottles are thrown away every year... Wait. Sorry, I misread that. Every day. 60 million bottles a day! And that's just in the US. Yikes! With most of these ending up in landfills or littering streets,
parks, and waterways, thankfully, some clever folks have discovered an ingenious new use for endless plastic bottles
that are thrown away: Boats! It may sound crazy, but
check out this dingy made from a structure of
hundreds of plastic bottles. Similarly, Cameroonian Ismael Essome Ebone saw the plastic bottle problem first-hand, as his city of Douala became littered with discarded containers. But rather than recycle the empties, Ismael decided to craft them into a boat. Many people in Douala enjoy fishing but can't afford the wooden
canoes that can cost over $800. So, Ismael decided to kill
two birds with one stone, creating a boat that also helped solve Douala's plastic problem. He collected 1,000
littered plastic bottles before assembling them into blocks of 10 connected by a wire. Then, he joined them together to form the structure of the boat. You may presume that a boat
constructed from plastic bottles wouldn't be the most
reliable, but you'd be wrong. So sturdy are these cunning canoes, they can carry up to three people or a total weight close to 600 pounds. Unsurprisingly, Ismael's
creation was a soaring success, and since then, he's set
up a non-profit charity, called Madiba and Nature, that's constructed a further
37 boats and counting. Now, that's an idea that
really floats my boat. Bonkers building. Hold up! We're not quite done with the productive plastic creations yet. As impressive as manufacturing a shelter or a boat from plastic bottles is, Arthur Huang, a Taiwanese
structural engineer, took things a step further. He designed an entire building from 1.5 million plastic bottles. Yep, this stupendous nine-story tall and 425-foot-long structure is made from Polli-Bricks, which are hexagonal building bricks made from plastic bottles. Polli-Bricks fit together
perfectly, just like Lego pieces, making the building strong
enough to withstand earthquakes and even gusts of winds
up to 80 miles per hour. And, considering that Taiwan
is a hotspot for typhoons, it's just as well. But a safe structure isn't the only thing that Polli-Bricks offer. Thanks to their translucency, no artificial lighting is needed to light the EcoArk during the daytime. When night falls, 40,000
electroluminescent diodes light up the building like some sort of bioluminescent beehive. In all, this pretty plastic palace cost a hefty $3 million to build. Now, you may think that's pricey, but considering that a similar
structure made from glass and steel would cost around $9 million, it seems like a brilliant bargain. Who knew plastic bottles
could be so powerful? Stylish sacks. Have you ever put a brand-new T-shirt on when, all of a sudden, you feel like you're
being stabbed in the neck? Yeah, you probably know
what I'm talking about, it's those annoying clothing labels. These tags are sewn onto our shirts to detail the clothing's size, material, as well as washing instructions. While that's handy and all, it doesn't make them any less annoying. But someone decided to
turn their clothing tags into something more useful than a blood-boiling back scratcher. This person decided to unstitch
hundreds of clothing tags before sewing them back together to form this cute clothing label bag. I don't know about you, but I'm itching to get
my hands on one of those. But tag bags aren't the only carriers to be manufactured from
mind-boggling materials. Normally, you'd throw an
empty can into the recycling, however, there's one
tiny part of these things that comes in handy for bag building: The pull tab. Yes, not only do these mini marvels help you crack open your cold drink, but they can also be wired together to form something like this this. Yes, that is a bag made
from soda pull tabs. This person's brilliant bag was joined together some
480 tabs with craft wire. The tabs were divided into 12 rows, with 40 tabs in each to
create this small sac. Cool as this looks, think about the cost. Considering that one can of soda usually costs about $0.83 right now, the materials needed for
making this little accessory would set you back nearly $400. Still, who else could brag
about owning a soda sack? Surprising as it sounds, though, that's not the most
ambitious soda tab creation. One Etsy seller created an
entire chainmail costume all from soda tabs. While I can't imagine this offers the best protection on the battlefield, it certainly looks the part. And you can get your hands on one, well, for a tear-jerking $280. That's about triple the price of what a standard chainmail
cover would set you back. Still, it looks soda-lightful,
don't you think? Fishy furniture. Every year, humans produce over 55 million tons of electronic waste, that's more than the weight of all commercial airliners ever made. Woof! Even worse, only a fraction
of this waste is recycled, with the majority ending up in landfills. But that doesn't have
to always be the case. Some smart electronic enthusiasts have repurposed their
old electronic products instead of sending them to the dump. Dean Eaton from New York blew
the minds of Reddit users by showing them he'd turned
his old washing machine into a fancy fish tank. To start with, he gutted
the washing machine, making sure to thoroughly
clean the interior, as detergents and fabric
softeners can be harmful to fish. Once that was all done, he added LED lights to the inner drum before installing a filter,
air pump, water treatment, and the piece de resistance, the fish. New Wave, an aquarium
concept company from Germany, took things a step further,
adding a transparent glass panel to the side of their
washing machine aquarium, giving a sleek side view
into the terrific tank. But washing machines aren't
the only electronic product you can give a watery revamp to. Some upcyclers have even
turned their old TV sets into a home for their fish. Obviously, this doesn't work
for modern flatscreen TVs, but it does for the older,
chunkier wooden TV units that were popular when I was born... Um, I mean, way before
I was born. (chuckles) Simply, open up the back of the set and take the lid of the top,
before removing the screen and all those electrical
components inside. Then reassemble the wooden frame, leaving space inside to slot the tank. If that sounds like
hard work, don't worry, one Etsy user creates
handmade fish tank TVs from old '60s wooden televisions. Although, if you wanna
get your hands on one, you'll have to cough up close to $250. Still, not a bad price for
an unlimited subscription to the fish-ney channel. Get it? Like, like Disney. Fish-ney. Anyway. Moving on. A grand idea. Fancy fish tanks aren't
the only upcycled item that can jazz up your interior space. Speaking of jazz, anyone
lucky enough to possess a grand piano will know just how luxurious this impressive instrument looks. But if, for whatever reason, yours becomes broken beyond repair, don't just toss it in the tip. Rather than let the
beautiful wood go to waste, this crafty creator decided to convert their old baby grand
piano into a bookshelf. To start with they took the
legs off, gutted the interior, and then fitted three
shelves inside the piano. Looks pretty cool, right? Although that thing has
an awful lot of keys for a shelf without any locks. (crickets chirping) On a more serious note, this old piano certainly
makes for a grand bookshelf. Pet products. Anyone that owns a pack of playing cards will know how infuriating it is when you realize you've
lost a couple of cards. The temptation is to just
throw the whole pack out. But I wouldn't do that if I were you. Well, not if you have a pet cat, at least. Just ask the Reddit user
who had the ingenious idea of converting their pack of cards into an adorable
accessory for their kitty. They crafted this cat-sized
hat by cutting up some cards from an incomplete deck
before sewing them together. What a purr-fect idea. I mean, is that not the most stylish cat you've ever laid eyes upon? Dr. Seuss, eat your heart out. But cute cat hats aren't
the only upcycling concept designed with pets in mind. When one Reddit user's
dog sadly passed away, they came up with an idea to
keep their canine companion forever in their minds. Usually, pet owners throw away
mementos to remember pets, like leads and collars, as
there's not much use for them after their furry friend has passed. But this person realized that
cutting a section of the leash made for the perfect bookmark, while the clip of the leash was also cut, creating the perfect keychain. Isn't that the sweetest thing? Although, I don't know if I'd
be able to look at my keys without bawling ever again. Phone-omenal concept. Each year, around 40 million
tourists flock to the UK to take in the sights of
Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and, of course, the iconic
red telephone boxes. But famous as they've become, the growing popularity of mobile phones has meant these telephone boxes
don't have much use anymore. Yet, rather than let these
iconic items just go to waste, plans have been made to repurpose them in a pretty incredible way. 600 red phone boxes have been refitted to
house defibrillators, devices that give a
high-energy electric shock to the heart of someone
who is in cardiac arrest. This means anyone that's
suffered a heart attack far away from any medical facility has a greater chance of survival. Many other phone boxes have been transformed into mini libraries, except here there are no
registrations and no fines. Anyone's free to take one
of the thousands of books that fill the telephone boxes, so long as they bring back another. But the most mind-blowing
telephone box re-invention goes to this particular one, found in Devon in South West England. It may look like a standard
telephone box from the outside, but a quick glance at its sign reveals all isn't as it seems. Yep, that's right, this
place really is a nightclub. You might be wondering how
exactly such a small place can be transformed into a dance hall. Well, this is a nightclub for one. Inside there's just enough
room for a mini-music system, disco ball, and funky lighting. Time to get my dancing shoes on. Truck trance. A lot of hardcore truck lovers would rather sleep in their
beloved vehicles every night rather than their own bed. Fortunately for them, it's
now possible to do just that inside their own home. Some Etsy sellers have chosen not to get their trucks scrapped but transform them into bed frames. This Chevy-lover removed the wheels and bumper from their truck, before giving her a lick of paint, and the results are astonishing. Although, I'm not sure if that bed will stop you from rolling onto the floor in the middle of the night. Impressive as it looks, there
is one caveat, the price, with these terrific truck
beds being listed on Etsy for as much as eyewatering $8,000. So, unless you've got an old
truck of your own to call on, chances are you'll be
sleeping in your plain ol' bed for the foreseeable. Chair raiser. Whether they're bent, broken, or don't fit the style of your closet, we're all guilty of throwing
away clothing hangers. In the US alone, over 15.5
million plastic, wood, and wire hangers are thrown
away every single day, with 85% of these ending up in landfills. Fortunately, Italian
design company Stylemylife have developed a product that
utilizes clothing hangers. Known as "Size," this bizarre-looking chair
is made from 28 coat hangers that are connected by a curved metal bar. While it may look more
similar to a dinosaur's spine than a comfy sitting station, you can't knock the clever
thinking of the idea. But that's not where the
coat hanger creations end. Designer Joey Zeledon
designed his own chair, meant to bring "the closet to life." The coat check chair, as it's known, is purposed to position any spare hangers onto two metal bars, with the
upside-down plastic hangers forming the support for the chair. Now, I know what you're thinking, in what world can some plastic hangers support the weight of a human adult? Well, turns out that Zeledon tested the sturdiness
of the chair himself, with the piece of
furniture able to withstand 170 pounds of weight. Impressive, although that's
still around 30 pounds lighter than the average American adult male. Still, for any minimalists looking to make the most
of every single item, the coat check is a chairy-tale. Deep-sea decor. It's not just harmless
items, like coat hangers, that can be upcycled, though. World War II was a horrific conflict where both the Allies and Axis powers used wicked weapons against one another, like deep-sea mines. Built and used in the Baltic
Sea during World War II, thousands of Soviet deep-sea
mines were held in warehouses on the coast of Estonia. Years later, in the 1990s, the Soviet Army burnt the
explosives out of any mines that were still in working order, leaving thousands of naval mine cases scattered around the coast of Estonia. Sounds like a bit of an eyesore, right? But artist Mati Karmin decided to use the defused
sea mines to his benefit. He set up a company called Marinemine that specialize in repurposing
mines into household items, like fireplaces,
wardrobes, bathtubs, beds, office chairs, and ovens. I don't care how cool it looks, I wouldn't wanna stand within
1,000 feet of a naval mine that's been revamped into an oven. If that wasn't mad enough,
Karmin also created this. Yep, that's a baby
stroller carved from a mine that was previously designed
to wipe out sea vessels. Well, that thing will ensure people stay away from you on
the sidewalk, at least. All things considered, I think it's fair to say that
Karmin's naval mine decor is a blast. Clever canoes. But naval mines aren't the
only pieces of wartime scrap that've undergone a marvelous makeover. During the Vietnam War, aircraft would ditch their
fuel tanks in emergencies to improve their speed
and maneuverability. For over 40 years, these
discarded aircraft fuel tanks lay scattered throughout
the forests of Vietnam. But rather than just scrap the jet part, local farmers discovered a perfect purpose for the discarded aluminum tubes. Many rivers cut through the
forests of Southern Vietnam, where most of the fuel
tanks are dispersed. For a long time, farmers used
to travel through these rivers via wooden canoes, but
these weren't very reliable, and often required frequent repairs. And that's where the fuel tanks come in. These things were manufactured by putting two curved
pieces of aluminum together to create a hollow tank. But these halves could
easily be taken apart, with each side being repurposed
as an aluminum canoe. Thanks to their aerodynamic
shape and lightweight design they make for much better vessels than the traditional wooden canoes, allowing farmers to
travel through the region much more quickly and efficiently. Who knew that wars could
have silver linings, or should I say, silver canoes? Bouncy beacon. Being one of the world's
most popular sports, it's little surprise that
literal tons of basketballs are manufactured every day. In fact, a whopping 500 million
of them are sold each year. With so many millions of these balls being bounced on the court, it's inevitable that a
whole lot of basketballs will be ruined from
punctures or water damage. But if you ever are in the
possession of a warped ball, don't worry. While you may not be able to shoot hoops, a damaged basketball can offer an awesome alternative purpose. Say hello to the basketball lamp. What a bright idea. This is the work of an ingenious Etsy user who made a small cut out
at the bottom of the ball, allowing light to shine out, before covering the bottom edge in rubber to give it a styled finish. Then, at the top of the
ball, a light was fitted, and voila, a basketball lamp. Fire as this thing looks, it may actually be a
little too hot, literally. The heat from a standard bulb could burn or melt the rubber of the ball, so best to get a low-heat emitting bulb if you ever create one of these. Cool as this idea is, getting your hands on a
ready-made basketball lamp will set you back around $140. And, considering this
thing isn't translucent like a normal lampshade, that's
quite a steep price to pay. Even still, based on its appearance alone, this clever creation is
going straight in my basket. Sucker shoes. It's well-documented that plastic straws are a major blight on our environment. As many as 8.3 billion of them pollute coastlines around the world, made worse by the fact that their plastic can take up to 200 years to decompose. But, damaging as they are,
they don't have to go to waste once you're finished
slurping down your drink. Yep, turns out these things
can also function as shoes. Hang on, that doesn't look right at all. Oh, I see. This is a recycling hack
from (sighs) 5-Minute Crafts. This channel hosts a lot of videos showcasing hacks "you must
try" or do "when you're bored," but then sneakily adds
into their description that their videos are only
made for entertainment purposes and can't guarantee anyone's safety when doing them themselves. This is after encouraging people to put eggs in the
microwave, which explode, causing third-degree burns and
even blindness in some cases, and other incredibly
dangerous and stupid hacks. Well, let's take a look
and see how viable this is. They start by melting down
around 50 straws with an iron, making them stick together
in a rectangle shape. After that, they draw and
cut out an outline of a foot, place it on top of the
now-melted-together straws, and cut around it. With what's remaining of
the ironed-down straws, they create an arch that fits
over the top of the foot, then they hot glue each side of the arch to the base of the shoe,
and straw flip-flops. Okay, I have multiple issues with this. Firstly, I don't see some glue
holding that arch together lasting more than a week. Second, I don't think a plastic straw will offer much protection
from any sharp objects you may step on. And third, melting or burning plastic releases toxic chemicals in gas form, which doesn't just smell awful, it's really not good for you either. So, I can't recommend trying
this so-called recycling hack. What I can suggest is if you find yourself
using 50 plastic straws, why not just buy a single reusable one? Denim decoration. Whether they're too
large, small, or damaged, denim jeans are often thrown out, as people look to latch onto
the latest trouser trend. Every year, some 2.16
million tons of waste is generated from unwanted jeans alone. But rather than adding your old pairs of purple pants to the trash pile, there's an environmentally
friendly use for jeans that are no longer fit for purpose. Nope, these aren't some
fashion-savvy zombies, they're some old jeans
that've been transformed into some perplexing planters. All it takes to raise
your jeans from the dead is some string to tie up
the cuff of the jeans, then just fill the legs up with soil and plant some seeds
around the waist area. And if you want an even more
authentically human look, you can add some shoes at
the bottom of the jeans, where they've been tied up. After that, all you've gotta do is wait for your old jeans to
turn into a garden ornament. I'm still not sure whether
that's cute or creepy. Either way, it's a jean-ius idea. Which of these unbelievable
upcycling hacks impressed you the most? Let me know down in the comments below, and thanks for watching. (gentle thoughtful music)
