According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2009 statistics of: 9.8 million tons of furniture ended up in landfills in the USA during 2009. Besides the obvious that it’s a LOT of waste, that number is also concerning because the EPA also states that furniture is the least recycled out of all household items.
In an effort to raise awareness about the environmental impact of global consumerism, Dutch designers Marijke & Sander Lucas created The Trash Closet, which is made completely of leftover furniture that would’ve otherwise gone to the landfill. They scavenged the furniture from the streets of Amsterdam, which most people left as trash. However, the designers looked closer to see what possibilities the ‘trash’ could lead to, and created a beautiful piece of functional art that also educates.
From the designer:
Considering the environmental devastations occurring on a global-scale; ranging from deforestation in the Amazon to our global consumerism crisis, The Trash Closet is intended to be an aesthetic attention grabber with the purpose of educating individuals to be more cautious with what they do with old furniture.
The final prototype is available at Dutch Design Only and available as a limited edition.
