Alternative to Waste

According to the Rhoener Textiles video, society is capable of taking waste and reusing it, ultimately creating “food” out of waste. The idea of “waste equals food” is based upon the belief that what is waste to one person, a product that seems to have run it’s course, is food for others and can serve other purposes. The video also discusses McDonough’s process of finding a way to create a dye that does not contaminate the environment and water, while also not affecting the health of the workers handling the dyes as well as the consumers. After a long process and a few bumps in the road, McDonough and the others working on this project figured out a way to help conserve resources, while staying at a low price. Another victory the team had was that this dye eliminating the water pollution that was previously an issue and making it possible for the water leaving the plant to be as clean as when it entered. This effort is a great example of how something as simple as dye can affect the environment and how with consideration and concern for the well being of earth and its habitants, there are effective alternatives to all waste issues.

According to Cradle to Cradle, since population has increased, resources have become largely employed but not replaced at the same rate at which they are consumed. Also, products these days are considered “throwaway,” which ultimately contributes to the excess amount of waste that grows daily.

Technical metabolism defines products that are produced to be reused in the “technical cycle” of which it was originally created. My design concept is to reuse old bike tires as a rope you could tie to hold products together, specifically tools and other heavy items. The use of this reusable product could ultimately eliminate the use of string on certain products. For example, instead of using weak string to tie heavy items together and the rope continuously breaking, the old tire has the strength to resist the pressure and not break. Because a bicycle tire’s texture is stretchy, yet has a firm grip, it is ideal for making and holding knots. According to Cradle to Cradle, consumers would no longer have the need to feel guilty about purchasing and using products because they would no longer have a short life cycle.