We are Unwasted. We are taking a stand against the plastics crisis by creating sustainable, design-conscious furniture made with recycled materials.
Imagine a garbage truck dumping waste onto your front lawn every minute of the day, for a year.
That’s the equivalent of the 8 million tonnes of plastic waste which enters landfills and oceans each year.
The Recycling system is broken. Only 9% of what we put in blue bin programs is actually recycled. It costs more to recycle than to dump the used plastics in a landfill and create something new.
Rapid and extreme mass production of plastics, which began in the 1950’s, has accelerated so rapidly that it has outpaced a system that was not prepared for this kind of volume. Plastic takes more than 400 years to degrade, so most of it still exists in some form.
Plastic waste will continue to go into our landfills and oceans if recycling systems are not fixed.
It has to start with awareness and education about the recycling systems and encouraging people to Reduce and Re-use.
As for that final “R” ...
What if we gave those single-use plastics a purpose so they held more value? By transforming them in to functional products, we will raise their value and pave the way for a greener future.
This is the New Plastic Economy.
It is the idea that products are designed to be used with their end state in mind so that no material is lost to landfill. All plastic products will be designed to be used within secondary products, continuing the product's lifecycle in the economy and not in the environment.
For our launch year, Unwasted’s goal is to divert 60,000 pounds of plastic from landfills.
This is how we will be a part of a green and just recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that will put us on the path to a sustainable, resilient and equitable future for all.
The New Plastics Economy is a circular economy for plastic. In a new plastics economy, plastic never becomes waste or pollution.
Unwasted has joined The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and more than 1,000 organizations like Google,LEGO and IKEA who are united behind a common vision and targets for a circular economy for plastic.
Three actions are required to achieve this vision and create a circular economy for plastic.
This video does a really great job of explaining it further.
Truth and transparency power every Unwasted decision - even when it limits to what we can do.
Reducing and Reusing should always come first. We are okay with coming in third. We recognize the world won’t be plastic-free tomorrow.
While many design companies are doing good earth-first work, they may not be presenting the full story. Unwasted tells it like it is.
We are passionate about smart and accesible high-end design. Unwasted products will elevate and inspire your surroundings.
Our partner, Plastic Oceans Canada is cleaning up our shorelines and waterways of existing plastics. For each product purchased Unwasted donates 1% to their efforts. Together we hope to reduce the amount of plastic entering our oceans and clean what exists today.
Check out the educational resources featured on Unwastedtrash.com
Learn about the about the UN’s Responsible Consumption and Productin goals which Unwasted is working toward.
Discover more about the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s mission to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.
If you want to stay up to date on new products, company news or access to our assets please email letstalktrash@unwasted.com or sign up with details below.