Recycling And Composting | Inhabitat New York City

will.i.am and EKOCYCLE Announce $200,000 Grant to Spur Household Recycling in the South Bronx

will.i.am and EKOCYCLE Announce $200,000 Grant to Spur Household Recycling in the South Bronx

Photo: Eric Cheng

The South Bronx is known for many things - its role in hip hop history, being the home of the Yankees and notable natives like Al Pacino, Colin Powell and Jennifer Lopez - but unfortunately, recycling is not one of them. According to city surveys, the South Bronx has the lowest recycling rate in all of NYC, but musician will.i.am and Coca Cola are hoping to change that through their joint venture, EKOCYCLE. This morning, EKOCYCLE announced their $200,000 grant to Sustainable South Bronx to create a new pilot program to help make it easier for area residents to get into the habit of recycling.

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PHOTOS: Bower Debuts Fun & Flexible Magnetic Polaris Light at BKLYN Designs

PHOTOS: Bower Debuts Fun & Flexible Magnetic Polaris Light at BKLYN Designs

Bower's magnetic Polaris lamp is one of the BKLYN Designs product unveils we've really been looking forward to, and yesterday we finally got the chance to try out the light's sticking power at the show. The Polaris is made up of pieces of scrap wood that have been cut and fit to form its multi-faceted shape. Each lamp has been embedded with small but powerful magnets, allowing it to be adhered to any magnetic surface at many different angles depending on task and mood. We spoke to Danny Giannella and Tammer Hijazi, the two man team behind Bower, about the Polaris and some of the other cool wares showcased at their site - read on to see what we found out!

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New “e-cycleNYC” Program Brings Electronics Recycling Right to Your Doorstep

New “e-cycleNYC” Program Brings Electronics Recycling Right to Your Doorstep

Recycling your old electronics is about to become a lot easier in NYC. This week, New York City Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty announced the launch of a new residential electronics recycling program called “e-cycleNYC” in partnership with Electronic

Show Off Your Upcycled Art and Designs at reMADE NYC’s Pop-Up Gallery!

Show Off Your Upcycled Art and Designs at reMADE NYC’s Pop-Up Gallery!

Calling all green designers, artists and creators! reMade NYC, a New York–based art, design and innovation studio, is looking for local designers to showcase at their upcoming pop-up gallery show taking place the week of May 19–26. They’re looking for

Green New Yorkers Rejoice! Mayor Bloomberg to Announce Start of Rigid Plastics Recycling in NYC

Green New Yorkers Rejoice! Mayor Bloomberg to Announce Start of Rigid Plastics Recycling in NYC

Photo from Shutterstock

New Yorkers who’ve found themselves majorly annoyed that the city would not accept salad containers, plastic fast food boxes and other rigid plastics for recycling are in for some good news today. This afternoon, Mayor Bloomberg

The Junkluggers Makes Millions Hauling Away Your Unwanted Crap

The Junkluggers Makes Millions Hauling Away Your Unwanted Crap

Josh Cohen has turned other people’s trash into a treasure all his own. Before launching his business, The Junkluggers, back in 2004, Cohen was making just over minimum wage as an intern at a commercial real estate firm. After discovering that a friend made

Upper West Side Artist Transforms Driftwood into One-of-a-Kind Furniture Pieces

Upper West Side Artist Transforms Driftwood into One-of-a-Kind Furniture Pieces

Collecting fallen wood during country road trips with friends started off as a hobby for Paul Kruger, but eventually turned into a full-fledged business that pays homage to the trees. The NYC-based artist quickly found that he could take his newly discovered

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The Fancy Fox Thrift Shop Opens Near 5 Pointz and PS1 in Long Island City

The Fancy Fox Thrift Shop Opens Near 5 Pointz and PS1 in Long Island City

Many in-the-know New Yorkers are familiar with Queens graffiti mecca 5 Pointz, but very few are privy to the new thrift shop that recently opened up right next to it. Dubbed The Fancy Fox (after a dapperly dressed fox figurine that owner Carolina Penafiel has had for years), the small jewel of a store boasts pre-loved treasures that are just as colorful and unique as the tagged art that covers the walls of the famous building it resides in. Despite its somewhat hidden location, word has been getting out about the shop's closely curated selection of clothing, accessories, books and art. We recently had to chance to visit The Fancy Fox, and check out its cleverly recycled shipping pallet interior. Click through our gallery to take your own tour, and don't forget to visit in person before everyone else finds out about it!

SNEAK PEEK: Nest-Shaped Treehouse Made of Hurricane Sandy-Fallen Trees Rises at Brooklyn Botanical Garden

SNEAK PEEK: Nest-Shaped Treehouse Made of Hurricane Sandy-Fallen Trees Rises at Brooklyn Botanical Garden

"Nature is the architect," Roderick Romero told us rather modestly when asked about his latest creation, a giant "nest" made from trees knocked down by Hurricane Sandy at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. While it's true that the public art piece, dubbed "Sandy Remix", was born from the aftermath of the superstorm, we think Romero should at least take a little credit. He and his crew have been working through frigid temps, snow and rain to perfect the one-of-a-kind treehouse before it opens to the public on April 6th. If you want to get a sneak peek of this magical structure before the official launch, click through our gallery to take a private tour.

WASTED: Artist Alex White Mazzarella’s New Exhibit Explores Social Inequality Using Recycled Materials

WASTED: Artist Alex White Mazzarella’s New Exhibit Explores Social Inequality Using Recycled Materials

111 bottles and one shoe: the components that comprise artist Alex White Mazzarella's latest piece may seem mundane, but are impactful when they work together, just like the immigrant workers they represent. Called "A Working Class", the assemblage is currently on view at Japanese gallery Resobox in Long Island City along with a selection of Mazzarella's older works in an exhibition entitled WASTED. We recently caught up with Mazzarella to find out more about WASTED, his use of recycled materials, and his related projects, which endeavor to bring attention to marginalized communities throughout the world. Read on for some of his thoughts.

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Artists Turn Trash Into Striking Recycled Art Pieces at transFORM Gallery

Artists Turn Trash Into Striking Recycled Art Pieces at transFORM Gallery

We may call it garbage, but for artists at the transFORM Art Gallery in New Rochelle, NY, trash is just art waiting to happen. In a new exhibit at the gallery called Re-Imagining Past Possessions: Works of Recycled Materials, five artists used eco-friendly methods to create sculptures and paintings using recycled and reused materials ranging from magazines to scrap metal. Click through the gallery to see these transformative works of art.

Mayor Bloomberg Launches NYC’s Largest Public Space Recycling Initiative in Times Square

Mayor Bloomberg Launches NYC’s Largest Public Space Recycling Initiative in Times Square

Recycling in New York City just got a little easier today with the launch of the city’s largest public space recycling initiative. Mayor Bloomberg joined the Times Square Alliance, BigBelly Solar and the Alcoa Foundation this morning to announce the debut

NYC Kids Can Earn Cash for Their Schools by Entering the City’s Golden Apple Awards

NYC Kids Can Earn Cash for Their Schools by Entering the City’s Golden Apple Awards

The New York City Department of Sanitation is calling on the city’s youth to conceive, design, and implement innovative cleanup, beautification, or reclamation projects in their boroughs. Citywide schools (both public and private) from grades K-12 can compete

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PHOTOS: Couple Moves into Stacked Shipping Container Home in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

PHOTOS: Couple Moves into Stacked Shipping Container Home in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

"People in the neighborhood call it Casa Blanca," says contractor David Boyle of his four-level white house in Williamsburg, but there's something else besides the color of the home that makes it stand out from the others on the block. A labor of love between Boyle and his wife, architect and NYIT professor Michele Bertomen, the residence is made up of six shipping containers stacked atop one another, and is the first and only legal residence of its kind in Brooklyn. Bertomen and Boyle understand that the home may be unconventional, but for them, it's the perfect example of the American dream (not to mention a way they could afford a 1,600 sq. ft. property in the middle of NYC's priciest locales). We recently had a chance to visit this very special home on Keap St., and snapped photos of everything from the two amazing rooftop decks to the clever repurposed furniture to the house's furry mascot, Zero. Click through our gallery to take your own tour through this inspirational abode.

Surf Legend Herbie Fletcher’s Wrecktangles Recycle Broken Surfboards Into New Sculptures

Surf Legend Herbie Fletcher’s Wrecktangles Recycle Broken Surfboards Into New Sculptures

The surfers who ride the waves at the famous Pipeline in Oaha have some major cojones, but sometimes their boards don't make it out. The force of the waves can crack a board in two, leaving the rider with little more than a souvenir of their survival. Surfing legend Herbie Fletcher decided to do something with the carnage from Pipeline, and he just launched a new installation at the Hole NYC. Wrecktangles is a series of sculptures that turn broken and recycled surfboards into a complex tangle of logos, fiberglass and personal expression.

New York City Students Rally to Ban Plastic Bags

New York City Students Rally to Ban Plastic Bags

A group of children from the Hewitt School’s Earth Committee are making waves in the city, calling for a plastic bag ban and working with leaders to make New York City a greener place to live. Through Change.org, the students have collected 1,616 signatures

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Build It Green!’s New Composting Program Lets People Scrap Food Right at Subway Station

Build It Green!’s New Composting Program Lets People Scrap Food Right at Subway Station

Composting some of the near 650,000 tons of food that New York City residents toss each year just became a little easier. Queens residents can now help in the effort to reduce food waste with nonprofit program Build It Green! NYC’s new program, BIG!Compost.

Shinique Smith’s Curious Hanging Sculptures are Upcycled from Her Own Wardrobe

Shinique Smith’s Curious Hanging Sculptures are Upcycled from Her Own Wardrobe

Artist Shinique Smith’s captivating canvas collages and hanging sculptures are made from found objects from the artist’s life - including some of her own clothing. Recently opened at Chelsea’s James Cohan Gallery, “Bold As Love” incorporates Smith’s colorful body of work and features hanging anthropomorphic forms made from upcycled garments. The show coincides with the announcement of Smith’s piece for MTA for the Arts, which will be a giant mosaic rendering of one of her collages for a bus shelter in Harlem.

Grant Davis Thompson Creates a Backyard Cedar “Playhouse” in Clinton Hill

Grant Davis Thompson Creates a Backyard Cedar “Playhouse” in Clinton Hill

Space -- particularly outdoor space -- comes at a premium in New York City, and those who are lucky enough to have a backyard tend to take full advantage. Such is the case with this outdoor playhouse retreat, which was recently designed by Grant Davis Thompson for a private residence in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. The owner was looking to build a structure that would evoke "a small cabin in the woods" in his urban yard. To achieve that goal, GDT constructed a low-impact structure made from cedar and reclaimed materials that provides a space for both children and adults to play.

Jeremiah Johnson’s Dollhouses Made from Credit Card Applications Pop Up in Chelsea

Jeremiah Johnson’s Dollhouses Made from Credit Card Applications Pop Up in Chelsea

We’ve been following the work of artist Jeremiah Johnson for a while, but now New Yorkers will get to experience his miniature houses made from recycled credit card application papers at a pop-up exhibition at Kotsabi World Gallery Space. Presented by Converge

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Building Ivy-Clad Treehouse Using Trees Felled by Hurricane Sandy

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Building Ivy-Clad Treehouse Using Trees Felled by Hurricane Sandy

Most of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s historic oak trees survived Hurricane Sandy last year, but a few were not so lucky. Ten of the fifty foot specimens are being chopped due to damage from the storm, but they will be given new life as a treehouse! Designed

Curious Bookshelf Grows Out of Fallen Trees

Curious Bookshelf Grows Out of Fallen Trees

If you feel like this curious bookshelf looks like it’s growing right out of tree trunks, you’re not far off from the truth. Cazenovia, New York-based artist David Harper created the installation, which he calls “STACKS”, by recycling fallen logs. Built

Help This Glittering Recycled Bottle Pavilion Materialize at the Figment Festival This Summer

Help This Glittering Recycled Bottle Pavilion Materialize at the Figment Festival This Summer

The annual FIGMENT Festival on Governor’s Island is still a few months away, but STUDIOKCA is already hard at work on their Head in the Clouds Pavilion. The winner of the festival’s “City of Dreams” contest, the project upcycles hundreds of plastic bottles into a glittering cloud-like installation that visitors can sit around and under. STUDIOKCA has begun the arduous building process, and is simultaneously collecting plastic bottles from the community, while running a Kickstarter campaign to help build the installation. Read on to see how you can help!

Brooklyn’s El Jardin del Pueblo Transforms an Empty Lot into an Urban Farm

Brooklyn’s El Jardin del Pueblo Transforms an Empty Lot into an Urban Farm

Residents in East New York, Brooklyn have a new place to shop for their eggs without having to step foot inside of a grocery store or bodega. Instead, members of the recently unveiled El Jardin del Pueblo – a community garden project spearheaded by GrowNYC

Own a Piece of the Wildly Popular Discovering Columbus Exhibit Through the Public Art Fund’s Sale!

Own a Piece of the Wildly Popular Discovering Columbus Exhibit Through the Public Art Fund’s Sale!

Last fall, Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi surrounded the iconic 13-foot statue of Christopher Columbus at his namesake circle with a living room six stories above the street. Visitors were invited to hang out in the elevated apartment, lounge on the couches or read a book from the living room shelf. Now, in a fundraiser that benefits the Public Art Fund, arts lovers can take home their very own piece of the installation by purchasing the actual furniture and accessories used in the lofty space.

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