Recycled materials have traditionally provided the backbone of young children's art projects. Items such as milk and egg cartons, coffee cans and filters, empty plastic food containers, and even toilet paper and paper towel tubes can be found in the supply cabinets of preschool, kindergarten and early elementary classrooms. However, recycled materials also make interesting, environmentally friendly components for adult artists.
Paper is easily incorporated into recycled art projects. A collage is made up of pieces of colored paper. Photos, headlines and even short pieces of writing cut from magazines and newspapers also find their way into collages. Papier-mache is another technique which uses recycled paper, and artists can create colorful, cleverly designed sculptures and bowls out of papier-mache.
Some sculptors create free-standing sculptures using recycled tin or aluminum cans, while others reclaim sheets of metal, or even sections of old metal fencing, for use in their artwork. Jewelry artists sometimes incorporate metal bottle tops into earrings and necklaces, and bottletops are also found in some mixed media "found object" art pieces. Artists who create mosaics make use of pieces of colorful glass or small shards of ceramic tile.
Plastic water and soda bottle tops are used in recycled jewelry, and are also popular components of found-object sculptures. Josh Mitchell, a photographer in Springfield, Missouri, saved a year's worth of plastic printer ink cartridges to create a large, hanging sculpture or mobile.
Exhibits of recycled art take place all through the year, but the most popular time for recycled art displays seems to be around Earth Day, when there is a general focus on recycling and sustainability. Persons wishing to purchase recycled art may do so either by attending a special exhibit or sale, or by visiting a website that specializes in recycled art.