40 Terrific Works of Art Made From Common Trash
We've all heard that "one man's trash is another mans treasure". That saying takes on new meaning when we view the world through the eyes of the artists featured in todays post. These talented individuals see possibility in the things we throw away every day. Instead of heading to the art supply store they just collect common trash and turn it into works of amazing art. Take a look at these 40 terrific works of art made from common trash and be prepared to start looking at your garbage in a whole new way.
This ram looks like anything but trash. Each piece fits perfectly.
These delicate birds and other sculptures by Ann can be bought at her store online.
Belen Hermosa
Got a few thousand CDs lying around? Have a seat.
Lamponi
Lamponi make some really cool lamps from trash. This one was an old steam iron.
An old ice scoop makes a good lampshade.
This old school hair dryer lamp and others are actually available to purchase. Check out the site for more far out creations.
Alex Andromeda
This three-legged beast is made from electronic garbage.
Computer circuit boards make up this work of art that almost looks like a burning man effigy.
It's hard to believe that this intricate motorcycle was made from random bits of trash. Amazing!
Austinevan
This huge dragon was created using aluminium cans.
Law Kevin
What a stunning sculpture. Notice the computer mouse teeth and the washing machine door eyes.
Sayaka Kajita
Sayaka uses reclaimed plastic material to build her wonderful sculptures. Look closely at these two and you can see plastic spoons.
Another great creation made from common plastic trash.
This dog sculpture has a great pose. How many plastic spoons do you see?
Paul Villinski
This awesome piece was made from old soda cans and a hiking backpack frame. Great concept.
This whimsical butterfly spiral was also made from old soda cans.
David Mach
This huge Gorilla was made from old coat hangers.
Another coat hanger sculpture from David. The protruding hangers make the sculpture almost look kind of blurry. Nice effect.
Robert Bradford
Robert Bradford uses discarded toys to bring his ideas to life. How many of these toys did you play with as a kid?
These sculptures have a nostalgic quality to them that takes you back to more innocent days.
Jeremy Mayer
The artist obviously has a great understanding of the human form. Notice the old typewriter pieces on the lower abdomen.
Actually, both of these pieces from Jeremy were made from old typewriters. Notice the cat's eyes. Check out his site for more of his awesome work.
iri5
iri5 uses old cassette tapes to create the likenesses of celebrities. This one's Kurt Cobain.
Michael Jackson released from the tape. I love the super clean lines and the curly hair.
185Queens
This polar bear is made out of used grocery store bags. Is plastic OK?
Brian Jungen
This skull was crafted from old baseball coverings.
That's the fossil remains of some ancient dinosaur, it's plastic chairs.
This walk-though sculpture was created from old plastic storage bins. Notice hoe the negative space is in the shape of a person.
Strife
Scrap metal was used to construct this sea horse looking sculpture.
Moonlightbulb
This fantastic mosquito was once just ordinary trash. Now it's a beautifull work of art.
Christian Fuar
Christian uses crayons as pixels to produce captivating images.
This stunning image almost looks like an old (blurry) photo.
En Pieza
Got some old ball point pens lying around? Make a cool lamp out of them.
Brian Marshall
Brian Marshall creates wonderful bots that are full of personality from discarded materials.
This little guy is ready for battle with his pencil sharpener shield.
I just love this one. Check out the old camera and oil can.
Bernard Pras
Bernard Pras takes trash art to a whole other level. Absolutely stunning rendition of Bruce Lee.
This geisha looks fantastic! Notice the little face to the left of her eye.
Albert Einstein never looked so cool. I love the colors and shapes in this masterpiece.
Artworks Made From Trash
Ann P. Smith This awesome owl and bird sculpture was made from reclaimed electronic trash. It reminds me of the mechanical owl in The Clash of the Titans.







































Further Resources
- Amazing videos of inflatable sculptures made from trash bags.
- Lots of links to cool items made from trash and recycled materials.
- The imagination Factory - learn to make art from trash.
Those are really neat and artistic.
AND I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ARTIST USING TRASH FOR ART. OH WELL!!!!!! RHEA
Great post. love the CD chair
Great use for all the Aol disks
This post is a load of garbage. Or maybe it was simply ruined by the title. Little of this would ever be classified as art – many are functional objects, some is craft, much remains as garbage.
That being said, there are certainly some gems in here. Just think for a few minutes about your headline next time.
That being said, I bet you’re an artist, hahaha jerk.
It is art. Maybe not fine art, but it’s all art. The concept and meaning or statement behind many of these is what makes it art.
If anything, some of these are not made out of garbage, but art made out of other functional items. (I tend to think of garbage as stuff discarded-thrown away- after use) The pen lampshade is one. It looks like those are all new pens.
HEY! This is totally art! If you think that this isn’t art, then you aren’t a true artist, you downer! These works of art are great. I love the delicate beauty of the birds at the beginning.
Amazing Artwork !
Excellent. They are Terror designers. Catch them.
Awesome, great works !
Some of those are really creative. I particularly like the dragon.
Very cool! Love the guy with the pencil and shield :).
“i’m shocked.”
It’s amazing, thanks for sharing
Hi Ann,
Looked at your post for a second time. Do you know Thierry W. Despont? You should.
Eerily creative
Very interesting! I especially like the Horses by Sayaka and The soda can butterflies.
Really Mind blowing… Great Post…Thanks for Sharing
some unique pieces here. Liked the concept.
fantastic work … love the wire hanger sculptures in particular + the owl, goat + birds toward the beginning
Cool ideas! Love the Lamponi lamps!
Budget Raygun is prepared to meet all of your raygun-related needs.
@RK – “Art is in the eye of the beholder”….?? :\
hi
its nice and very good !
Nice creative work….
i like most…
A really great collection of images.
Thank you for taking the time to put these together.
I always try to get rid of my rubbish responsibly however it is at times demotivating whenever I take a look at what some nations seem to be doing to this wonderful planet!
steel storage bins are the best thing to use. they last very long and is recyclable too :
plastic and storage bins are both great, if i want a more durable storage bins then i would opt for steel storage bins :;.
These are so awe inspiring! My little 2D guys look so mild in comparison but your fabulous post has inspired me to try more/different/harder.
Thanks so much for putting these in one place to soak in the brilliance of these (without question) master artists.
One thing I would say, though, is that it seems to me that a lot of ‘found object’ artists are using new objects (or at least cleaning them to within an inch of their lives!!!
(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Focus-on-Art/101635023210614?v=photos)
I like the CD chair i will try to make this one at home :)
Very nice & inventive, like the toys made by african artists with used cans…
amzing…how do these master piece r made….m totally amazed n motivated
A neighbour of mine makes amazing clocks out of found objects. You can see his clocks on this sight. I cannot get over how clever he is!
Love it!
Great imagination and true talent:)
These are truly marvelous works of art! I love your concept on using garbage to make such creative artworks! Thumbs up!
The essence of every art is expression, whether it’s made of garbage or gold, is not the heart of the matter. These works are living proof of that thesis. Respect !
Many wants to be surrounded by beauty and gold, and they say “who wants to be surrounded by garbage?” i say, i want to be surrounded by these treasures. excellent work to the artist. <3
These are wonderful! What an inspiration and sustainable way to work.
I build a lot of things out of trash or scrounged materials as I like to call it, my house, art work, and other stuff. This art is amazing thank you.
Hello, everyone. Here’s a artistic robot sculpture I’ve made from junk materials brought about by the Typhoon Sendong (Washi) that ravaged our homes in Iligan City, Southern Philippines.
I hope that this may serve as an inspiration to everyone that after life’s challenges, one can get back on their feet and find the positive things in life. Cheers!
http://politikalon.blogspot.com/2012/02/artistic-robot-sculpture-made-from-junk.html
In front of my shop I have a tiny patch of dirt w some plants and to keep the dogs from doing their business there I made a chain fence from which i hung old discarded little plastic toys (it’s a children’s shop) as if they were ornaments. Little kids were absolutely fascinated by this fence- it was all junk, thrown away toys, but they recognized things or characters that they may have played with at some point. I also wanted to try to make the point of how all this stuff is way too disposable and there’s not enough people to be making it into art to keep it out of the landfill or that swirling vortex of plastic in the ocean.
Is Beautiful all imagens
Impressive work, surreal.
A great selection showcasing some fabulous artists. I’m pleased to see a couple I haven’t come across before. Thanks!
If all the trash in the world is converted into art the whole world would be a big and beautiful art museum. The art works are terriffic. Congrats.
In the curse of my life, I continue to be amaze by the Brilliant minds of humans.
GREAT ART WORK , love the cd chair!!!
i love this art!!!!!
Am an artist of the sort but OMG!!!! They are wonderful and prity cool!!! Fascinating wow!!Franklino