Ecoist is turning trash into fashion. The Miami based eco-design firm is riding a fast rising star in the burgeoning world of eco-friendly fashion with their elegant handbags made entirely of recycled materials. Purses made from candy wrappers, rice bags, movie billboards, and pull tabs from aluminum cans (seen left) not only look fantastic but also saves tons of garbage from making its way into overfilled landfills while providing a fashionable and readily available alternative to the large amount of energy needed to produce new materials for the merchandise.

Ecoist has also just partnered with Coca-Cola, Aveda and Luna Bar to create handbags made from misprinted or discontinues packaging materials. Says company co-founder, Jonathan Marcoschamer:

“We tap into that source of waste because it is reliable and unfortunately it’s abundant,”

You can by learning more about the work of 41pounds.org, a non-profit organization working to stop the enormous, unwanted waste created by junk mail and catalogs.

LINKS:

CNN International: Eco-fashion: Transforming Trash Into Treasures

Dallas Morning News: Paper or Plastic? These bags make the question obsolete.

There’s Something About Mary