The key to good ‘building with garbage’ practice is to create items that are esthetically progressive and that embody good design. To me, good design is based on form and function contributing to each other.  These days there is a lot of great waste material out there.  So it’s never been easier to build with garbage.  Here are some things that I’ve learned from building with garbage:

1) Look for materials that ‘just work’.  For me, this occurred with the design of the I-Seat and the rest of the I-Line products.  Heavy-gauge I-beam has a form that naturally lends itself to being a seat/table/bench pedestal.  Further, its shape enables a seat to be fastened on the top, and the pedestal to be fastened to the ground – naturally. The fact that the I-beam we salvaged was used to hold up a hi-rise, means it exceeds any load capacity a bench or seat could ever require.  And there’s something kind of luxurious about that.  Look for materials that just naturally work.

2) Look for objects that have  Major Transformation Potential (MTP).  Wood is a great example of this.  Often, even the most crappy piece of wood, as long as it’s not rotten, can be refurbished to look brilliant.  Even a standard 2″ x 4″ can be sanded to look amazing.  Raw cedar, like stumps and logs pulled from the bush, have a lot of MTP.  Some of our most impressive Reclaim benches were milled out of the ugly duckling of the wood pile.

3) Look for materials that have been retired from heavier duty.  Like hiring the retired Navy Seal to teach the Boy Scouts, employing heavy-duty material for lighter-duty applications is usually a win-win.  I took materials that were reclaimed from a rural bridge and made a kitchen table out of them.  These materials were strong enough to hold up bridge traffic in their past life, so they are definitely strong enough to hold up a couple plates, some drinks and our fruit bowl.  We’ll definitely hide under the table if there is ever an earth quake.  Based on the materials it’s made out of, it’s way over-engineered.  But again, nothing exceeds like excess, and when you’re building with garbage you can indulge yourself.

Bob Maydonik is the owner of Reclaim Recycled Products, a brand devoted to manufacturing furniture with salvaged materials.