Folk Art South Africa was born out of a passion for South African folk art and a strong desire to contribute to the needs of those living with HIV/AIDS and to help those living with the disease to attain a sustainable income. A good portion of their site is made up of products made from recycled materials…so, of course, that’s why we love ‘em!

OllyMolly Recycled Wallet

Mirrors framed in plastic bottle tops or flip flop circles and decorated using recycled rope.
Wallets carefully handcrafted using recycled paper labels and laminated plastic. These colorful money holders are created by a company called “Ollymolly”. A percentage of the profit from Ollymolly products goes towards the support of AIDS infected and affected infants at the Bowry House in South Africa.
$16.99 Ollymolly wallet at Folk Art South Africa

$34.99 Ollymolly handbag at Folk Art South Africa

Wola Nani Papier Mache Bowls

Made by women living with HIV/AIDS created from recycled over-prints from canning factories in Cape Town. Great for wall decor or holding bananas on the kitchen counter…not for food storage.
$9.99 at Folk Art South Africa

Small Zolo

Made from recycled rubber tires, a fun little creature to brighten up your home or workspace.
$18.99 at Folk Art South Africa

Recycled Square Mirror

The Kommetjie Environmental Awareness Group (KEAG) runs litter clean-up projects on the beaches of the South African Cape Peninsula. Hundreds of bags of litter are collected each month- mostly plastics. With this in mind, KEAG began to explore the concept of making crafts from waste.
$42.00 at Folk Art South Africa

Recycled Cow Head Mask

Crafts from waste. The masks are made from recycled bottle tops, slip slops circles, and recycled plastic containers.
$39.99 at Folk Art South Africa

Recycled Candle Stick Holders - from bottle caps

Recycled bottle caps upcycled and transformed into candle sticks to add a bit of eco-friendly sparkle to your dinner party.
$24.99 - $31.99 depending on height at Folk Art South Africa

Recycled “Africa Time” Desk Clock

Created from recycled tin cans and handpainted.
$34.99 at Folk Art South Africa

Recycled Goat Head Mask- Black Leather

Masks created from recycled bottle tops, flip flop circles, plastic containers, and leather bicycle seats. Created from the KEAG clean up projects which collect litter strewn on South African beaches.
$42.00 at Folk Art South Africa

Recycled Round Mirror with Hearts and Circles

Mirrors framed in plastic bottle tops or pieces of flip flops circles and decorated using recycled rope.
$39.99 at Folk Art South Africa

Handcrafted by Etsy artist, Loran Scrugg, these whistles are colorful and utilitarian. Created completely from recycled or vintage tin and bottle caps. Lots of colors available.
$14.00 each at Lorna Scrugg’s Etsy Shop

Splaff Recycled Sandals

Handmade in California, these sandals are made from recycled race car tires and bicycle Inner tubes. Available in men’s and women’s sizes and available in two styles (gladiator and flip flop)
$38.95 at Vegan Essentials

Genuine Viet Minh / Viet Cong, Ho Chi Minh Tire Sandals

Hand made in Cambodia from old tires. 100% recycled. Unisex ..just measure you feet in inches.
$45.00 at GrannysStore

Shoes Made from your Recycled Jeans

For the eco warrior or funky fashionista, send in your old jeans and get back a pair of sandals made out of that very same pair of jeans. Manufactured in the UK.
£45.00 at Recycle your Jeans

Don’t have a pair of jeans to spare? They’ve got that covered, too.
Made from recycled Denim.
£45.00 at SoftWalker

Simple Shoes- Toe Foo

This sandal, the Toe Foo, has hemp uppers lined in bamboo along with 100% post consumer paper pulp foot forms. Comes in black, olive and tan and in men’s and women’s sizes.
$45.00 at Simpleshoes.com

Simple Shoes- U.F. Toe

From Simple Shoes, the U.F. Toe sports a recycled car tire outsole, 100% post consumer paper pulp foot forms and a hemp upper. Comes in several colors and men’s and women’s sizes.
$55.00 at Simpleshoes.com

Simple Shoes- Toepeeka

Available in two colors and come in men’s and women’s whole sizes. Simple Shoes donates $5.00 for each pair of these Stop Global Warming Toepeeka flip-flops that you buy. 100% post consumer paper pulp foot forms
$65.00 at Simpleshoes.com

Simple Shoes- Cushee

The Cushee has a recycled rubber outsole and 100% post consumer paper pulp foot forms along with water based cements. Men’s and women’s whole sizes are available.
$25.00 at Simpleshoes.com

Patagonia

The midsole contains recycled (20%) EVA, and the outsole is made from 70% natural latex harvested from the Hevea tree. The heel is wrapped in a mixture of latex and coconut. Comes in six colors.
$80.00 at Patagonia

Patagonia - W’s Shore Thing

The footbed is made from 15% recycled material wrapped in cork that adapts to the shape of your foot; the strap is leather and the post is recycled nylon.
$80.00 at Patagonia

Patagonia - W’s Swell Slide

The midsole is 15% recycled EVA foam wrapped in cork and the outsole contains 20% recycled content.
$80.00 at Patagonia

Dr. Scholl’s Renew

This vegan version is made from natural hemp canvas with a buckle made from recycled metal. The wood soles are constructed of sustainable wood and they come in a recycled box and an organic cotton shoe bag! Perfect for every summer outfit and oh so comfy!
$92.95 at Zappos.com

Mohop Shoes

Mohop shoes are the creation of Annie Mohaupt, and are composed of rubber soling made from recycled tires, a Finnish birch plywood core, and topped with various select veneers. Only the most environmentally-friendly woods, glues, sealers and inks are used on these shoes. Essentially, these shoes are completely customizable by changing the ribbons that tie the shoes on. Different lengths and styles of ribbons can be used to achieve a virtually infinite number of looks with just one pair of wooden bottoms. Different heal heights and shoe shapes are available.
$150.00 at Mohop

El Naturalista Ikebana

Insole is made from recycled cork and the outsoles are made from recycled high quality rubber. The uppers are leather and come in six different colors for all your eco-fashion needs!
$125 at Planet Shoes

Looking for Vegan Shoes or Vegetarian Shoes for summer? Check out our sister site GreatGreenShoes!

Recycled tin packaging with colorful logos and type is refashioned into kitschy lamps for un-plugged candlelight. Two sizes. Indoor or sheltered outdoor use. The large size is perfect for a pillar candle and the small size is perfect for tealights.
$14.95 - $29.95 at CB2

Recycled PET plastic bottles are upcycled and given a new life! Everything from napkin rings to piggy banks to organizers on this site from Switzerland.
Candle holders 6 fr. and Tea light holders 6 fr. each at Ryterdesign.ch

Created from dismantled Thai fishing boats, the palette of this mirror will remind you of the serenity and calmness of the sea.
$198.00 with $15.00 surcharge for special shipping at Viva Terra

There’s a great story behind these necklaces: UniquEco - The (flip flop) Recycling Company was founded by two women, Julie Church and Tahreni Bwanaali in 2005.

UniquEco has contributed to the collection of flipflops, washed up from as far a field as Japan, Indonesia, and Malaysia, on almost 150 km of Kenya’s coastline. The group is now collecting rubbish from urban centers such as Kibera, Musongari and Ongata Ongai in Nairobi.

The company started with creating recycled flip flop key chains for the World Wildlife Fund and has expanded into recycled flip flop jewelry and toys. The company not only provides sustainable income opportunities for the women and youth of the community but also the beach collections have had a positive impact on nesting turtles and their hatchlings.

Flip-flops are joined together and then carved into a variety of wonderful one-of-a-kind sculptures such as fish, whales, planes, cars, boats, animals, insects etc… The remaining pieces of the carved and punched shoes are collected and shipped in sacks to Nairobi where they are then ground down to fill cushions.

UniquEco is one of those businesses that you want to support. They believe they can make a difference through fair business, combined with social and environmental goals
£25.00 for necklaces and £20.00 for hippos, available for purchase at Made

Tiffany Tomato, one of the world’s most creative design junkies is up to her eco-friendly tricks again! This time she has created a series of four kits for do-it-yourself-ers. Basically these super-easy kits provide everything you need - just need to add a bunch of recycled garbage and you get your own work of art, made all by yourself! Kits include: magazine envelopes (requires recycled magazine pages), a wine cork trivet (requires recycled wine corks), a bottle lamp (requires recycled soda bottles), and bottlecap magnets (requires recycled bottle caps).

For information, check out Tiffany’s new website Replay Ground

Previously featured products from Tiffany Tomato.
[Tip of the hat to Nicola at Acorn Studios]

Pink and Sparkly up-cycled aluminum pop can tab purse.
$40.00 at Sarah Roemer’s Etys Store

This is for when you need something versatile!! Works equally well during the day or as an elegant evening bag. Hand crocheted with over 700 recycled aluminum pull-tabs. Nicely lined with one inside zip pockets. This bag is a screamer!
$95.00 at Escama

For the evening on the town, this will carry your bare essentials. The strap is quality faux leather. Free from animal cruelty while recycling 350 aluminum pop tabs.
$77.00 at Escama

For regular everyday, this may be the perfect sized bag. Not only made entirely of recycled materials but these eco-friendly bags are fair-trade and engage socially empowering business practices employing Brazilian craftswomen in the hand production of these bags. Each bag comes signed with a note from the artisan who made the bag.
$160.00 at Escama

If you want to Recycle the Pull Tops in Your Life:

Interesting twist to donating pop tabs – there is a famous urban legend about donating pop tabs to provide kidney dialysis to those in need. The myth is busted here and here, but the Ronald McDonald House has taken advantage of the old legend by starting a real program to collect aluminum tabs. Click here for Ronald McDonald House donation details.

If you want to create something from recycled pop tops:

Instructions:

Purchase recycled pop tabs on Ebay here!

Inspiration:

if you want more instructions on MORE things to make with recycled pop tops.
Ebooks: Keeping Tabs – Amazing decorations made from aluminum can pull-tabs $10.75 at Aluminous Publishing

Books: Pop-topping Paperback By Pop-Top Terp and Kenneth Patton at Amazon

More Recycled Pop Tab Products to Purchase:

This original creation is from a Braziian artist,l Neide Ambrosio, who puts a bit more crochet in her poptop creations.
$129.95 at Novica.com

A backpack lets you keep your hands free to shop and carry the rest of your loads. Recycled pop tabs crocheted by hand with black thread. Fair trade with artists from Brazil.
$114.93 at Novica.com

This belt is very flexible and adjustable and oh so ecological. Made out of recycled pop tops.
$48.95 at Novica.com

Made from 22 hand-picked and polished soda can tabs and woven with silver or gold elastic and adorned with bead accents. Perfect accessory for you to make a very “green” statement.
$20.50 at Repurposed 4 You

Funky and fun a quick easy way to show the world where your ears are at when it comes to saving the earth and reusing a few of its resources.
$10.00 at Close the Loop

Colorful poptab purse made by Indie artist, Pop Top Lady. It has a colorful yellow cotton lining and closes with a magnetic snap.
$75.00 at PopTopLady’s Etsy Shop

Recycled pull tabs combined with recycled cowhide leather from discards from furniture makers makes a luxurious soft bracelet. Handmade and no two are alike. Your choice of many colors of leather.
$14.95 at Save the World Designs

Designed by saelee oh from Lemonade Maid and jill bliss from Blissen, here is a 2008 calendar filled with designs of imaginary natural communities of weeds gardens and forests. Created on 100% recycled, (50% post-consumer waste) paper and printed with vegetable-based inks.
$15.00 at Blissen