Dentures to Fruit Peels: Endless Possibilities in Recycling

Color-coded bins denoting plastic, paper and glass can frequently be seen decorating curbsides across the United States. In Buenos Aires, this system of recycling doesn’t work.


By Flickr user frankh Instead, walk down any street in the Argentine capital and you will find cartoneros, a group of mainly immigrant families who sift through trash day after day and take the waste to recycling facilities. The loosely organized concept of cartoneros began in 2001 in response to the country’s economic crisis, as means of survival. Only recently has the government incorporated them into its waste management plans.

Whether you agree with the practice or not, it can’t be denied that cartoneros have saved unnecessary landfill space. In this context it works – at least for now. It also makes me think: how are other countries adapting its recycling efforts to their culture?

Japan is taking a bite out of waste by recycling, of all things, dentures! Recognizing that dentures contain many precious metals, the Japan Denture Recycle Association donates half its proceeds to UNICEF and the other half to local government welfare offices. Couple this with the fact that many Japanese don prosthetic devices, and you’ve got a lot of people smiling. Who knew that grandpa’s teeth could be used for a good cause?

Over in Senegal, recycling is both an effort to help the environment and in poorer areas, help people in need. Old rice bags are filled with hay for use as a mattress, tin cans are modified into toys and sheet metal is transformed into suitcases. But perhaps the most interesting of all, fruit peels are used to make local perfume. I’m now starting to see my discarded orange peels each morning in a whole new light.

Know about any innovative recycling going on in your neighborhood, city or country? Spread the word by leaving a comment below!

This entry is by Celeste, who most recently wrote about her utter lack of cooking prowess.