Nadia's Gallery recycling waste into works of art

While governments and industry bodies try to figure a way through the ever increasing stockpile of plastic waste, a Taree artist has chosen to not only use waste material, but to recreate it into works of art.

Nadia Zarb of Nadia's Art Gallery and Gifts in Taree has made such things as plastic containers and empty aluminium cans staples of her artistic creations.

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"There's so much going into landfill and I've always loved to upcycle," Nadia said.

"I started out upcycling furniture, frames, mirrors, all sorts of things, just giving things a second life."

Crediting her grandmother for her thrifty ways, Nadia says her nan taught her the importance of making the most of whatever you've got.

"My nan lived through the war and they saved everything, and she was the one who made me think more about keeping things longer and not being wasteful," Nadia said.

"Nowadays a lot of goods aren't made to last and they just end up in landfills.

"But if we can divert it from landfill and turn it into something we can enjoy or reuse or just to have in our presence, it's just fun."

Nadia's works are created from such things as biscuit boxes, cereal boxes, buttons, jigsaw puzzles, aluminium cans and bottle lids to name but a few.

From this material she creates mosaics, sculptures, wall hangings, along with a multitude of knickknacks and gifts.

Global plastics production has grown from 50 million metric tonnes in 1950 to a staggering 367 million metric tonnes in 2020 - an increase of over 86 per cent, with little in the way of effective recycling to counter this trend.

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While recycling programs are in the process of figuring out best practices for ongoing sustainability, the emphasis is shifting to individuals to play their part in reducing the amount of waste material entering the environment.

"I think we all need to change our way of thinking and if we can repurpose or reuse, that's fantastic," Nadia said.

"There's so much that's easily thrown away. People buy furniture and the next year it gets pushed out onto the side of the road or into landfill.

"But thank goodness there's places like op shops and markets where you can bring your secondhand stuff and give it a second life.

"And there's so much you can do with your old items, just by learning a new skill, learning a new hobby and reusing something and making it your own style and your own colours as well."

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