Where Circularity Meets Creativity (by Lex Shannon, Public Education and Engagement Senior Manager at Eco-Cycle)

As the saying goes, waste isn’t waste until we waste it.

At Eco-Cycle, we believe the key to achieving circularity in Colorado is changing the way we interact with and consider natural resources. While recycling is an important part of this system, our goal is to encourage folks to see that resources are most valuable in their original form—still in the ground. Every time we can avoid extracting new materials, it’s a win for circularity. Music from Scrap reflects this philosophy by demonstrating how materials that already exist can be repurposed in meaningful and unexpected ways.

The project challenges the music industry’s reliance on virgin materials like wood and metal, which are typically extracted, processed, and shaped into traditional instruments. In contrast, the instruments created for Music from Scrap give new life to materials that have already been through that process. These are fully functional instruments used to perform original music—not novelty objects or simple craft projects.

A quick search for musical instruments made from recycled materials often turns up children’s toys or simple DIY projects, but rarely examples of instruments designed for serious performance. While shifting an entire industry toward circularity is a lofty goal, Music from Scrap focuses on empowering its community to find creativity and joy in climate change solutions at any scale.

Stay tuned (pun intended) for the latest on reuse.

Eco-Cycle will soon be unveiling our latest tool—designed to support businesses and

consumers interested in reuse. The Reuse Hub for Boulder and Beyond is a virtual platform dedicated to celebrating and supporting eco-conscious shopping and dining options throughout our region. It will offer resources on best practices for integrating reusables, guides to secondhand and reuse-focused businesses, and much more.

Come to the Music from Scrap Opening Concert & Reception to learn more from Lex Shannon about the work Eco-Cycle does and the tools it has created to help our community work toward a more sustainable future.