This fish mosaic by John T. Unger consists entirely of recycled materials. There are bottle caps throughout the length of the fish as well as recycled metal fins and a dustpan tail. John T. Unger has a large series of fish mosaics which vary in style, colour and size. The undulating reflections of the hundreds of bottle caps give the fish unexpected colour and texture while perfectly representing the scales of a fish.

This mosaic also by John T. Unger uses Italian glass to make up the head and body of a mermaid while the maiden's dreadlocks and fish she's holding are made up of hundreds of bottle caps. The mixture of bottle caps and Italian glass give modern art a folksy feel.

This Atlas bottle cap mosaic by John T. Unger leads to a variety of interpretations ... from holding up the weight of the worlds garbage, to being crushed by alcoholism, to a desire to drink in the entire world.
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This bottle cap mosaic on the back of a house is a sure way to grab people's attention. The green vines convert a boring beige clad house into an extension of the garden. It even evokes images of Jack and the beanstalk. In these tumultuous economic times, this bottle cap mosaic is a sure way to add substantial value to the house while keeping items out of landfills at the same time!

Whichever way these bottle cap and glass mosaics are interpreted, one thing remains clear: bottle caps can be used to beautiful and add value to items in many ways.

This has looked at garbage from a different view point. How can we reuse our trash in innovative, creative and artistic ways? How can we keep the planet from staggering under the weight of all of the garbage? Give it a try ... you may be surprised at what you can accomplish with something you'd otherwise throw away.

This is a guest post by Paula Mitchell Bentley