Francesco Corradino: the master of reuse and repurposing

A blog, very artisanal, but of great quality, for expand the culture and art of reuseAlmost as if to make it a habit, light but very powerful for the purpose of sustainability made of concrete, everyday things. Francesco Corradino, a very active seventy-year-old with two children and a cat, introduces his blog "The Art of Reuse" with these words: "I dream of a cleaner world, but I don't have the patience to wait for it to clean itself up..."

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REUSE THROWN AWAY ITEMS

From here, we navigate straight to the heart of his "Do Not Waste" project: reusing objects that seem destined for the garbage, the risk of pollution, uselessness, and the end of their lives. To transform them into furnishing accessories, pieces of art and design, and home accessories. Giving them new dignity and new uses, and helping to reduce the mountain of waste that surrounds us. So much so that Corradino uses, in the introduction to his work and his blog, a highly evocative appeal, worthy of a daily circular economy: "Learn to consume waste." And he does so by defining himself as "self-taught" and a lover of dreams, essentially someone like all of us. Or like all of us could be.

THE ART OF REUSE

The more complex the materials to be reused, the more our Reuser he's having fun, This is easy to understand even by reading the initial episode of his career as a recycler. During a work assignment as an employee of a telecommunications company in Turin, Corradino was struck by a large quantity of high-quality iron rods and galvanized pipes, practically new, ready for the landfill. Those pipes, evidently, didn't look new, yet they were. And they would have been completely wasted. Instead, Corradino, in exchange for just a pizza, had them donated to him so he could recycle them into other objects. And from that moment on, his life as a recycler began. Reuser, up to the blog "The Art of Reuse" where images of some of his works appear. Stunning. And invaluable for teaching each of us how simple and creative the activity of recycling, reusing, and repurposing is. Of not wasting.

TO KNOW MORE: Ten items we can use better. By reducing their quantity and replacing them (photos)

FRANCESCO CORRADINO, THE REUSER

The philosophy behind Corradino's work is precisely this: every object can and must have infinite potential and infinite lives, because only in this way can we strike at the heart of compulsive consumerism and waste. Sometimes even twofold: a cost for useless purchases and a price for disposing of what can instead be reused. For this reason, the Reuser It takes objects destined for the landfill and, through manual skills and creativity, restores them to everyday use. It doesn't require huge investments, because reusing is a hobby for everyone.  

All it takes is a workbench placed in a corner of a few square meters, in a garage, attic, or cellar. A few affordable tools are needed. What is absolutely essential, however, is willpower. Fueled by shared values ​​of non-wastefulness and a lack of fear of a certain degree of boredom, which can also be overcome by working with your hands. By learning to consume waste.

(Featured image and accompanying text taken from the blog The Art of Reuse)

IDEAS FOR DECORATING WITH CREATIVE RECYCLING:

• Tuna cans: with creative recycling they can be transformed into wall clocks and plant pots.
• Old drawers: with creative recycling they can be transformed into bathroom shelves and elegant planters.
• Old wine barrels: with creative recycling they can be transformed into mirrors, DIY cribs, and coffee tables (photos)