5 floor and wall coverings made from waste

We call waste everything that has been discarded because it no longer has its original purpose, but gains a new function in another production process, such as raw material in industry, through recycling. When the material returns to the production chain, the circular economy begins. develops, creating a new cycle of use. The construction industry has accumulated several examples of furniture, raw materials and products made from waste of different natures. Below, we have listed five good examples of coatings that are manufactured from discarded materials.

Cobogós made from sururu shells

Cobogó Mundaú was developed by Marcelo Rosenbaum , Rodrigo Ambrósio and the Instituto A Gente Transforma using the sururu shell, a mollusk widely used in the cuisine of the Vergel community, in Maceió (AL) - despite the popularity of the mollusk, its shell was discarded as waste and it was estimated that 200 tons of shells accumulated every month around Lagoa Mundaú, generating an environmental and public health problem for the communities living there. Available on the Brazilian market from May , the pieces They are handcrafted in the community and follow the techniques of artisan Itamácio Santos. With an organically shaped hollow cutout, the surface of the cobogó is inspired by the shellfish's own outline and reflects the shell's iridescent shine, sometimes with a predominance of green, sometimes with a purple highlight. The product gained industrial scale with the support of Pointer , Portobello 's democratic design brand. The A Gente Transforma Institute is a project that promotes sustainability and shows that technology and creativity can be synonymous with reuse, with the use of alternative materials.

Skirting boards made of Styrofoam

Since it stopped using wood as its main raw material in the early 2000s, Santa Luzia has transformed almost 50 million kg of plastic waste into sustainable, high-performance, and durable construction materials. CASACOR even uses Styrofoam from the exhibitions to the company , where the material is transformed into coverings, skirting boards, baseboards, mirror frames, among other items. Since they are recycled pieces, the new products do not have the disadvantages of wood, plaster, or other traditional materials. In other words, they are free from mold, pests, and do not rot when exposed to moisture.

Tablets made with PET bottles

Rivesti maintains 33 colors in its permanent collection and also allows you to choose any Pantone color to suit special projects.

Ceramics made from glass, crockery and mud waste

Currently, 99% of Lepri 's lines are made from discarded materials, such as glass from TV screens and computer monitors, ash from burning firewood and fluorescent lamps. The mixture obtained from the decontaminated glass can be used in the composition of nail polishes. or combined with the mass of the coatings, which provides greater resistance. Recycling also contributes to the reduction of electronic waste. The company's most recent step towards sustainability was the development of a technique to use mining waste from the mud of the Fundão dam in Mariana, Minas Gerais. Today, around 50% of its products are made with the mud. from Mariana.

Coating made from coffee grounds

Produced by Recoffe Design , the Hexágono coating uses coffee grounds as a raw material and natural binders from renewable sources. The result is a surface rich in details that make each piece unique and exclusive, mainly because each unit is handmade. The company collects waste directly from the coffee industry (producers donate it when a product does not meet commercial standards) and also from partner coffee shops. With different textures and tones, the coating is waterproof, heat-resistant, rigid and very light. The modules can be glued to internal walls without direct exposure to sunlight and rain. And the best part: it smells like coffee!