Earth Month Repurposed art Challenge 2026
April showers bring May flowers… let’s change things up and start April with flowers!
Please join me in the 2026 Earth Month Repurposed Art Challenge - let’s repurpose every day for 30 days. Because every little bit counts.
why repurposed art?
This challenge will open your eyes to all the bits of plastic that might go into the trash and make their way into oceans and landfills. The more of us who participate and see this project, the better the chances we have of affecting positive change and reducing single-use plastic pollution.
Here’s the deal:
use plastic detritus from your own household/studio/workplace to create!
You opened up a new milk container and pulled out that little white tab? That tab cannot be recycled, use it in your artwork instead.
Do you wear daily contact lenses? The containers that they come in are not recyclable, use them in your art! And don’t forget that tiny bit of foil too!
You opened a new jar of peanut butter. But first you had to take off that crinkly clear plastic bit that was sealing the cap right? That little piece of plastic cannot be recycled, but it’ll be a great flower creation!
You get the idea, right?!
Here are a few visuals for you:
this year's challenge is all about flowers!
For every day in April there is a flower prompt. It’s up to you how you’d like to interpret it. You can make it as realistic or as abstract as you like.
here’s how to prepare:
➡️ Prepare 30 pieces (30 days in April!) of a repurposed material that you can use as a base for your collage. I intend to stitch some of my collages so I’m choosing something I can stitch through. Make these bases small, but not too small; 4”x4”, 5”x5”, 4”x 6”, and 3”x5” are perfect for this project. Bubble mailers, sturdy plastic shopping bags and plastic lids work great!
➡️ Starting right now, start collecting those little weird bits of plastic that I described above. Get a container and set all those bits in there. Rinse those which need it, and just keep building your collection.
➡️ Starting April 1st, consider your first prompt and pull out the bits of plastic which you think may work best. You’ll already have many to choose from, play around and see what will work the best. You can glue, cut, stitch, and/or draw on and around the bits of plastic, you can add things from your stash!
➡️ This is supposed to be fast and fun. The point is that you used a useless plastic bit, you saved it from going to the landfill or the incinerator and you have transformed it! From trash to treasure, you’ve made the invisible visible and you’ve made the world a better place! Don’t overthink it, follow your intuition.
➡️ When the 30 days are over, you can stitch all your pieces into one artwork. Arrange all the pieces and stitch them together, maybe in a quilt like pattern. You might want to stitch them all together into a book or just a long, long ribbon. Or you can just let them be individual pieces!
➡️ Post your art daily on IG and FB and be sure to tag me @artbynatalya so that I can share your work!