How do you turn a Billboard from Eyesore to Treasure?

Did you ever wonder what happens to billboards when they're taken down? The reality is this: These thick, largely unrecyclable masses of material typically get thrown away. On average, 10,000 tons, or 3 million billboards annually in the US alone.

TerraCycle saw an opportunity here, leveraging the material's extreme durability, something that could be considered a liability when seen in terms of waste disposal, with the idea of making backpacks, messenger bags and more, with a lifetime warranty. Not something many other $35 bags can say! 

Each bag is completely unique, as it comes from various parts of billboards, forming an attractive, cohesive design. Rather than wrestle with how to go about making something they'd never attempted, they enlisted the expertise of YakPak, a company with an ideal combination of decades of bag making experience and high integrity in their employee relations.

Instead of writing all about the bag I got to test, I decided to show you, in GreenSmith Consulting's first ever video review. Enjoy!

A bag like this sparks the imagination. Where did each part of it come from? What did this small piece on the front look like from a distance, up there on a billboard? What else could be done with other likewise "unrecyclable" materials?

For kids, and I imagine adults, having something that comes directly from its previous source, rather then something whose original source has been obscured as it's melted, shredded, and otherwise made unrecognizable from its previous incarnation, will be a very satisfying experience, one that they can share with friends and colleagues, serving both as an ego boost for the owner and an educational experience for those asking about it.

Readers: What other interesting examples of upcycling have you seen out there? What other materials that aren't currently being recycled could you see being upcycled into products? Do you own a Terracycle bag? If so, what's been your experience? Comment below please.