The recyclers are circling.

It's the 60s all over again. Circles, swirls and dots are fashionable - take the mod clutch Allison found recently, or this recycled journal from Ecojot. But beyond style, these are practical innovations for a greener planet.

Take metal washers, for example. They're everywhere, keeping threaded screws tight behind the scenes in nigh-on every conceivable domestic situation. Countless millions get thrown away when it's time to renovate or move. They can be melted down - but surely something more creative could be done with them instead (as with soda can pull-tabs)?

One answer is in the eye-catching work of Tammy Roy at One Eighty Designs. She takes discarded metal discs and washers and turns them into items like decorative bowls and baskets and this pendant light (throwing fabulous shadows across your room). All her items are welded and made from reclaimed steel and salvaged wood.

Rather than simply reducing unwanted items into raw material once more, we like it when artful recyclers can utilize old forms, bringing  industrial ingenuity full circle.

Pictured: "Mixed Media Bowl", $85.