One person’s trash is another person’s wardrobe.
To see for yourself, come to Canyonlands Community Recycling’s fourth annual fundraiser Trashion Show, where people will wear garments created from repurposed trash and other recycled materials.
Prizes will be awarded for “Best Costume,” “Most Creative” and “Trashiest.”
One of the winners last year wore a cocktail dress she created out of old vinyl record albums; another person designed a cocktail dress from bindings and pages of books. A couple of years ago, someone devised a bird costume using shredded paper for feathers.
Kari Han plans to be the “Queen of Hearts” at this year’s Trashion Show. The mother of four is creating a skirt, corset and headpiece out of pop tabs and old playing cards.
“It’s a good outlet for creativity,” said Han, a former costume designer for a Denver dance team. “I’m super excited – I like being social and it’s a good outlet for my art, also.”
Other past costumes have included a “beer warrior” conveyed by a suit of armor created with beer boxes. Another person stitched a dress out of bike tires.
The fundraising event will be held at Woody’s Tavern, with DJs Uncle Logan, DJ Thirtina, Paradox and Jen Woolfe spinning dance tunes throughout the evening.
“The music will be upbeat and dancey,” Scott said.
Logan Hansen, aka Uncle Logan, became a disc jockey at age 16. He said he expects Saturday’s song selection to span 60 years of music.
“It should be great fun hearing what everyone comes up with for the special night,” Hansen, 34, said. “It will vary from pop- and hip hop-inspired dance music to cutting-edge techno to whatever else. I’ve got a special set lined up that even wades into classic rock a bit.”
A signature Trashion show drink special will also be available. Proceeds from the event will benefit Canyonlands Community Recycling’s (CCR’s) mission of “enhancing sustainability by empowering the Moab community to reduce, reuse and recycle,” CCR Program Director Abby Scott said.
A brand-new cruiser bike from Moab Classic Bike will be raffled off during the evening. Raffle tickets are $1, or six for $5. A fire dance performance will take place during the evening outside the tavern.
“It’s been a really good event; a really fun event,” with last year’s Trashion Show raising about $2,000 for the nonprofit organization, Scott said.
In 1991, CCR served as Moab’s recycling center. In 2010, the Grand County Solid Waste Special Service District took over recycling operations and CCR began focusing on educational and outreach programs to promote sustainability in Moab.
“Our big focus has been filling in the gaps in recycling,” Scott said.
Canyonlands Community Recycling started a monthly mixed-paper collection, in collaboration with Moab Solutions and the U.S. Post Office. The solid waste district currently assumes that responsibility. CCR continues to sponsor electronics recycling twice a year – in May and November – where people can drop off their televisions, computers and other electronic equipment.
Canyonlands Community Recycling also sponsors youth programming, such as field trips to the recycling center, and Youth Garden Project Summer Camp activities.
Scott works part-time as CCR’s sole employee.
“We collaborate with a lot of organizations to maximize what we can accomplish,” she said. “We work to publicize resources for other hard-to-recycle items. For example, NAPA Auto Parts will take car batteries, for free,” and a local office supply store accepts spent ink cartridges, she said.
As winter drifts into spring, this event is seen as a time for locals to come together before the month of March, when Moab begins to get busy with out-of-towners, Scott said.
For more information about recycling in Moab, visit: www.moabrecycles.org, or www.facebook.com/canyoncommunityrecycling.
Unique fundraiser at Woody’s features local DJs spinning dance tunes
What: The Trashion Show – a fundraising event for Canyonlands Community Recycling
When: Saturday, Feb. 21, 8 p.m.
Where: Woody’s Tavern, 221 S. Main St.
Cost: $10 in costume, or $15 without a costume
Information: 435-210-4996; CCR@MoabRecycles.org
