Many of us change our cell phone covers more often than we change our hairstyles – one week we want a sleek black one, the next, that groovy one with the pop art flowers catches our eye.  Of course, when we finish with a cell phone cover, it ends up like most of the unwanted, discarded items in the world do, adding to the ever-expanding mountain of garbage that threatens to eventually engulf the planet.  That is, unless UK firm Smile Plastics has anything to do with it.  Since 1994, when they created sheets of multi-colored plastic from discarded bottles, Smile has been doing its part to create cool new stuff from old things nobody wants.

The repurposed cell phones are transformed into what Smile calls Mobiles Plastic Panels.  The phones aren't shredded or cut, just flattened to two dimensions, leaving it clear that the 6mm-thick sheets of plastic are, in fact, made entirely from old cell phones.  They can be used for table or desk tops, display panels, can be cut into coasters or just hung on the wall as an amazing new example of recycling as pop art.  They contain no additives, no resins; just 100% recycled cell phone cases.  And in case cell phones just aren't your thing, Smile also makes plastic sheets from crushed CDs, banknotes (money in the UK) and the plastic rain boots Commonwealth members known as Wellies.