Smetumet – or how waste can be made useful
March 2010
The society, which recently found new premises on one of Ljubljana's busiest roads, deals with the issues of waste articles in general, such as why they are considered waste, what to do with them and make out of them. Their home base, where I met Maja Modrijan and Maja Rijavec from the society, is real treasure trove of recycling ideas. I was impressed with the bags made from old umbrellas, as well as various products Smetumet produced for companies using waste from their marketing campaigns.
What is all about?
- I'd like a coffee! collection. Photo: Smetumet
Smetumet is a cultural, ecological society that deals with critical thinking and reflection on the issues of waste and society's attitude to the environment and their fellow humans. It does this by linking art, ecology, design and play. They teach others and create themselves. They work to address attitudes to nature, consumption, waste and modern ways of life. They have been operating actively, successfully and on an ever greater scale since 2007.
The three young women – Maja Rijavec, Maja Modrijan and Urša Štrukelj (and a few young men who've joined in too) – are convinced that waste is not ugly or dirty. Especially if it is properly separated. Waste can be useful, and a lot of useful and aesthetic products can be made out of it. And they change waste into useful and attractive products! Sounds simple enough.
- Photo: Smetumet
Each of them has a specific professional profile – from a professor of fine art to a range of social science backgrounds. They started from zero, with no references and no start-up capital just enormous reserves of enthusiasm. It was the idea and desire of doing something, changing something, and making their contribution to society that made them get things started. Without hesitation! “We noticed that nobody was properly addressing the subject of waste,” explains Maja Rijavec about their first moves. “We wanted to take some obvious, everyday ideas and practices and move them forward through waste.”
Today they are expanding the basic concept of addressing waste to natural cosmetics, recycled clothing and using different forms of waste to order. “We’re playing with natural elements, investigating and ask ourselves why things are like they are. We’re putting old things back into circulation. It’s about keeping things going if they can be used again,” they explain. “It’s a philosophy of life. We’re thinking holistically about our lifestyles as well.”
They teach others and create themselves
They continually seek alternatives to modern living, and attempt to present them to people through workshops and make them more accessible. “We would like to teach people to think about what they really need. Before people come to our workshops we encourage them to collect waste and bring it with them. This is to start them reflecting on their own process of waste generation.” As well as workshops (delavnice) the Smetumet society also organises ‘active workshops’ (dejavnice), the purpose of which is even greater action and involvement by guests and the opportunity for a deeper and more analytic approach to the subject.
At Smetumet they are convinced that reducing your waste is far more important than separating it. Once you have it, of course, you have to recycle it. We need to refresh our attitudes to consumption and to what we genuinely need. This is something else we teach at our workshops. Recycling is a means of resolving certain questions.
Not all waste is the same
- I'd like a coffee! collection. Photo: Smetumet
At Smetumet they have the conviction that waste is not something dirty, but has the potential to become something very useful. Although they have a lot of supporters who collect and bring them waste, while they also frequently check larger-item rubbish collection points, they avoid some kinds of waste. They consider plastic bottles to be completely superfluous in terms of function and environmental burden.
In their designs they always look for natural alternatives to synthetic materials. Instead of glue they cooked flour and used it to make puppets, for example (which are still in one piece). They also like to experiment with natural pigments. They use various handicrafts and skills that today are starting to lose their importance, and which they would like to prevent from dying out. They use them to create modern products and sometimes use them in completely untraditional ways and with new materials. They are continually studying, discovering and looking for new techniques to apply to waste materials.
They are very happy about any special forms of waste they acquire from customers, such as companies that order business gifts to be made from their waste. “It’s an incredible feeling to start with next to nothing and make something new that is functional and above all ecological.”
The society is financed through tenders, with some financing coming from their own activities and products, which are the fruit of their own ecological and creative work. They also do interior decorating – primarily by recycling old furniture and re-upholstering it. They find most of the materials they use for renovation at large-item waste points. They have also collaborated with companies for which they have prepared special business gifts.
Where next?
Smetumet looks to the future and remains open to any ideas about the environment and new forms of recycling. Their aim for this year is to prepare a handbook with instructions and on what people can do themselves to make a cleaner environment. They would like to present their philosophy and concept to others. They are also planning a major project called pREobleka on the theme of textile issues, which will include workshops on how to transform clothing and training events that will focus on the ecological and ethical side of our clothing habits.
There is certainly no shortage of ideas at Smetumet. Even the commitment they bring to everything they do makes them an example to many. The work of these young women is a real inspiration! And another thing … did you know that paper can be worked very nicely on a sewing machine?
Text by Polona Prešeren, Sinfo, February 2011 
Photos: Smetumet
Some quotes:
“It’s an incredible feeling to start with next to nothing and make something new that is functional and above all ecological.”
“We wanted to take some obvious, everyday ideas and practices and move them forward through waste.”
“We’re playing with natural elements, investigating and ask ourselves why things are like they are. We’re putting old things back into circulation. It’s about keeping things going if they can be used again.”
Re-think, re-fuse, re-use and re-cycle
A bag, notebook, pencil, multi-use carry bag, clothes ... all made from used but still useful materials that still have a point and ways to be used. That is what they do at the Smetumet cultural and ecological society. Their mission is re-think, re-fuse, re-use and re-cycle.
There is certainly no shortage of ideas at Smetumet. Even the commitment they bring to everything they do makes them an example to many. The work of these young women – Maja Rijavec, Maja Modrijan and Urša Štrukelj is a real inspiration!
Smetumet
Smetumet is a cultural, ecological society that deals with critical thinking and reflection on the issues of waste and society's attitude to the environment and their fellow humans. It does this by linking art, ecology, design and play.