Americans alone toss out about 300 million tires every year. The big thinkers of the world are working on creative ways to reuse this vast quantity of rubber – ideas include mixing ground-up tires with urethane to create sidewalks or burning them like coal to produce energy. Meanwhile, some designers are thinking a little smaller. With the large Rubber Tote, discarded tires are hand-cut and hand-sewn into a vessel that can be used indoors or out as planter for a small tree, carrying container, space for gardening supplies or anything else that can benefit from solidly constructed storage. Modeled on ancient leather-crafting techniques, these durable containers are each unique and offer a functional alternative to the landfill. Not guaranteed to be watertight. Made in Egypt.

Looking for inspiration for your modern garden? Learn about our National Planter Project on the DWR blog or Facebook.