Regular readers of this blog know I'm obsessed with the idea of one person's garbage becoming another's raw material, particularly when there's a minimum of processing involved. One fascinating example of this phenomenon is designer Emiliano Godoy's "Snowjob" chair, which is skinned in candy wrappers. (Not used ones, but misprints and obsolete ones.)
One point Godoy raises -- which sheds some light on the name of the chair -- is that these wrappers all have recycling symbols on them, yet he claims that the material...
...although technically recyclable, is never recycled, not even in its virgin, post-industrial state. One label on the back is folded in such a way that the recycling logo that appears on each candy wrapping is visible, speaking about the fact that the cover is made from recycled materials, but also about the misdirecting impression that this logo makes on the final consumer, who might think that candy wrappers are actually recycled when in fact none of them is.
I do wish Godoy would back this claim up with some links or evidence. This is not to cast doubt on his statements, but rather because I'd be very interested in reading up on why these things are not recycled, how they are able to get away with it, and what other materials claim recyclability but never see re-use.