What started as an innovative alternative to spending less on Christmas presents in December 2009 is now a project and a shop called UBots, short for Upcycled Bots. It also takes its etymology from the word abubot or “knickknacks” or “ornaments.” It’s established by zero-waste advocates Eryk Sabitsana and Bam Basbas.
The two stumbled upon a drawer filled with an assortment of forgotten items such as broken chargers, wires, and USB cables. Using basic garage tools, they decided to upcycle these materials and make robot figures out of them.
UBots is a creative solution to technological and electronic waste. All materials that are used in creating these digital accessories are made out of recycled technological debris with raw handcrafting skills. As a zero-waste project, they aim to transform the everyday trash into “hardware store” fashion accessories with that industrial-pop flair.
They only carry one-offs, meaning each UBot is made one of a kind and cannot be duplicated or mass produced identically. Here are just some of the many special UBots pieces that you may get your hands on:
Gayumatrix
Derived from the Filipino word gayuma which means “charm,” these keychains are made out of old wires and earphone AV jacks, and then decorated with beads.
E2-D2
Their bookmarks called E2-D2 are made from a flat wooden marker and various upcycled electronic waste. It gets its name from Eto, Dito to remind you which page you last read.
Tugz-Tugz
From the word tugtog, this combination of old jewelry and other electronic waste helps you organize your earphones.
You may check out more of UBots’ products on their Facebook and Instagram profiles. You may also visit them at Craft Central at Greenbelt 5, Makati City and Curators at Uptown Mall, Bonifacio Global City.
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Featured image courtesy of UBots on Instagram
Read more:
Why don’t you try upcycling this 2018?
Decluttering for 2018? Here’s what to do with pre-loved items
Thinking of going zero-waste? You’re not alone
Writer: DANEE TORRES
