One Woman's Trash Is Another Woman's...Lingerie?

By JOEL MILLMAN and ROBERT GUY MATTHEWS

Even though gift-giving was relatively stingy this Christmas season, enough stuff changed hands to generate plenty of leftover trash. And that means good tidings for the artists who transform cast-offs into commodities.

Falling prices for recycled paper means Christmas trash this year is worth only a fraction of what it fetched last year, leaving only a few winners in this market. WSJ's Joel Millman reports.

Curbsides and trash bins are suddenly overflowing with bags, boxes and other booty that will become the raw material for creations ranging from candle holders to jewelry to undergarments.

"Ross Dress for Less has a bag, a solid gray, that I love," said Barbara De Pirro of Shelton, Wash., a 49-year-old "eco artist" who crochets handbags and baskets out of ribbons cut from shopping bags. While she also treasures a "beautiful royal blue" that Nordstrom's department stores use, her true love is a bright red sack with silver lining from Target Stores that leaves her almost misty-eyed.