Reuse.

I like to reuse my cups and sticks as much as possible. The easiest way to do this is to wait for the resin to cure, then pull out the excess.

A little tip, to help get rid of those annoying small bits, double over your tape of choice (I use Frog Tape) and then go around your pot/cup dabbing, and the tape will pick up those last little pieces!

Silicone or plastic pots and sticks are easiest to remove resin from. Paper cups and wooden stir sticks have advantages, but they encourage more of a throw away nature as they are harder to reuse.

Waste less.

The good thing with resin art is that you can add layers. If there’s a piece you really don’t like, you can just pour over the top of it and start again!

This means very little of your art should make it to the bin as there’s always a way of recovering it.

Resin can also be used as a glue. Therefore if any bits need fixing or correcting, you can just mix some more up and bond the resin to itself. If using this technique, ensure you have a clean, dust free surface, scoring/keying the surface for maximum strength. This will give you a seamless transition from old to new.

Collaborate.

There’s always going to be someone out there who can make use of what you might determine to be waste.

Find out the story of my collaboration with Sadie Jewellery here.

If you’re interested in purchasing some of my resin scraps for your project, please get in touch.

Moulds are your friend.

Use a resin calculator to work out how much resin you need for the size of your piece. This is ideal for minimising excess resin.

However, having a mould on hand to add any leftover resin to allows you to create an entirely new product from something that would have been waste.