Corroded razors, chipped Scrabble tiles, broken toy race cars, even a petrified frog — Ira Ono creates stunning collages and sculptures from things most people consider trash.

“There’s beauty or at least the potential for it everywhere,” said the renowned Hawaii island artist. “Creating art from trash has three important benefits. First, recycling and repurposing conserves Earth’s limited resources. Second, it shows that discards can bring people enjoyment in new ways. Third, it challenges artists; they don’t have to have expensive tools or supplies to create wonderful, meaningful art. All they need is imagination and a pile of stuff that would otherwise wind up in a landfill.”

Ono walks the talk. In 1986 he launched the annual Trash Art Show: Hawaii Artists Recycle in Hilo. More than 100 Hawaii island artists participate, and he has judged the event since its inception.

“When I evaluate submissions, I look for powerful statements about civilization today and where it’s heading,” Ono said. “I encourage artists to put thought into their pieces: What messages do they want to share, and how can they express them clearly and make an impact without words? Of course, originality, creativity and workmanship are top considerations.”

He was involved in the recycled-art movement long before it became popular. Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., he would often accompany his mother, an antique dealer, on “treasure hunts” at old barns and houses in New England.

Years later, while doing graduate work at the Brooklyn Museum, Ono taught art classes for a nonprofit after-school program for children in Harlem. “I had an $8 budget for the whole year, so I went ‘dumpster diving’ in New York City’s garment district to find supplies,” he said. “When I was in school, I never seemed to have enough money, so doing that also provided materials for my projects.”

Ono continues to be on the lookout for trash he can turn into “treasure.” While on a cultural tour of Kyoto, for example, he learned residents wrap their rubbish like gifts before disposing of it. When he opened one discarded package, he found an artificial foot, beautifully crafted from white kid leather.

His favorite hunting ground on Maui, where he lived for 12 years, was the Makawao dump. “You could furnish houses with the trunks full of photographs, kimonos and memorabilia there,” he said. “I once found stacks of boxes containing colorful juice labels from the old Haiku Cannery. I used the labels to wallpaper my bathroom and those of many of my friends.”

Recycle Hawaii (recyclehawaii.org) has been the major sponsor for the Trash Art Show every year except the first. The mission of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is to “educate the community about sound resource management and recycling opportunities for a more environmentally sustainable future.”

“The largest artificial structure on our island is the Hilo landfill, which is rapidly running out of room,” Ono said. “Kamilo Beach, near South Point, collects so much human-made flotsam that it has become infamous for its ‘plastic sand.’ Floating between California and Hawaii island is the ‘Garbage Patch,’ a giant whirlpool of floating plastic that’s as big as Texas. Instead of harming marine life with our trash, we can turn it into art that educates and motivates viewers to make lifestyle changes.”

Trash Art Show artists have produced lamps from garden hoses, decorative bugs from kitchen utensils and eyeglasses, and sculptures from wire, hair curlers and computer keyboards.

A highlight of opening night Friday is a juried fashion show with live music (look for the instruments constructed from recycled items), and prizes and pupu (appetizers) donated by Hilo businesses. Among the garments spotlighted have been gowns made from deflated beach mattresses, crinkled taco wrappers and old feed sacks.

This year, wearable trash art designed by students from Hawaii island high schools will be featured in what Ono is calling a “costume competition.” He said he is thrilled to see children embrace the recycling message because they have lots of time to do something about it.

“The Trash Art Show is always full of spectacular surprises, as compelling as anything you would see in New York,” Ono said. “Expect anything when you come and you won’t be disappointed.”

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.