Recycling

Long thought of as a relic, vinyl is making a comeback on turntables – and as fashion accessories.

Wrecords by Monkey turns old records into bracelets, earrings and key chains. Company founders Patrick “Monkey” Chirico and Brian Farrell met at as students at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and stared recycling records in 2004.

Their urban-inspired, environmentally friendly fashions, produced in a Bushwick studio, can now be found in 20 states and as far away as Japan.

The city is cracking down on folks who swipe recyclables left on curbsides, increasing fines to $2,000 from $100, putting more sanitation officers on the streets and impounding vehicles used in thefts.

Still, scrap metal theft goes on — particularly in Brooklyn, home to the Sixth Street Iron & Metal recycling plant.

[podcast]http://nycitynewsservice.com/audio/2008/junk.mp3[/podcast]