MATERIALS - NEW VERSES USED

There is no stipulation within Ag Art to use recycled materials. In fact I prefer to buy my materials new where I can. This is because if your garment wins at National levels and it is made from recycled materials or natural materials (ie: grasses, bones etc) it will have to be irradiated to be sent overseas. Don't want to send any of out nasty bugs to New Zealand. Irradiation can discolour and outright destroy some materials especially plastics. One year a winner whose garment was made from bones and shade cloth had to totally remake her garment in New Zealand a day before the show because the irradiation had destroyed the shade cloth. So that is something to keep in mind. Cost of new materials or difficulty in finding them may have you resorting to recycled materials. TIP - if the cost of new material at this moment is not to your advantage use used materials, and if your garment wins at Nationals remake the whole garment with new materials. This is what I do. I use a lot of milk filters in my constructions at a cost of nearly $100 for 100 of them, I use recycled ones. If that particular garment wins at Nationals I can remake it with new materials.