MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — Milwaukee students are putting discarded materials to creative use ahead of America Recycles Day on Nov. 15.

For the third consecutive year, the Recycling Art Gallery is on display at the Martin Luther King Library.

This year's theme, "Interpreting Waste Data," takes a hands-on approach to teaching students about recycling, reuse and other environmentally friendly practices.

CBS 58 spoke with one of the student artists involved in the project and a teaching artist about what inspired their work.

"I got the idea from thinking about a lot of the waste, and I tried to use as much as possible," said Dexter, a student who helped create the exhibit.

Teaching artist Siri Stensberg said the project gave students an opportunity to think creatively about how materials that might otherwise be thrown away can be reused.

"I think students are so creative, and a lot of them, as they learned about this, had so many ideas, thought of ways for different ways that waste could be reused into new things," Stensberg said.

The Recycling Art Gallery will remain on display through Dec. 13 and can be viewed during regular library hours.