Toronto General Hospital nurse’s plastic collection transformed into mural (www.thestar.com)

Usually, the bits of plastic are tossed in the trash. But Tilda Shalof collects the medicine caps and tube connectors, vial lids and syringe coverings left over from the hospital patients.

To her, the plastic pieces are not garbage. Shalof, a nurse with nearly three decades of experience, sees a beauty in the refuse — beyond the vibrant colours and pretty shapes

She has since turned that collection into a mural, creating a colourful mosaic of more than 10,000 pieces embedded in clear resin.