Santa Fe's young recyclers proved Friday night that they can not only talk, trash but also walk it.

About 30 youngsters paraded their trashiest fashion designs in the Trash Fashion & Costume Contest at the Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival, wearing dresses, suits and other outfits that might best be described as Dumpster couture.

The weekend festival, sponsored by a coalition of community recycling groups and state and city agencies, is being held at El Museo Cultural at the Santa Fe Railyard.

Gioia Berlin, 13, the "Green Queen," wore a green gown assembled from Bubble Wrap and paper bags, all held together by old wire and glue.

"Global warming is a serious problem, and recycling could help a lot," Gioia said. "Even recycling one can help so much."

Elliot Hield, 12, came nattily attired in a suit made entirely of discarded potato chip and snack packages.

Gioia and Elliot, both students at the Santa Fe School for Arts and Sciences, and the other young models were announced on stage by festival coordinator Sarah Pierpont to an audience of about 450. Each contestant did his or her best runway walk as Pierpont described the outfits.

"Ella Jansen is wearing the latest fashion in dog cages," Pierpont said as Ella, 13, modeled her outfit made of various items her dog, Sofie, had torn up around the house.

Others did their walks outfitted in dresses made from such items as department store credit cards, discarded candy wrappers, old pie tins and well, if you could find it in your wastebasket, somebody was probably wearing it.

Particularly attractive — or unattractive, as your taste in trash may be — was a dress made of chicken feed bags and bottle caps.

It was probably the only contest a solid-waste manager would be allowed to judge.

"What we are looking for is originality and how much recycling material they use," said Vivian Martinez, assistant director of solid-waste management for the city of Santa Fe, one of five judges.

Two of the crowd favorites were dresses made from Barack Obama campaign yard signs. Leila Pierpont, 6, had one blue Obama sign wrapped around her as a dress, while Nancy Judd, owner of Recycle Runway in Santa Fe, modeled what might be considered an evening dress made from Obama signs.

Judd said she rounded up numerous such signs and created 13 dresses made from recycled materials.

Asked whether she had used any Republican campaign signs or posters, Judd said she had not. The John McCain signs "just didn't inspire me," she said.

She hopes to persuade Obama supporters who are invited to inaugural parties to wear some of her outfits.

IF YOU GO

What: Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival
Where: El Museo Cultural, Santa Fe Railyard, 1615 Paseo de Peralta
When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Cost: Free
Highlights: Kids' recycled-art activities led by local artists, music, "make and take" art activities