June 18th, 2010 Upcycling is a New Word- the Concept is Not
Upcycling has become a hot new term. Never heard of it? You probably won’t find it in the dictionary. The term was apparently first phrased in 1994 by Reiner Pilz, but did not surface again until William McDonough and Michael Braungart used the term in their book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We make Things. (Amazon associates link to the book.) They define upcycling as taking materials that have little current use or might otherwise be discarded and using those materials to create something that increases the value of the materials.
Huh? Isn’t that like recycling? No, not exactly. Recycling will usually take a material and process it to be used as a component or ingredient in creating another material. In general the value after recycling would be decreased or at least not increased.
Upcycling takes the discarded material and uses it to create something better. You’ve probably done it many times. Here are some examples to give you some upcycling ideas:
- Using a stained or torn dress to make doll clothes, a quilt, or even a new piece of clothing
- Using discarded panty hose to make pillow stuffing
- Using a cracked,but otherwise intact, aquarium container to make a terrarium or a home for your gerbils
- Making garden mulch from newspapers
- Making pretty pillows from old scarves
- Making a denim skirt or denim hobo bag from old blue jeans
- Using old blankets to make a soft, warm bed for your dog (or cat)
It just makes my day when it has become trendy to be clever, creative and frugal. It’s a double bonus that upcycling keeps things out of our landfills and puts them to an even better use.
Simple Life has long had a page of upcycling ideas, Even Better – Second and Alternative Uses for the Items in Your Life
Here are several other websites with articles on upcycling ideas and upcycling projects. Each link opens in a new window.
100 Amazing Upcycling Ideas Anyone Can Do (Did you ever think of making a shelf from an old hardcover book? Or using empty beer cans to make a solar heater box?)
Six Creative Upcycling Projects
Thorne’s World 13 Creative Ideas for Creative Upcycling
ecosalon Green Your Junk: 16 Creative Ways to Upcycle Before You Recycle
Apartment Therapy – 10 Upcycled Uses for Old Things
WebEcoist Art of Upcycling: 20 DIY Wood Pallet Reuse Project Ideas
This should be enough to get you curious and started on upcycling. Enjoy!
I’d love to have you comment on your own upcycling ideas.
