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What is Upcycling?

Mary McMahon
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Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 38,063
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Upcycling is a process in which disposable or discarded items are repurposed to make them valuable, useful, or simply aesthetically pleasing. Upcycling is designed to work in opposition to consumer culture, encouraging people to think of new and innovative ways to use things, instead of simply buying new consumer goods. It also benefits the environment, by promoting reuse over discarding whenever possible.

As most poor people are aware, upcycling has been practiced for centuries, and factories have long used innovative upcycling techniques to ensure that nothing they handle goes to waste. For example, grain processors often burn waste materials like husks and stems to power their plants, thereby eliminating waste and making their operations more efficient. The concept of upcycling for the average consumer was popularized in a 2002 book, Cradle to Cradle, which was designed to get people to rethink the way they use and relate to things.

There are all sorts of examples of upcycling, ranging from building houses out of entirely discarded materials to turning plastic bags into yarn for knitting. Everyone can upcycle, which is part of the appeal, and people can participate at whatever level they feel comfortable with, from delving through dumpsters to salvage useful things to re-using containers rather than tossing them or throwing them out.

Under the upcycling philosophy, everything has a potential use or value, although it might take some creative thinking to figure out what that use is. By upcycling, people generate minimal amounts of garbage, and they reduce their environmental impact by consuming less, thereby putting less pressure on manufacturers and producers.

In some cases, entire communities of upcyclers arise, with people trading expertise, goods, and materials. For example, a knitter might make carrying bags, bathmats, and other materials from things like shredded plastic bags, sheets, and rags, and trade these items for useful things like bookshelves built from fruit crates, or jewelry made from discarded bottles.

Upcycling is essentially the “reuse” in “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Many people find that once they start upcycling, it's hard to stop, and new ideas for upcycling constantly come to mind. In large communities, upcycling centers and trading posts have arisen, allowing people to expand upcycling beyond the home, turning it into a viable mode of doing business in addition to a personal philosophy.

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Mary McMahon
By Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a About Mechanics researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Discussion Comments
By anon137107 — On Dec 26, 2010

As part of my ICT Controlled Assessment, I have been given a set of tasks set around the theme of upcycling. I really like your information in this article and as it is copyrighted I was wondering whether I could use this information and present this link as my source of information to my teachers.

By anon134309 — On Dec 14, 2010

As part of my IT GCSE CAB (Controlled assessment) I have been requested to plan an upcycling event and I really liked your information in that article. As it was copyrighted I was wondering whether I could use that information into my work and provide the link as a source of where I got it from. Hayder

By accordion — On Nov 29, 2010

@BambooForest, there are definitely many upcycling communities that people can look into in order to incorporate more of it into their lives. Some of the blog communities I personally read include Wardrobe Refashion, a most Australian ommunity, and Cut out and Keep, a website devoted to everything from art projects to creative recipes.

By BambooForest — On Nov 27, 2010

In many countries, there is a growing culture of people challenging one another to complete as many upcycling projects in their lives as possible. the internet is filled with people who blog about how they have upcycled clothing, furniture, appliances, and more. It can save money, save resources, and even create works of art.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a...

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