Say Hello to UPCYCLING!!

An old cabinet, table, or chair can be given new life as something fresh and unique with a little imagination and possibly a coat of paint or some new hardware.

For ages, people have been upcycling. Making intricate outfits out of discarded textiles, manufacturing machinery out of scrap metal, and making jewellery out of shells and rocks are all examples of upcycling. It just so happens that it wasn't called that before the mid-1990s. To realise that items and materials deserve a second chance, we had to reach a stage of mass, uncontrolled consumption, and a culture of quick use and trash. And we deserve to live in a more mindful, slow, and considerate manner. And a more inventive one at that.

Let’s, dive deep into Upcycling!

The practise of upcycling involves a range of procedures by which "old" things are transformed and turned into a "new" product for a second life. Thus, the result is a "new product" that has higher value than the original value of the total of all components by mixing and aggregating the used material, components, and objects. In other words, upcycling involves materials or objects to be re-adapted and/or creatively re-use and, consequently, its lifespan expands.

Old and out-of-date furniture is a popular upcycled item. A cabinet or chest of drawers can be swiftly and successfully altered by sanding, painting, and adding new handles.

Similarly, a lamp can be improved by adding a new lampshade – possibly from another lamp.

However, upcycling is more than just changing goods into better versions of themselves; objects are frequently remodelled to serve a completely other purpose.

For example, a plastic bottle may be converted into several objects – a visor for your face, a plant pot, a watering box, fairy lights and a bird feather are only a few of ideas.

Your ideas and your talents are the only boundaries to upcycling. However, you can either give it a go and acquire a new talent or request someone else to do it for you if you have anything that is not in your skill set.

Upcycling and Recycling are actually way different from each other!

You must have noticed that the phrases "recycling" and "upcycling" are commonly used in an interchangeable manner, however the two processes are unconnected and extremely distinct.

In short, the distinction between upcycling and recycling is that the latter breaks down resources such as paper, metal, plastic, or glass, resulting in the creation of a new product (typically of more inferior quality). And, as we've seen, upcycling does not imply destroying things, but rather classifying and reusing them in a different, often more trendy way.

Recycling means waste elimination so that something new is created, while upcycling takes garbage and generates something new in its present state.

The original form is maintained while upcycling, and the object is acknowledgeable, giving it a storey – you can see what it was and what it became.

The upcycled object in this sense is some type of homage to the object it was.

While it is practical to recycle, upcycling is extremely creative and can include a range of techniques and materials to produce the end result.

In short, reusing and upcycling reduce recycling needs and are therefore excellent environmental solutions.

Upcycling is beneficial in many ways!

The advantages of upcycling are huge, in addition to minimising the volume of waste and waste sent every year to landfill, it also reduces production requirements with new or raw materials which reduce air pollution, water contamination, emissions of greenhouse gas, often the preservation of global resources. They also reduce the need for waste.

Upcycling eliminates the polluting middleman - Upcycling is superior to regular recycling since it eliminates the need to further process recyclable materials in an additional industrial process. Recycling plastic or metals, for example, necessitates melting them down, which costs energy and leaves a carbon imprint, further depleting our ozone layer. Upcycling those same plastic or metal products would eliminate that industrial process, causing no harm to the environment and introducing a new product into the economy, such as art, furniture, containers, or clothing.

Consumers Can Maintain Consumption Habits Through Upcycling - One of the most important aspects of upcycling is how well it fits into our disposable culture. This generation is addicted to purchasing new stuff and is continuously on the lookout for the next new thing to purchase. There is enough rubbish to create totally new treasures for people to spend their money on without upsetting the worldwide take-away, throw-away mentality.

Upcycling Promotes a New Wave of Creativity - Upcycling is significantly more inventive and imaginative than traditional recycling. If everyone stopped buying brand-new products today and started upcycling, our society would most likely become lot more imaginative.

Fashion upcycling reduces waste that cannot be recycled - 15% of all the fabrics used to manufacture the clothes you wear right now were really wasted on the floor of the factory before they were thrown off and put in a site. New ecological tendencies have led upcycling trends to start using these scraps in beautifully refashioned clothes. Most people could not tell the difference between a new and upcycled outfit, so keep your eyes alert for upcycled garment!

Upcycling Generates More Secure Job Opportunities - Workers in the textile sector are subjected to harsh chemicals and are at risk of a variety of health problems as a result of their exposure. This might all be avoided if these employees used waste to create new items or invested in natural production methods that are less harmful to our planet's health.

Bottomline – Upcycling is eco-friendly and its ecological value is massive.

If we take a broad and wide-ranging view of upcycling, it can theoretically be said to contribute to reducing CO2 emissions. Not only because the lifetimes of the used materials are increased but because, in theory, carbon emissions can be reduced ultimately by prolonging lives of used materials, components and products as well as by spending less energy on extract, processing, recycling and new materials.

So, what are your thoughts? Are you prepared to start upcycling from today itself?

Well, I have a suggestion for you!