4 Tips of Upcycling to Reduce Waste

Environmental degradation has become one of the world’s most pressing issues. This problem stretches from land degradation to a reduction in air and water quality. A major contributor to environmental degradation is the ever-increasing production of waste products. The balance between waste production and demand for raw materials is very thin and most often leads to overexploitation of the environment.

Upcycling is a newly adopted method of not just converting waste products to new raw materials or end products, but in a way, upgrading them in value.

What is upcycling?

Upcycling is the act of taking something that is old and no longer in use and giving it an upgraded life. This way, a variety of old products that were previously destined for the trash bag is kept, and recreated into something nicer and upgraded.

In other words, upcycling is about creatively redesigning an old product and increasing its lifespan and quality, sometimes, without melting it completely to raw materials.

The difference between upcycling and recycling.

Numerous times, we have heard people ask questions like, “is there any difference between upcycling and recycling?”, “Since it's about getting new products, why is there a need to differentiate it?”

The truth is, though recycling and upcycling is focused on recreating new products from old ones, the two terms should never be mistaken for each other. Thus, there is a great need to differentiate between the two terms.

Recycling as opposed to upcycling is the act of recreating new products from the old by destroying or melting the old products completely into new ones. It deals with the complete melting down of old products to their rawest form before recreating it.

Upcycling on the other hand is the fascinating idea of recreating old products into new ones without melting or destroying their old products.

Upcycling can be done in the comfort of your home because you don't need any massive machine to do the task for you, but recycling, in most cases, cannot be done in your home, as you need machines to break down the old products.

Upcycling saves time, energy, and resources because it's a simple and straightforward creative process, but recycling requires a long number of days and a lot of energy and materials before a new product can be formed.

While recycling requires a lot of capital to start, upcycling does not. With tools, you can get in your house, you can upcycle varieties of old products.

Benefits of upcycling.

●     Reduces environmental pollution:

Upcycling is one of the easiest ways to reduce environmental pollution. This way, trash in the landfills that causes severe pollution to our environment is taken out and recreated into something of upgraded value. Upcycling is a good idea to deal with soil degradation, water pollution, and air pollution.

●     It helps in conserving resources:

Upcycling really works in the conservation of resources. This way, you recreate valuable resources instead of throwing them out. One of the most commendable ways is turning adult stockings into toddler pants, or turning a bookshelf into a cupboard. Imagine the amount of wood and clothes that would have gone to waste without upcycling.

●     It promotes creativity:

Upcycling is a job of creativity. It helps bring out the creative spirit in you. You can't make a meaningful product without creativity. It gives you an opportunity to think and use your creative mindset.

●     It reduces the cost of production:

Reducing the cost of production is the goal of any business. Upcycling helps in achieving this goal. With upcycling, you don't have to bother about the cost of making some of your equipment. All you have to do is get a few tools you will need for the work of recreating old products into new ones.

Few upcycling tips.

With the fascinating idea of upcycling, numerous beginners go into upcycling without having any first-hand information about it. Here are a few upcycling tips that everyone, including a beginner, can use.

●     Start small:

We get that the idea of upcycling is thrilling, but as a beginner, the only way you can get results is by starting small. You don't want to go into big projects that will tire and bore the living light out of you.

●     Proper preparation:

With all the excitement that comes with upcycling, it's a common thing for beginners not to prepare. This is very wrong and can cause unintended results. To avoid these results, all you have to do is to prepare. Prepare hard and well. Check for damaged products, check for materials that react badly to your skin. Adequate preparation helps you tackle any form of accident that might occur before and after the recreation.

●     Be creative:

Being creative is one of the important aspects of upcycling. Do not just do it for the sake of it. Be creative, add some life to it. Think like a creative person, get DIY ideas from Google. Try to make your product unique. Think about where you want to use the product. Think about how you want the product to look, and do not forget to put your thoughts into work. That's Creativity!

●     Have fun:

After taking all these tips, one major thing is that you shouldn't forget to have fun. Do not get too immersed with the work and forget the real goal of upcycling, fun. Have fun while working. Listen to your favorite music. Whistle or hum your favorite song while working. Having fun while working helps relax the nerves and this helps you get a perfect result.

Common upcycling products and what they are made from.

●     Facemask

During the lockdown, numerous people got tired of getting masks daily, so they resolved to make it by themselves. Facemask is an easy upcycle product and the only thing you'll need is a piece of clothing, needle, tape rule, and thread.

●     Bags.

Bags can be made from old fabrics. It is a very common upcycling method.

●     Dressers:

One of the most common upcycled pieces of furniture is the dresser. Because of the ease at which it's made, dressers can be made by beginners. All you need to have is wood from furniture, a hammer, and nails.

Upcycling is an easy way to prevent environmental pollution.  Having the right person to help prevent environmental degradation is vital. Olgin+Efune helps in curbing environmental degradation through many ways, including recycling. You can contact us on Olgin+Efune on anything that has to do with recycling and upcycling and we will be glad to offer our help.