Upcycling is the New Recycling

Re-think, Re- make, Re-use! Upcycling is the new Recycling.
Recycling is a word commonly used and practiced by many of us and involves the process of converting or extracting useful materials from products and items. In other words taking care of our waste in the most sustainable way possible. In recent years, other processes have been developed from recycling. You might have heard the term “Down cycling”, a process in which materials and products are transformed into items with lesser quality. Upcycling is the opposite of down cycling and the other half of recycling.
Upcycling is all about cutting down on our waste by converting waste materials or “useless” products into new products with a new found purpose.
We live in a wasteful world and live a lifestyle where we do not necessarily think twice before dropping off our old stuff at the recycling station. The lifecycle of furniture and clothing are for example very often cut short, while they could serve another purpose somewhere as well.
For years the importance of recycling has been highlighted, making more people aware of how to take care of their waste in the most sustainable way. The issue now lies in what, when and why we throw away “old” effects. It is very common that perfectly good items are being thrown away because we are fed up with their appearance or do not have a use for them anymore.  This is where we have to Re-think, Re-make and Re-use. Upcycling can save you money and the world resources.
In recent years Upcycling have had an upswing due to its current marketability and the lowered cost of reused materials. Inhabitat, a blog devoted to sustainability and design, holds and annual upcycling design competition with entries coming from around the globe. Upcycling has seen a significant growth across the world measured by the amount of “upcycled” tags on social media. Another factor to the growth is the DIY (Do It Yourself) hype that spread across the world a few years ago making more people interested and willing to your their creativity and Do It Themselves.
The beauty with Upcycling is that it can be applied to many areas such as art and music and even within industry.
Next time you are cleaning out your garage or need a solution to a practical problem, why not first look at what you already have and how you can transform that item into what you are looking for.
There are many websites such as Pinterest and Upcycle That where you can find inspiration and ideas on what and how to Upcycle.
If you are thinking about replacing your porcelain tableware with our sustainable disposable plates and cutlery why not find a new purpose for your porcelain. Get inspired by the photos below to see how you can upcycle your old tableware.