The art of repurposing items and REDUCING waste UPCYCLE The art of repurposing items and REDUCING waste

What is upcycling? Upcycling is the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value. Different from “recycling,” which turns waste back into the same thing over and over. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23805250

Recycling vs Upcycling Recycling takes consumer materials — mostly plastic, paper, metal and glass — and breaks them down so their base materials can be remade into a new consumer product, often of lesser quality. When you upcycle an item, you aren’t breaking down the materials. You may be refashioning it — like cutting a t-shirt into strips of yarn — but it’s still made of the same materials as when you started. Also, the upcycled item is typically better or the same quality as the original. Go to video:http://hipcycle.com/what-is-upcycling

Upcycling Inner tube wallet Sign chair Aircraft engine from recycled http://www.instructables.com/id/bike-innertube-wallet/ Sign chair http://www.instructables.com/id/Sign_Chair/ Aircraft engine from recycled aluminum

Old TV cabinet into a play kitchen

Left over knick-knacks Make great garden Sculptures

Upcycling is big business http://www.terracycle.com/en-US/ TERRACYCLE 8 Co C Collect Send product

Your Project Select an item(s) that would normally be placed into the trash Create a usable product that has greater value (artistic or usability) Resources: Google upcycle https://www.facebook.com/upcyclista http://pinterest.com/hipcycle/random-upcycling-ideas/ http://www.hgtv.com/topics/upcycling/index.html