Upcycling Tips: Upcycling is a great idea itself but if you choose to upcycle anything that is made up of plastic {especially single-use plastic} Mother Earth will be thanking you for it!! From the 1950s up to 2018, an estimated 6.3 billion tons of plastic has been produced worldwide, of which only 9% has been recycled and another 12% has been incinerated. Those are some scary numbers if you believe me. It will take millions of years for that amount of plastic to break down. Its effects start from soil & underground water contamination and reach till our oceans and the life in the oceans all over the planet. Upcycling plastics results in less plastic in the ever-increasing garbage mountains on our cities. And reusing means less consumption!! Yay!!
Upcycling Tips: Fashion trends change very fast these days. But that should not result in the out of fashion clothes to be dumped in the bin. There are a thousand things that you can do/upcycle your old clothes. Make grocery bags out of old t-shirts, create wall hangings with old jeans your bathroom’s storage. Jeans are also great for making cushion covers, ottomans or upholstery fabric. Pinterest is full of great DIY ideas for you now. Just and create something that can also turn into a conversation starter for your next gathering at home.
Wood can be reused and upcycled in many ways. Just need some creativity and some paint & brushes. Just search on Pinterest for some ideas and you will see thousands of image of handpainted vintage furniture. A tree or two was cut for it, so don’t just waste it or burn it. There are many DIY ways to restore and repurpose older wooden furniture. Older vintage furniture pieces were made to last, they have strong bones structure so can last through generations. I have old furniture in my house that’s over a hundred years old now! So, don’t give up on them and give them a second lease of life.
Upcycling does not and should not mean a poor quality product. Take your time, plant and execute with love to create a new and upcycled product. Give it time, take care of the details, so that you become the proud owner of a piece of great value and a source of pride too.
But don’t get so hung up the upcycled piece to have a monetary value or purpose. Art is another way to reuse the junk. If you have the creative bone in your body, then think of making some art with it. Ideas have turned junk into beautiful portraits, funky sculptures, murals, and art installations.
I hope that these top 5 upcycling tips will inspire you to do your own bit for the planet.