The Three R’s

I’ve been working on my ‘new to me’ bureau this past week and it got me thinking. Am I recycling or upcycling here? I began to question whether I actually knew the definition of either, or the difference between the two, so I decided to do a little investigation. 

It seems that an increasing emphasis over the past two decades or so on the environment, being eco-friendly, using our recycling bins and conserving energy; combined with a revival of the ‘make do and mend’ mantra has resulted in a massive trend for taking our, or other peoples’ rubbish, and doing something creative with it. We’re even rummaging through peoples’ skips these days! So what are we doing when we cut up those jeans or paint that dresser?

To RECYCLE according to the dictionary is ‘to convert (treat, process, renew) so as to make suitable for reuse (further use or activity)’ 

To UPCYCLE is to ‘reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original’   

Still confused? Yes, I was a little too. 

I found it useful to look at it in the context of the 3 R’s, reduce, reuse, recycle, part of the European Union directive on waste 2008 as described in The Upcycling Fashionista 

To REDUCE is to buy and use less

To REUSE is to use elements of old or discarded items

To RECYCLE is to take an item, usually considered as waste, and to process it to produce useful raw materials. Within recycling there is a distinction between upcycling and downcycling.

Here upcycling is described as ‘converting low-value materials into high-value products;‘ it is the process of transforming old or discarded items into something attractive and useful; it is giving something a new lease of life, a new purpose. This in essence is the ‘make do and mend’ ethos mentioned earlier. Downcycling is to ‘convert valuable products into low-value raw materials;‘ paper made from paper, bin liners made from recycled plastic and so on.

Got it? Me too…just about…

….so the felt I used to make this needle case was made from a wool jacket my mum no longer wanted, this is down cycling, other materials reused incorporate upcycling; making this, overall, a recycled item. The handmade cotton rag paper I use is downcycled, my granddads bureau is upcycled. Both are recycled items.

I guess you could easily get bogged down with semantics forgetting the most important thing! The aim to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfill). Looking after the world we live in whilst creating beautiful things.

Bunting by the pupils at Inveralmond Community high school, Scotland, for WWF visit earthhour.wwf.org.uk/schools-shining-bright-earth-hour