Reduce, Repurpose, Recycle, Upcycle

The world is filling up, the land, the sea and at this point, surprisingly not the air. We as humans are classic over-consumers. The ‘new this’, the ‘new that’, but at what point is enough, enough? Why do we feel like we need the newest thing? What happens to the old version of the new item we just bought? Do you find yourself stuck in this loop and want to escape? 

Together we can make a difference. I’m here to tell you all about the ways you can reduce, repurpose, recycle and upcycle. Turning something old into something new, reducing your footprint on the earth and feeling good about it at the same time. Your journey begins here.

Reduce

Think back to a time when you decluttered a room in your home and the feeling that you got once it was complete. It’s like a weight is lifted, right? For the purpose of reducing, we’re going to try to declutter more than just a room, we’re going to try to declutter our lives and the earth we live on. 

The whole earth? I hear you say, there’s no way I can do that. You’re right, that would be too much just for one person to do. However it’s important to ‘think globally, and act locally’. This is a term used to describe the impact we can have as individuals. Because if just as one person you’re decluttering your world. Then everyone doing their little bit collectively impacts the wider world.

Like with anything, when it seems like a big task, the best thing to do is start small. Start with reducing the amount of plastic you use, when you go to the shops, take a reusable bag. Top tip: leave a few in your car, we’ve all been there, you get to the shop and you realise you forgot the bag and have to buy another one, do this tip to reduce that. Additionally, when you are doing your foodshop, try to buy food that isn’t wrapped in unnecessary plastic. You can buy loose vegetables and put them into a paper bag or get yourself a reusable veggie bag. Buy refillable packs of items like liquid soap instead of another plastic bottle and pump and refill the one you already have – this saves money too.

Reducing is simply that, reducing. Cut down on materials that can’t be recycled, printing double sided rather than single sided, try to use organic materials that can break down rather than plastic materials which take thousands of years to decompose. 

To take it to the next step, you can try to reduce the amount of time you spend in a shower, how many loads of washing a week you do and what temperature you put the load on. Only boil the amount of water you need for a drink rather than a full kettle, there are lots of little things that can add up to make a big difference. 

Sometimes it’ll feel like what is the point, when you see others around you not caring, but that is exactly the reason for you to carry on doing what you are doing to make a difference. You’ll know within yourself that you are doing what you can, so if no one else has told you already, thank you for the effort you are putting in to make a change.

Repurpose

The next step on our journey is to repurpose items, this could be anything, a chance for you to get creative. Turn that unused coffee cup in the back of your cupboard to a pen and pencil holder, an empty wine bottle into a candle holder. Glass jars can become storage containers or vases, old clothing can be turned into cleaning rags. 

There are endless options, it just comes down to a little thought rather than throwing something away. The clue is in the name, repurpose! If you think it would work well as something else, go ahead and do it. The beauty of it is, there is no wrong answer when it comes to your creativity. However, try not to fall down the rabbit hole of storing jars and glasses for future use and never using them. If you’ve stored them for a while, and not repurposed them, then it’s time to get recycling.

Recycle

You’ve probably been doing this for years already, separating your cans, cards and plastics for the fortnightly collection. Recycling is a key part to cutting back on waste in the world, it’s breaking down an old material so that it can be used again. If you can, make recycling the last option when it comes to our individual impact. Think first, could this be reused in any way, repurposed maybe? If the answer is yes, go ahead and do it, if the answer is no, make sure it goes in the correct recycling area or bin. 

Recycling is closely linked to reducing, especially when doing your weekly food shop. Unfortunately, there are some things that can’t be changed when it comes to the packaging your food comes in. However, what you can do as an individual, is check if the packaging on your food is recyclable before making purchases. At least that way you can then recycle it again so that it can be reused. In turn reducing the amount of waste produced.

Upcycle

Upcycling is similar to repurposing, it’s taking something old and turning it into something new. You just go about it in slightly different ways, repurposing is using an old item for a new function. Whereas upcycling is transforming an old product into something of higher quality, aesthetic or value. Overall, it is about giving an old product a new life, rather than sending it to landfill. 

You could take some old wooden furniture and spruce it up with a lick of paint, add some artwork to it and there you go, you’ve put new life into something old. Perhaps you’ve got an old pair of jeans you no longer wear, how about cutting them up and turning them into a denim handbag. Maybe take an old cutlery set and a block of wood, bend the cutlery, attach it to the wood and you have yourself a new coat hanger.

Some upcycling may require a little bit of DIY skills, but there are lots of options out there which don’t. It is an endless world of imagination, if you can think it, it can be upcycled into it. So next time you’re thinking of throwing something away, stop for a minute and ask yourself, could this be made into something new?

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