What is National upcycling day?
Today is National Upcycling Day. Upcycling is something we should all get used to doing, especially when it comes to our old tech, plastics, metals, and other materials that we have lying around that could be quite useful.
But you might be wondering, what does upcycling mean? And how does it effect me?
What is The Main Purpose Of Upcycling?
Upcycling is the process of reusing old and unwanted items and materials rather than throwing them away. Though it is easy to throw any plastics or other materials into the recycling, you should at least see if there is anything else you could use it for. It could be anything, from small DIY plant pots to water containers. Upcycling can be anything from repairing an old item to making something new from unwanted materials.
One big thing we want to talk about is reusing old tech. Every year, the UN reports that around 500 million tonnes of technology and electrical waste is thrown away. With only 20% of that being recycled correctly. The rest is left to rot in landfill sites and contaminate the environments that we see around us.
A lot of this tech is made up of potentially harmful materials too. Lithium and gold are two commonly used materials in devices that have a potentially dangerous effect. If not reused or properly disposed of, these materials could potentially contaminate water sources and soil.
By upcycling tech and other materials, we can guarantee that they don’t make it anywhere near a landfill. And by doing so, we can reduce contamination, carbon emissions and other potential issues.
Where Do I Start Upcycling?
Upcycling your tech yourself can be a bit of a challenge, especially if the device is damaged. Whether it is an old phone, smartwatch, or anything in between, it can be hard to know what to do with it. But there is an easy option. Our friends at Envirofone have a very easy-to-follow trade-in service. Any device you send through there, whether it is old or new is repaired and upgraded to the absolute highest standards and given a new home. And you will be given a very fair price in exchange. A far better outcome than the device being left to decay in a landfill site.
Any device is accepted, even if it is broken beyond repair. Any device that has no chance of repair is sent out to e-waste recycling plants, where all raw materials like cobalt are recovered. Helping reduce waste and any potential environmental damage.
So be sure to check out Envirofone if you have any old tech lying around.
Reusing Old Materials:
Reusing old tech is one piece of the puzzle. As mentioned, old materials you have lying around are just as important when it comes to upcycling. And the biggest, plastics. On average, nearly 400 million tonnes of plastics are wasted each year. Plastics that not only end up in landfills but also in our oceans. This is a huge problem that we are all aware of. And upcycling plastics is one great option to help reduce this. We already mentioned that you could turn your old plastics into water containers, or perhaps reshape them to create small plant pots. If you have no use for plastics, then making sure they are appropriately recycled is the next big thing.
Upcycling doesn’t just apply to plastics either. You could also reuse other materials like wood, tin, and leather. Anything you can think of can be reused to avoid any environmental damage. You could start your DIY projects with these materials, make your own stands, holders and more you can think of.
