Jun

Upcycling At Home – 5 Ways To Practice It

Were you ever caught in a situation where you have an item you need to throw out but do not bear to? … and you wonder to yourself if you can make anything new out of it? That thought by itself has already placed you in the first stage of upcycling.

Upcycling, also known as creative reusing, is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials or unwanted products into new materials or products of better quality. It ultimately prevents waste from ending up in landfills, allows you to give an item a new life!

Why does upcycling at home matter to me?

Contrary to popular belief, not everything can be recycled! These include certain types of plastic (type 6 PS plastic), food waste or anything that are contaminated. Thus, upcycling is an important way of reducing waste of such items.

Upcycling can be a fun and meaningful activity which is great for family bonding. Families can do upcycling activities with their loved ones to not only have fun together, to learn more about waste-reduction.

New to upcycling and want to give it a try? Here are 5 simple ways on how you can practice upcycling at home:

Transform your old t-shirts into bags

For decades, the donation bin has offered a guilt-free way to unload your old clothing. In a virtuous and profitable cycle, a global network of traders would collect these garments, grade them, and transport them around the world to be recycled, worn again, or turned into rags and stuffing.

However, fast fashion in Singapore is a worrying trend and donating them away to a charity might not be that rosy of an idea anymore.

Furthermore, only 7% of textile waste in Singapore is recycled. So, if you want to throw away that oversized shirt or that dress from last season? Think again.

Why not solve that problem by looking up on Pinterest for some simple tutorials and inspiration on how you can transform your t-shirts from yesteryears into bags again – by simply cutting and tying, no sewing required at all! Interested to learn more?

There are also workshops in Singapore that offer these classes such as Taikensonzai and WahSoSimple.

Goodbye plastic containers and hello, keychains

Did you know there are 7 grades of plastic in use and not all of them can be recycled in Singapore? Type 6 plastic is an example and they are most commonly found for use in kuehs and sushi packaging. Apart from reusing them, you could also upcycle them to become shrinky-dink keychains.

Learn to make other sustainable items with The Sustainability Project at discounted rates here

Turn fruits and vegetables waste into eco-enzyme cleaner

Food waste, such as fruits peels, are almost unavoidable as we consume them on a very frequent basis. Instead of throwing fruit and vegetable scraps away, you can turn them into a household cleaner, simply by adding sugar and water.

Enzymatic cleaners are powerful all-purpose cleaners that can be used safely on most surfaces, including metal and glass. So do not let those foods waste go to waste! Find out how to make your own eco-enzyme cleaner from these Facebook groups!

Upcycle your food packaging into zip-pouches

One of the most common plastic waste is from food packaging like the potato chips that you cannot resist. These packaging might seem insignificant but they pose a great threat when they are found in our oceans, causing marine pollution.

However, have you ever thought of transforming these packaging into pouches? They make great gifts and bring out the inner hipster in you! It is a simple and easy item to make as it requires no sewing and all that is needed are just stapler, scissors, and masking tape from your home (although you do need to purchase a zipper).

Find out how to do it here!

Turn up for huat

Always looking forward to Chinese New Year like us? Now you can also think of what to do with the abundance of red packets that you will receive – turning those red packets into mandarin orange bags or candy baskets!

Online tutorials are aplenty and you can make it together with your loved ones. These items can even contribute vibrant colours to your household and brighten up the atmosphere for Chinese New Year!

With that, here is how to practice upcycling at home and do share with us if you have any other ideas too!

If you are staying with us (hello, Dasher!), Dash Living also partner up with The Sustainability Project to offer perks to you to support your sustainability efforts! The perks differ bimonthly, ranging from discounts on items to exclusive rates on workshops, so be sure to check this page frequently to not miss out.

Sometimes, we bring the workshops to you too! On these special occasions, you get to learn how to DIY sustainable items from The Sustainability Project’s skilled instructor. Watch us make our very own foam hand wash packaged in reused bottles here!

Find out more about staying with us here

This article was originally published by The Sustainability Project and was edited and reposted with permission.

The content of the article was contributed by Up and Away and re-edited by The Sustainability Project about upcycling and by Dash Living about events/workshops.