I originally wrote this guide for Stay Wild Swim, a sustainable swimwear brand made from regenerated ocean plastics. The Stay Wild Swim blog is a place to inspire and feel inspired, if you haven't already, you must pay a visit.
We are living in a society that is too in need of convenience. We heavily rely on single-use items and over consume disposable products. When our wardrobes are overflowing, we throw out a jumper and hit the high street to find another. When we can’t be bothered to repair a broken piece of furniture, we chuck it out and find something new to fill its place. When we have scraped all the nut butter from its jar, we throw it into recycling without a second thought. We are living in a throwaway society.
More often than not, the products we throw away could be repaired or repurposed into something new. In an effort to become conscious consumers, it’s about time we embraced the art of upcycling. If you are unfamiliar, upcycling takes something that would normally be thrown away and finds a new purpose for it. It gives old items a new life. It’s the perfect way to reuse materials, save yourself some pennies and live more sustainably.
The great thing is, anything can be upcycled. There are so many things to do before chucking something away, so I wanted to share some of favourite ways to upcycle…
During the festive season you’ll find me sipping on some bubbly and waking up the next morning to a recycling box full of glass bottles. Sound familiar? Well give those bottles a little rinse and ta-dah you’ve got yourself a vase.
Finished that tub of hummus? No more nut butter left in the jar? There’s life after hummus and nut butter, I promise. Transform plastic tubs and jars into storage pots, fill them with herbs and spices, or load them with pens and you’ve got a new addition to your desk, or even get creative with your Christmas decorations!
Why not get creative with clothing? Cut off the sleeves of an old shirt and it becomes a ‘new’ workout tee, sew clothing scraps together to make a quirky cushion cover, or simply use old clothes as cleaning cloths!
Did you know…candles don’t just smell amazing, but they make great decorative features and storage pots too? (After they have been burnt of course)
Instead of tossing your morning paper into recycling, use it to wrap your Christmas gifts. Even better, save your greeting cards throughout the year and make them into new ones…share the love!
The possibilities are truly endless and there are no rules when it comes to upcycling. Just learn to love what you already have and think twice before throwing-away.