/r/upcycling
Upcycling is reusing waste or unwanted materials without destroying them in order to create something new.
What is the difference between Recycling and Upcycling?
Recycling takes waste products, breaks them down, then forms them into something new. Upcycling is reusing waste or unwanted materials without destroying them in order to create something new, which makes upcycling more energy efficient than recycling.
More About r/Upcycling
This subreddit is for people who have come together to turn waste or unwanted items into something useful. We encourage reducing, reusing and recycling waste in the traditional fashion, but there are some things that don't recycle well, or would otherwise be thrown away. For these types of materials, we encourage re-purposing the materials.
This space is for anything upcycling. All relevant posts are welcome.
Challenge of The Month
Each month we will have a challenge on the sub. This month's challenge can be found at the top of the page as a post. You will need to upcycle something in the theme we give you and then post a picture of it in the comments of the post
All participants will get a special flair that will get updated when you do more challenges.
Posting Policy
We have a very simple posting policy. We realize that some Redditors have relevant blogs or Etsy shops. It's OK to post them here, but only if you are contributing to the Reddit community more than you are posting and cross-posting your own content.
Where did my post go?
Reddit has an aggressive system for weeding out spam, especially if you're new or cross-posting the same content throughout many subreddits. If you notice your post is missing and doesn't get any responses by the end of the day, just feel free to message the mod to bring attention to the spam trap.
Related Subreddits
/r/upcycling
Yellow doesn't match fall out boy vibes and I hate the colour yellow. It's the same plastic thingy used on other shirts and stuff but it's quite thick and such. I wanna change it to red or blue. Is there a type of paint like fabric paint (but not) that will permanently stick to it?
Found this wicker basket at my local Good Will and fell in love with it. Any suggestions on a use for it?
A glittered print of 5th and Broadway, NYC. It had water stains on the upper right - what to do? Only $10 at a local thrift store.
Ok, it's that time of year again where we need to collect our yard signs and do something with them.
Most are #5 currogated plastic, which is relatively recyclable but not collected in many locations. The H-stakes are steel and easily recylable with other scrap metal.
But, the best reuse would be upcycling. What projects do you have for currogated plastic or steel wire?
I have some old parts of a sectional my dog used to sit on when he was around. It’s been hard keeping them.
Should I toss them? Or go through the trouble of ripping them apart and reusing them?
Atm I have a garden and some chickens. If I can use the stuff for literally anything I will.
Hey Redditors!
So, I’ve recently embarked on a mission to save the planet—one plastic bottle and rusty can at a time. My new upcycling business, UpcycleX, is all about turning trash into treasure. I take old bottles, jars, and cans that would normally be chilling in a landfill, and transform them into things like home décor, office supplies, and stuff you’d actually want in your house (hopefully).
But here’s the thing: while I’m super passionate about making the world a better place, I need a little help making sure my “fancy” upcycled creations don’t still look like, well, trash. 😅
Here’s where I could use some good ol’ Reddit wisdom:
Product Ideas: What’s the wildest or coolest thing you’ve upcycled or seen upcycled? How do I make a plastic bottle planter look like something people would actually pay for, and not just feel sorry for?
Funding Help: My current budget is what you’d expect from someone who’s rummaging through garbage for raw materials…aka almost nothing. Any creative ways to raise a bit of cash to build prototypes? Crowdfunding? Selling lemonade? Stealing from my piggy bank?
Marketing Magic: How do I convince people that having upcycled junk in their living room is the new “must-have” trend? I need tips on how to make “I found this in the trash” sound cool.
Honestly, I’m just a person trying to make a difference by upcycling what I can, where I can. So, if you’ve got tips, ideas, jokes, or even just want to tell me that I’m insane (which, fair), drop a comment. Every bit of help is appreciated!
Thanks in advance for your advice, and remember: the planet is counting on us to make junk look chic. 🌍✨
I added vegetables stickers too.
I have a ton of corflute to use up and also have many friends who run their own private hospitality businesses where they use these types of boxes when transporting glassware and storing it during the event. Trying to come up with a durable way to re-use these corflutes in this project while also keeping the boxes stackable and easy to transport. The plastic moulded parts aren't easy to come by and I'm not sure of a DIY way to make them myself.
Are the corner clamps totally necessary? Maybe not but them and the level are making sure this doesn't roll things I put on it sideways.
The ones pictured are broken and/or unlabeled, but I hate to throw good ink away. There are also other bottles f printer ink, but they are in decent shape. Most have never been opened, and the few that have been have a decent amount of ink left. Any ideas on what I could do with the ink?
I got a bunch of things at a garage sale and created this.
Shirt sample I’m currently working on with multiple ways it can be worn by buttoning different panels of the shirt! What do yall think?
Hey guys, regular upcycler/ artist. Pretty sure I can’t get this latex interior paint outta my old work pants :,(, very, very set in so getting it out without possibly destroying the material is I’m sure, outta the question. So. Gimme some ideas. Now it pretty much looks like a c*m stain already (not happy bout it), so definitely want to not have it look like that. Was thinking I could add more white splotches mixed with textile medium as a base and paint a texture or something inside of the drips n spills but was also thinking…these are lined pants, of very good quality. I don’t do construction anymore so the need for these lined pants as a work pair is sorta gone…also have a shitload of band tees that don’t fit no more…considering maybe patching onto the pants in a tasteful, crust-punk typa way?, given the more layers the better since they’re meant for cold weather. Any/all ideas appreciated!
So… old phone cords… can these be upcycled into something useful?
I'm sure someone has already had this idea, but I'd still like to share. My mom was looking for something with a top and little holes to put baking soda in to deodorize the fridge and I thought, you know what's perfect for this? Seasoning jars/bottles! Since they already have the little holes. So if you're trying to repurpose your glass spice jars you can clean them, add some baking soda inside and put it in a place you'd like to deodorize, such as your fridge, drawers, or closets. Hope this helps someone!