/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
I was putting together an action figure and was left with about 4 of these. Normally, I would just recycle them, but I have no idea what type of plastic they are (my place only accepts 1-3). I’m up to do pretty much anything, so any and all suggestions are potentially viable.
I want to refresh my wardrobe so that it feels more "me." ofc that includes getting rid of some clothing items, especially because I've already run out of hangers for my tops lol. but most of my t shirts have come from concerts, so I don't want to get rid of them. I've thought about framing them or having them made into a quilt, but they don't match with my decor, and I think my place would look visually cluttered. any ideas on what to do with them? I have about 10 that I never or rarely wear
So like I bought a 64 oz glass water bottle, like a year ago. But I ended up regretting the purchase because it's glass, and I am afraid to break it if I take it with me outside and the silicone gets moldy fast. I realized that I should just bought myself those like metal water bottles, like the normal ones.
I just don't want to waste the bottle, without the lid it looks like a nice jar. I just don't know how to reuse it. I am open to suggestions.
I always take these out of bras, bathing suits, etc. and now I have several. Trying to think of what I could use them for. Cushioning of something in suit cases? Any other (hopefully better) ideas?
I haven't really decided what I want to do with them yet. I was thinking about using the smaller bricks for something like a border for a flower bed. They take some time to make, but I'm hoping that I or someone else can eventually figure out a more efficient way of making them. A weird little dream of mine is to make all trash usable :)
So I have lot of these supposedly cigar tray/asthrays. I used one for my pins but have unused others, I don’t have anything to storage.
📢 Calling all upcyclers 📢
I am conducting a quick survey for my masters dissertation project to understand how reusable cups can be implemented at events and their environmental impact. Your feedback will help me shape more sustainable practices at fairs and festivals across the UK.
The survey takes a few minutes and your insights will be invaluable. Click the link below to share your thought, and thank you for helping me make a difference.
I make upcycled hanging planters and propagation stations 🪴 from recycled teapots, bottles, teacups, pots, and much more 🏺
Hey guys my husky has finally started to wear out the metal hardware in his leash. What’s something I can repurpose this into? It’s not too much fabric but I don’t want to throw it away and waste it.
Hey everyone! I’m Abheek, and I’m working on a project called UpBarter, which focuses on creating a digital platform where companies can buy and sell their industrial byproducts and waste to help reduce waste and repurpose materials. We’re gathering feedback from people with relevant knowledge, and it would be really helpful if you could fill out this short form. It won’t take more than 5 minutes, and your insights would be incredibly valuable.
Here’s the link: https://forms.gle/iduYFtET6nmhfeja7
Thank you for your help!
I have these old pen refills that I have been collecting for a while. Idk why I collected them, I just didn’t want to throw out plastic ig. Now that I have close to 50 of them with me, any diy ideas to up cycle these?
I want to crochet some vhs tape into things to wear or use but idk how it'd last exposed to the elements. Also how would it fare in a bathroom if I made them into baskets
I know there are creative geniuses out there, and any brainstorming could inspire my project!
As DVDs are basically obsolete & our prior enormous collection has mostly been donated, these 2, albeit plain, nicely crafted cases have potential. I keep a lot of random items for DIY projects with little room to keep them. I'm not a fan of having more than a few dust collectors, so looking for a useful and practical storage piece. Not much experience at wood working, but I have an uncle as knowledge resource, all the basic tools and can follow a solid instructional video. I can easily visualize a couple decorative shelf designs, but what to do with 14 @ 16.5"W 8.75"H X 7"D cubbies when I need functional storage to keep non-display type items in a common area. Also wall space, in any room, is limited. I like the idea of laying them on their backs for some sort of reach in, but can't imagine an easy design(hang floating drawer)? I'd love to use all the cube space and my experience level and/or very low (<$100.00) Budget doesn't allow for building doors. Open to any other practical uses no more than intermediate level DIYers. Overall external dimensions per shelf made to stand vertical= 71.75"H (incl., 3.375" solid block base~remove?) X 18.125"W X 7"D. Impossible ask, right??
We just bought a house and the owners left some furniture - including this dresser! It’s pretty solid so we feel it would be a waste to get rid of it but we’d like to modernise it, a little paint maybe but we aren’t sure where to start with it? Any ideas of what you’d do with it would be appreciated!
This chair is a nice aluminum frame in perfect condition but the seat and backing is a crappy plastic product that has fallen apart. Any ideas for re-covering them? It does not appear that the manufacturer offers any support or refurbish kits. The chairs are originally from Costco.