Although the term “upcycling” is relatively new, the concept has been around for many years. Defined as the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value, upcycling is essentially the art of repurposing!
Before you make your next trip to the recycling center or landfill, think about what you are getting rid of and how those items might be used for another purpose, it’s actually pretty exciting to see some of the things you can do with remnants and “junk” that you have lying around! Here are just a couple of neat idea’s that will have you upcycling in no time!
From Plastic Bottles to Summer Bubble Fun
Looking for something fun to entertain the kids this summer? What’s more fun blowing bubbles on a hot summer day? Here is a great project that you can do with the kids (under supervision of course). It’s a great way to upcycle old rags and plastic bottles!
You’ll need:
1. empty plastic bottle
2. wash cloth
3. rubber band
4. dish soap
5. water
To make:
1. Cut the bottom off of you plastic bottle.
2. Trace out the bottom of the bottle on the terry cloth and leave an inch or so overlap for the rubber band.
3. Affix the cloth to the cut plastic bottle using the rubber band.
4. Mix 2 parts dish soap to 1 part water.
5. Dip the cloth part of your new bubble blower into the bubble mixture and start blowing.
When blown into, the bubbles make a snake like effect. Have a contest with your kids to see who can make the longest snake with their bubbles!
From Empty Paper Rolls to Organizational Bliss
Detangling wires are the worst! Want to take the stress and hassle out of getting that wire out of that messy box! All you need to wipe of this mess is toilet paper or paper towel rolls! It’s a great way to reuse all those toilet paper rolls that you would end up throwing way!
For this you will need is to build up a roll collection. You will need as many rolls as you do wires to wrap.
• Wrap or loop up your wire in neat bunches.
• Take the roll and cut it so that way it will fit the size of your wire.
From Trash to Treasure
The best part about upcycling is that you can bring new life to something that might have been outdated or otherwise discarded. Upcycling is a great way to express your inner creativity, it is fun activity that you can get your family or children involved in, and it is green! Think you are ready to do some upcycling of your own? The web is a great resource for unique ideas and upcycling projects to get you started on the right path! Happy upcycling, and remember: reduce, reuse, repurpose!
