UpCycleIt

There are certain products which we can recycle, but recycling very typically means downcycling, in which the products progressively become less and less useful after every cycle. UpCycleIt exists to try and change that paradigm, to show that even though these products were made to be thrown out they can still be remade after their "useful" life into something of even greater use and value. In other words, upcycling it. And if we're lucky, maybe people will stop designing things to be thrown away all together. So search the UpCycleIt archives to find how you can potentially upcycle nearly anything, including televisions, home appliances, pencils, and much more!

You can also help in this effort by adding your ideas and projects on how to upcycle common discarded items. Find the item that you are upcycling by category (or if it isn't here, add it!) and add your project to the list. Hopefully, together, we can make the difference that turns recycling into a positive growth cycle!

Polyethylene (plastic)

Binding HDPE/LDPE This process involves layering thin plastic bags so that they are at least 8 layers thick and heating them to a high temperature. To do this, follow these steps:

• One

Cut the plastic into a square sheet and either layer multiple bags atop each other or fold one bag several times until it is eight layers thick, making sure any ink printed on the bag is facing towards the center of the layers.

• Two

Sandwich the layered plastic between two sheets of parchment paper.

• Three

Heat an iron to a temperature setting between rayon and polyester. Press the iron onto the parchment paper and iron the plastic layers as though you are ironing a shirt. Be sure to iron all of the plastic and pay special attention to the edges. Remove the iron and wait a few seconds for the plastic to cool.

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