We love Spring for many reasons, the warmer weather, flowers blooming and our personal favorite…Spring Cleaning! There is always a sense of accomplishment when you get to clean out the clutter and give yourself some breathing room. Whether it’s in your home, office, or even the shed, there’s always a space that can use a bit of TLC.
Upcycling has become increasingly popular in the world of sustainability, and for good reason. It is the act of taking something no longer in use and giving it a second life and new function. In doing so, the finished product often becomes more practical, valuable and beautiful than its former self. Upcycling is different from recycling because when you upcycle an item, you aren’t breaking down the materials. The end result is an item that may be better or the same quality as the original. With a bit of creativity, almost anything can be upcycled: worn shutters, wood pallets, cardboard packaging, tattered clothing — even your toilet paper tubes. An item ready for upcycling can be something you currently have in the house, acquired as a hand-me-down, or purchased from a thrift store, Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Need some inspiration? Pinterest is a wonderful place to ‘visit’ for creative ideas.
Don’t forget upcycling in the garden! You can reuse food packaging to start seedlings instead of purchasing seed starting cells or pots. Consider using your yogurt containers or K-cups instead of throwing them away, rinse out the little plastic cups and fill them up with soil to start seeds. Lots of packaging items can be reused in this way. An egg carton can easily be repurposed as a tray of 12 seed starting cells. Egg shells work great as they retain moisture when wet. The roll of cardboard in the middle of the paper towels or toilet paper can also be used as a seed starting pot – with the added bonus that you can go ahead and bury the whole thing when you’re planting.
While upcycling is great, we know you will have items from your office to shred, old and broken items that need to be thrown away, and perhaps even cardboard or other items to recycle. It makes sense to take the time to properly dispose of items in order to protect your personal information and keep as much out of the landfills as possible. Take the extra effort to shred important documents, recycle products, and bring items to a thrift store that someone else might find useful. In the end, you will probably have a lot less trash for the landfill and peace of mind that you are helping your community.
Publisher’s Note: Agreed. Spring is a great time for upcycling, and for John Blosinski’s first Expert Contributor feature article. Thank you for your service John, and your sponsorship of our community. I’d expect most readers now having read your first feature, and seeing your ad below, understand which of those ten Sponsor hints on page 13 refer to J&K Trash Removal.
