The Benefits of Upcycling and Reusing Old Items

Upcycling has started to become a popular activity; reusing things that are no longer useful and putting your creativity to work to make it useful again. An average person contributes around 1.5 tons of solid waste each year, that’s a lot of trash! Whether it’s old clothes, household items, furniture, or hundreds of other items, the sky’s the limit for upcycling different items, and there are many positive benefits of doing just that.

Saving Money

There’s great satisfaction in creating something with your own two hands. And what many of us don’t realize is that you can save a lot of money by not throwing items away just because they may not look useful anymore. It’s hard on our wallets and the environment.

Helping the Environment

Eliminating trash in our landfills is an obvious great way to help better our environment. If you’re in need of a thoughtful gift or something that could be created rather than bought, try upcycling as this reduces a lot of strain on the environment. By manufacturing ‘less’ new goods, less garbage is created which leads to a decrease of chemicals being released into the ground and air. Upcycling is also a great way to introduce your children to the how they can be involved to help make this planet a better place to live.

Make Money

A big positive to upcycling is the possibility of developing a creative niche that can make money. There is a market for items that nobody else in the world can find. Etsy is a great place to start a small business selling your upcycled ideas, everything can be done and sold on your own time. Making money and saving the planet, what a great combination!

Lighting Up Your Inner Creativity

Upcycling can light a fire for your inner creativity, a talent you may have thought you didn’t have. Pinterest is an amazing place to get inspired; simply search upcycling and you’ll find a variety of easy projects to start with.

Projects

Here are a few photography related projects to get you inspired to upcycle more often.

Driftwood Frame
If you have access to water, driftwood can bring a rustic look to your home. Create a frame by simply gluing the wood together or gluing the wood to an old frame. Driftwood can be used for quite a few DIY projects.

Mason Jar Lid Magnets
This is a great project to do with your kids. Gather some cute family photos and create a unique way to display your favorite memories on your fridge or other magnet friendly surfaces.

Photo Display and Coat Rack
Do you have an old door laying around? This project is a really cool way to personalize your entryway with pictures and a place to hang your coat. This is a sure way to get a lot of compliments from visitors to your home.

Before you begin throwing things away, ask yourself, can this be upcycled or repurposed? It’s a cheap and fun way to put a unique twist on your home decor or give as a cool gift, and you’re helping out the planet too!