The term “upcycling” was first coined by the pioneers of eco-inventive design architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart to pick up recycling’s slack. But concept-hungry ecos have eagerly lifted it, changing it a tad along the way. Here’s what’s generally implied by the term:
• An object should never die.
• It should be reincarnated forever.
• Creativity is the key to upcycled enlightenment.
• Trash is really just fresh ‘n’ free material ready for reuse.
• Ideally, if you’re going to repurpose an object, it shouldn’t be toxic in fact, you should figure out how to purify a water bottle, say, of toxic chems beforehand.
