Products created by these ten companies using recyclables are truly astounding. Who knew you could make beautiful interior design panels out of recyclable plastics or sunglasses from old fishing nets? The following companies aren’t only giving upcycling a shot; they’ve carved out an entirely new money-making industry from the eco-friendly venture.
1. TerraCycle
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Two decades in the act and still one of the fastest-growing green companies in the world, TerraCycle has been collecting difficult-to-recycle waste and making it into new products such as park benches, backpacks, office supplies, accessories, and even fertilizers.
2. Recyclebank
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Do you have some non-biodegradable waste you want to let off? Recyclebank is ready to reward you with local deals if you upcycle instead. Unarguably one of the big guns in the upcycling estate, Recyclebank only requires you to upcycle at home, share with friends, and answer a few quizzes to get rewards.
3. Playback Clothing
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Clothing scraps, plastic bottles, and other trash haven’t found a more useful purpose until Playback Clothing hit the upcycling industry. Their primary interest is in the creation of top-of-the-shelf clothing with trash. Playback Clothing, in its commitment to environmental sustainability, retains the original color of recycled trash. This way, they’ll not need artificial dye.
4. Hipcycle
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Upcycling for home decor is the specialty of the Hipcycle brand. They focus on creating thoughtful home decoration items that may offer more value than the original trash. Hipcycle has a thing for beauty and trends, and the brand has extended its creativity to include fashionable and affordable jewelry.
5. Preserve
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Preserve doesn’t collect items from upcycling per se. They go after recycled products such as plastic yogurt containers, lip balm tubes, and Brita water-filtering systems to make toothbrushes and kitchenware.
6. Reformation
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Reformation focuses on creating beautiful and sustainable clothing from upcycled fabrics. The brand’s standard includes a process that aims to bring only upcycled clothing of equal or higher value than the original material.
7. Renewal Workshop
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Renewal Workshop prides itself as an expert in supply chain management services for fashion and lifestyle. The primal focus of this organization is to salvage clothing that may otherwise end in landfills, repairing and reselling them to give a new lease on life.
8. Smile Plastics
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A materials design and manufacturing house, Smile Plastics creates beautiful, eco-friendly panels and surfaces from recycled plastics. Their upcycled outputs are perfect for interior design projects. Their panels are 100% recycled and 100% recyclable.
9. Bureo
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Bureo niches down from their competitors to take a special place in the upcycling industry. They focus on reducing waste in the fishing industry by using discarded fishing nets to create appealing and unique skateboards and sunglasses that are the envy of luxury brands.
10. Pela Case
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Pela Case creates phone cases from plant-based materials and other upcycled materials. Their focus is to reduce plastic waste in the tech industry. When consumers buy a new Pela case, the company adds an extra envelope so you can send in your old Pela case or conventional plastic case for upcycling. They promise to make new products from them or convert them to compost in the fight for a green environment.
12 Throw Away Things To Upcycle Today
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Keep a lookout for old pairs of jeans that might be in danger of being donated or tossed out - they are invaluable in the upcycling world.
12 Throw Away Things To Upcycle Today
10 Things Not To Pass Up At Thrift Stores
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There's a 99% chance vases found at the thrift store were used solely for holding flowers, and they're usually priced at only a few dollars. So it's always well worth picking up a vase or two whenever you come across them! 10 Things Not To Pass Up At Thrift Stores
Coolest Things People Found At The Thrift Store
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Join the league of thrift store lovers who have found the coolest things in the most unforgettable thrift marketplaces. Rare paintings, vintage clothing, and Renaissance-era furniture have been found in thrift racks, and here are a few thrift store finds by real people that will make your jaw drop. 10 Coolest Things People Found in Thrift Stores
This thread inspired this post.
Janice
Hi Kathy,
I just found out about another company trying to keep things out of the waste stream. It's called repurposedMaterials. They sell materials that companies want to keep out of the landfills. Check out their website, they have pictures of some really cool repurposed items! It really stimulates your brain to see/use things in a different way. Keep up your great work, I LOVE to see all the new things you make and the new looks.
Hope your Dad has a very Happy Birthday. Cherish the time you are able to spend with him!
Kathy Owen
Thank you Janice and I will check out the company!