Upcycle it

It’s everywhere.

Reduce.

Reuse.

Recycle.

There have even been reports of council workers coming down streets and peering into household waste bins to double check that you and I are putting the right things in the right bins.

…but how do we keep up? How do we participate in something so large when we often feel like well, I’m just one person — what difference can just one person make? surely throwing that old mug in the bin won’t matter much?

Here’s an idea — UPCYCLE.

No, it’s not a new idea! It is a good one though. Upcycle — it’s a way to reduce your fast fashion and rubbish throw-away footprint, reuse items that may have lost their original created purpose and recycle things that would usually end up in landfill or covered in cobwebs in your back garden shed.

If you’re unsure where to start, that’s actually perfect! There is no one way to upcycle, which is where the website Upcycle That can help! You can head to their ‘Use that’ or ‘Make That’ sections and go from there – they have all kinds of great ideas for different materials, seasons of the year and how-tos.

For us here at Junktion, we thought about the space we had on hand and what we had at our disposal. What would work aesthetically, but what works in a practical sense for the building. What costs next to nothing, but does the job. Did you see our potted succulent? Re-purposed teapot! Did you see our red dress on display? An old wooden ladder!

We’ve even turned chairs into display spaces, covered old trays in blackboard paint to use as menu and drink signs; we have wire filing trays as jewellery display and storage and who wouldn’t love a takeaway coffee in a cute little jam jar?

Once you get the imaginative juices flowing, there’s really no stopping what kinds of ideas you might come up with!

Another great reason to upcycle is that it adds characters to stories. Perhaps the ladder we’ve used as hanging space was once in the care of a painter who worked long hours painting houses so that he could afford to send his daughter to ballet class. Now, those ladders get to rest in our store and display other pretty dresses someone else is working hard to pay for.

You just never know! Everything has a past, everything has a story – how cool that you might get to create the next chapters!

But you know the most fun bit about upcycling and being a part of the #reducereuserecycle movement? You don’t have to be a recycling superstar to be a part of it! We’re not perfect – we are just trying to do better, do our little bit in our little corner of the world. You can too.

Ultimately, upcycling is about preserving the now for the future. We want a world that isn’t drowning in rubbish, piles of one-use-only items. Prelove Adelaide say it well –>

Buying secondhand is your way of participating in the #reducereuserecycle movement, and upcycling is simply you ensuring that a difference is being made.

Yes. You are making a difference, so keep going. It all matters.