We all tend to confuse the words recyclable, upcycling, and recycled. Although they share some similarities, they don’t have the same definition. So let’s understand how to clearly differentiate between them.
Recyclable Materials
A recyclable material must be reintroduced, after processing, into the production of a new product, such as:
- Cardboard;
- Paper;
- Steel;
- Metal (e.g., soda cans);
- Plastic (PET);
- Polystyrene;
- Glass;
- Certain fabrics.
Giving materials a new life: this is the central goal of recycling.
While recycling isn’t the only solution for reducing environmental impact, it is one of the pillars of the circular economy and is experiencing technological advancements that can significantly boost its effectiveness.
Recycling has two major environmental benefits:
- It reduces the volume of waste, and therefore the pollution it would cause (some materials take decades, even centuries, to decompose);
- It preserves natural resources, since recycled material is used instead of material that would otherwise have to be extracted.
There are three main types of recycling techniques: chemical, mechanical, and organic:
- Chemical recycling uses a chemical reaction to treat waste, for example, to separate certain components;
Mechanical recycling transforms waste using a machine, for example, to shred or separate materials using eddy currents;
Organic recycling, after composting or fermentation, produces fertilizers or fuel such as biogas.
Recycling for the Benefit of Humanitarian Organizations
In America, several organizations not originally focused on waste management have diversified, or been created, to participate in the collection and recycling of materials and objects, thereby generating funding for public interest initiatives and their day-to-day operations.
The first such organization began recycling glass after the 1973 oil crisis. Since the 2000s, other organizations have taken on the collection of bottle caps, particularly plastic ones (at the time, these were not yet being processed by local authorities), but also cork ones. Collection points are set up in local shops and large retailers, as well as in schools, businesses, and other locations. The bottle caps are collected and sorted by volunteers, then sold to a recycler who incorporates them into new materials to manufacture, for example, plastic pallets.
Most of the proceeds are used to provide sports equipment to people with disabilities or donated to medical research institutes.
A bit of history
Recycling has been practiced since the Bronze Age. At that time, used metal objects were melted down to recover their metal for the manufacture of new objects. In all civilizations, the art and method of making something new from something old exist.
For example, old rags, and later paper and cardboard, were collected to make paper pulp. The situation changed with the gradual and then massive development of industrialization and consumption. The management of raw materials and waste became increasingly difficult, as the former became too scarce and the latter too overwhelming. Recycling then gradually became a key issue in environmental protection.
Recycled materials
A recycled material is a used component resulting from waste processing and reintroduced into the production chain in order to be reused. Whether repurposed or not (upcycling), it helps reduce waste volume while preserving the planet’s resources. This, in turn, helps combat pollution and the depletion of natural resources.
By reusing already extracted raw materials, some industries are thus adopting a sustainable development approach. But to be recycled, a material must undergo selective sorting, which relies heavily on consumer involvement. Indeed, only glass bottles that you place in a recycling bin can be used to manufacture new containers.
Waste recovery is a major challenge in industry, including the textile industry, for example. In fact, the textile industry is the second most polluting sector in the world, after oil extraction and before the automotive industry. It consumes 93 billion cubic meters of water and 98 billion tons of non-renewable resources each year for the production of synthetic fibers.
Some figures on the scale of clothing waste:
- 4 million tons of clothing waste are thrown away each year in the United States;
- 80% of discarded clothing ends up in landfills or is incinerated.
- 70% of the clothes in our wardrobes are never worn.
- On average, clothes are worn 7 to 10 times.
Each year, American buy approximately 9 kilos of clothing per person and donate the equivalent of 3 kilos. The equivalent of a dumpster full of waste is thrown away every second worldwide.
Upcycling
Upcycling literally means recycling upwards. It’s about creating something new from something old, without altering or denaturing the raw materials used. In practical terms, the idea is to recover all kinds of materials that are no longer in use to create higher-quality objects or products. When you upcycle, you upgrade.
