Upcycling

When upcycling (from the English up to "high" or "to" and recycling for " recycling " or " reprocessing " ) are waste products or useless materials in like-new converted. In contrast to the down-cycling occurs in this form of recycling a material revaluation. The recycling of existing material reduces the production of new raw materials, thereby reducing energy consumption, air and water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

First mention is the term in a 1994 article in the British magazine Salvo, in which the engineer Reiner Pilz of Pilz GmbH Burgdorfer with his criticism of the Waste Framework Directive and the practice is cited in the recycling of building materials:

" Recycling ', he said, I call it down -cycling. They smash bricks, They smash everything. What we need is up -cycling where old products are given more value, not less. ' "

" Recycling 'he said,' I call it down -cycling. You beat broken stones, they beat everything up. What we need is upcycling, get a higher value for the old products, no less. ' "

Due to the depletion of natural resources and social change upcycling gaining in importance. Cost savings and new marketing opportunities are further advantages of upcycling.

While upcycling is covered by the throwaway society of little importance, it takes place in poorer societies often than the average. In many developing countries, for example braiding distributed, which can be manufactured from waste rubber and plastic products new products.