a Business Case for Upcycling: It Makes Dollars and Sense!

​     Recycling is not just a one and done solution for dealing with waste.  It’s a complicated process with costs.  It operates based on a business model that must generate profits or be subsidized to stay financially feasible. 
     This article from The Mercury News shows what happens when things get complicated with recycling operations.  A sudden drop in prices for the materials recovered by recycling can make a program unsustainable. 
     Avoiding single-use plastic bottles and items is a first step in the right direction toward easing the burden on recycling facilities.  A lower volume of recyclables means prices for salvaged materials will rise and recycling will stay profitable.
     Upcycling is key to sustainability and a better model for generating return on investment than recycling.  Upcycled items have a higher value and fetch a higher price than materials reclaimed from recycling.  Moving forward, I’ll be mindfully looking into my recycling cart before I push it to the curb.

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​Here are photos of some of the projects I’ve been working on this week.  I made a locket with a snippet of a vintage hankie inside of it.  I’ve also been experimenting with molding resins.