Promoting a toxin-free environment supports the waste management hierarchy by preventing waste, so it's a great activity for parents or responsible adults to participate in. The benefits outweigh any time spent upcycling once the reward is seen and the accomplishment is felt. Let's explore the benefits:
Preventing Materials from going to landfill - This is the goal, total elimination!
Minimise use of natural resources - Upcycling saves the use of natural resources from being processed into new materials, mostly saving water and fossil fuels required in the processing of many materials.
Reducing toxicity from new furniture items - new items emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and other gases that pollute the home environment, cribs and cots, desks, cupboards and even carpets.
Upcycling reduces contributions to the hazardous waste production processes associated with manufacturing new items - saving emissions, energy and resources all in one action, or should we say inaction!
But with all these benefits, why aren't people swapping old tables for new storage containers?
When we talk about upcycling, we're actually talking about knowledge and effort; it's not ingenuity that will repurpose an old item into a new one. Upcycling requires craftsmanship and, in most cases, some skill - the average person probably doesn't want to spend a weekend reconstructing an item of furniture.
In this new world of convenience, where the new item is a click and delivery away, and the old item is simply 'gone' once disposed of out of the door, it's no wonder people are choosing convenience over crafts.
Another reason why some are not upcycling is the knowledge gap; many do not know that a few YouTube videos will help them repurpose furniture, and they are also unaware of just how toxic their new furniture items are, especially when we consider that pieces are constructed in nations with very different production and materials standards.
There are many benefits to upcycling, turning your old or broken items into repurposed items to save landfill contributions, minimise your contribution to the use of natural resources and reduce the toxicity in your home that is found in new furniture items. But many simply do not upcycle, but I argue we can't afford not to, as the costs associated with home decorations soar. Yes, there is some skill and effort required to upcycle, but it can be turned into a fun project through YouTube videos.
