We speak to two experts about why turning trash into treasure is a worthwhile endeavour. You know about recycling, but what about upcycling? It’s a trend that’s really taking off, and here at homeheaven, we couldn’t be happier about it. I was recently lucky enough to meet and chat to two upcycling enthusiasts, Tiffany Threadgold, the Chief Design Junkie at Terracycle, and Nathan Devine, the founder of Retrash.com.au. Both are passionate about helping people to not only dispose of their waste responsibly, but turn it into products for re-sale. So if you want to live a more sustainable life, read on for their advice… What is upcycling? Upcycling is the recycling of waste materials to create new and practical objects. Here’s an example of Nathan’s suitcase speakers, made from suitcases he found on eBay and speakers from old speaker boxes spotted at the Salvation Army. retrash How to get started Tiffany says that to embrace the upcycling trend, you need to “remember that garbage doesn’t exist in nature. It’s a modern concept.” On the other hand, Nathan believes keeping everything is unrealistic and, ultimately, \Psustainable (see what we did there?), so he suggests setting a goal to “try a small upcycling project and grow your confidence from there.” Tiffany recommends getting your friends and family involved so you’re not doing it alone. Create projects together and make it fun and practical! Even if you’re new to the idea of upcycling, it’s easy to get started. Nathan tells us that he hits eBay when he’s looking for materials to use for his next project: “I scour eBay for items that nobody wants, and items ending soonest that have no bids. I can then create something that is special and productive that would have otherwise ended up in landfill.” Benefits of upcycling Reducing the amount of waste ending up in landfill Creating exciting projects with a fun ‘problem solving’ element Living a more sustainable life Eliminating the idea of waste Making something special out of someone else’s ‘trash’ Have you heard of upcyling? What do you think of the trend?