Upcycle: meaning, definitions and examples

Use when transforming old or discarded items into new products of higher quality or environmental value.

• She loves to upcycle old furniture into modern, stylish pieces
• They upcycled an old ladder into a beautiful bookshelf

Use when giving a new use to something that is no longer serving its original purpose.

• She repurposed an old wine crate as a magazine holder
• They repurpose old sheets into cleaning rags

Use when processing materials to make them suitable for reuse, typically in the same form or after small adjustments.

• Make sure to recycle your plastic bottles
• The city has invested in more facilities to recycle glass and paper

Use when retrieving or recovering something, often with a sense of restoration to its previous state or better.

• The community worked together to reclaim the abandoned park
• He reclaimed his old computer by fixing it up and adding new components

This word is often used when you take something old or unwanted and transform it into something of higher quality or value. It typically implies a creative or artistic element.

• She upcycled old t-shirts into a trendy quilt
• The designer showed how to upcycle wine bottles into chic vases

This is used when an item is used for a different purpose than what it was originally intended for, without necessarily changing its form. It focuses on functionality over aesthetic upgrades.

• She is repurposing old jars as plant pots
• The factory is being repurposed into a museum

Commonly used for processing waste materials into new products to prevent waste and reduce the consumption of new raw materials. Usually focuses on materials like paper, plastic, and metal.

• He always separates his trash for recycling
• The city has a new recycling program for electronic waste

This is used when you recover something that has been discarded or lost, usually for the purpose of reuse, but often implies a more complex process or effort.

• The crew is reclaiming timber from old barns
• He spent the summer reclaiming abandoned land for the community garden