With a little bit of creativity and a passion for reducing waste, even lint and toilet paper rolls can be upcycled, proving that nothing is so futile it needs to be thrown away.
In a Reddit post on the r/upcycling thread, a user shared a photo of their homemade fire starters created from upcycled trash. The user took old toilet paper rolls, stuffed them with lint, melted wax on them from old candles, and wrapped them in spare holiday gift wrap. What they were left with were fun fire starters to use in their fireplace.
Upcycling is a great way to save money and reduce waste sent to landfills. It not only prevents you from throwing things away, but it also eliminates the need to purchase new products that often come in more packaging and waste. This practice contributes to a circular economy, in which consumerism takes a restorative and regenerative approach. This, in turn, reduces methane pollution from landfills as well as curbs emissions from the shipping sector.
In an article about circular economies, the World Economic Forum stated: "In a properly built circular economy, one should focus on avoiding the recycling stage at all costs. It may sound straightforward, but preventing waste from being created in the first place is the only realistic strategy." This highlights that, though recycling is still important, the most effective way to reduce waste is to never create it in the first place, hence why upcycling is so important.
Upcycling is not just a matter of creative DIY projects — companies are taking to upcycling more and more. This means that you don't have to do all the upcycling yourself; you can send unwanted products to businesses such as GotSneaker and Patagonia, which will upcycle for you. You can find a list of more companies that upcycle products here.
Commenters on the post were impressed with the upcycled fire starters and inspired to make their own.
"I loved this idea. I used an egg carton and put the [lint] in each spot and then covered with wax," one user wrote.
Another chimed in, saying: "I love how colorful you've made them with just what disposable stuff you had or found. Nice!"
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