[Closed] 'Upcycing' it just makes me LIVID.

Isn't upcycling specifically the art of making suckers pay loads of money for rubbish you've pulled out of a skip?

Mind if I join your rant with this...

Hospital parking is for hospital visitors and patients. NOT for moronic, selfish asshats using it as a place to park to go and watch a sporting event.

And breathe......

Whats wrong with just putting it in the bin FFS.

To many airy fairy do gooders!

Upcycling isn't the same as Recycling, and its not that new really either.

Jeez! Loosen up fella!

People who can't spell make me LIVID!

rage induced misspelling ?

chillax, dude

pfft - that's nothing - I'll tell you what makes me mad shall I?

Right then...

I go to the supermarket, I park my unfeasibly large 4x4 miles away from the store, on its own, so no-one can open their doors into my car.

Guess what?

When I come back, some F888WIT has parked their heap of shit nasty car RIGHT NEXT to mine. I'm slim, yet they are so close that even I have to squeeze into the driver's seat so I don't ding their door.

YE GODS!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I come back, some F888WIT

At least they had a cool number plate, that must have eased the rage a bit 😉

LOL, that [i]would[/i] be a cool plate 🙂 I wonder how much it would cost - if it exists, I'm going to search...

You see Karin, your 4x4 has its own gravity and people have no option as their car is pulled towards yours.

Blame Kirsty Bloody Allsopp for that.

Blame Kirsty Bloody Allsopp for that.

Reiner Pilz 😉

I do rascal, I do.

I had never heard of upcycling before, so I looked up Wikipedia:

[b]Upcycling [/b]is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value...Upcycling is the opposite of downcycling, which is the other half of the recycling process. [b]Downcycling [/b]involves converting materials and products into new materials of lesser quality.

So the term is used to identify a specific type of recycling. I've learnt something, so that's creating a new word to help explain a useful concept, in my book, not a "perversion of words".

Quite, well, as I'm ranting may I add that it's always a big fat woman with hair scragged back into a pony tail, wearing a vest top and leggings thus displaying acres of pallid skin stretched over many, many kilograms of fat.

Ooooh, bitchy! 🙂

Sadly, it seems the registration number F888 WIT does not exist 🙁

The problem is most of us used the word "recycling" incorrectly. Upcycling fills that void. The word "reuse" works perfectly well instead mind!

Are people really bothered by such things? Here's a good example of upcycling.

http://www.couchguitarstraps.com/

I have one of their guitar straps and its ace. They use old vinyl stock and stuff like 1980s Mercedes seat covers etc.

Karinofnine - drive a more sensibly sized car?

Upcycling fills that void. The word "reuse" works perfectly well instead mind!

Not really the same as reuse though.

Reuse doesn't add value (if its reused for the same purpose) whereas Upcycling does.

A guitar strap made from used seatbelts would be a perfect example, they can't be "reused" for safety reasons, so would end up in landfill.
But they can be upcycled and create a useable product very cheaply.

I've upcycled you rage filled post, put a stencil of a flower and sanded it down a bit so it looks a bit rough, and sold it to another thread for £200.

My pleasure.

I wish the most frustrating thing in my life was people using the word "upcycling".

Not really the same as reuse though.

Reuse doesn't add value (if its reused for the same purpose) whereas Upcycling does.

A guitar strap made from used seatbelts would be a perfect example, they can't be "reused" for safety reasons, so would end up in landfill.
But they can be upcycled and create a useable product very cheaply.

It depends on your concept of the word "reuse". The original yoghurt knitting mantra "Reduce,Reuse,Recycle" intended the word reuse to describe what you are talking about there with your seat belts i.e. reusing the item but not necessarily for its original purpose. If you read the late great Victor Papenak's "Design for the Real World" which was one of the first texts to clarify this sort of thing he describes the "reuse" of items exactly like that (including the frankly bonkers idea of reusing food cans attached to the front of cars to act as a bumper- go Victor!).

[i]Reuse doesn't add value (if its reused for the same purpose) whereas Upcycling does.[/i]

How about Re-purposing, surely there is no justification for that word?!

George's Amazing Spaces, Kirstys Vintage Home and even Kevin McClouds shed thing have used it. I'm sure it even got slipped into Grand Designs recently.

Are C.4 trying to get into US homes perhaps?

Sorry markrh but this pervert thinks up cycling as a principle is great. Recycling is better than just chucking away but it's costly in terms of energy used and processing. Up cycling can be more environmentally friendly as there can be less energy used.
Feel free to rant but the best example of up cycling I know of is a the cable cam Gareth Hobson used for his beast video, been on here before, which was a cracked old cannondale frame and some bits of wood. Perfect

@grum: it's primary purpose is as a tow car for my caravan - and for that it is sensibly sized.

@Karin: 4x4 and a caravan........

I can hear the STW mob gathering and sharpening their pitchforks!!!!

@grum: it's primary purpose is as a tow car for my caravan - and for that it is sensibly sized.

.... Must.... Not.... Comment... Just walk....... Away.

How about Re-purposing, surely there is no justification for that word?!

Oh get over yourself. Language evolves.

People that use the word upcycling are just trying to make using old shit sound 'sexier' for TV than raiding bins. It has bog all to do with increased environmental benefit and everything to do with making gullible people spank lots of money on junk and tat and let's people have a warm glow about being environmentally friendly whilst ignoring the big issues because they've bought a rug hand stitched from reuseable nappies.

@grum: it's primary purpose is as a tow car for my caravan - and for that it is sensibly sized.

And grum, those guitar straps are awesome (if not a little pricey) - gonna put one on my Christmas list. I love the internet, and I LOVE upcycling 😉

Yeah they are ace - not cheap but the quality is great. I have one of the 'racer' vinyl straps and it's lovely. Tempted to get another one, or a camera strap, or a wallet. 🙂

.... Must.... Not.... Comment... Just walk....... Away.

+1

You know what gets on my thruppennies? Debbie Harry rapping.

[i]Debbie Harry rapping.[/i]

In 1980? And it still upsets you? blimey

It was on the radio when I typed. I was upset, and it distracted me from my current upcycling project. Im turning my 1 year olds filled nappies into miniature travel pillows for stressed rail/tube commuters. Currently retailing for £6.95 a pop in London. The radio has moved onto a different artist now.

Debbie Harry in 1980 could've done absolutely anything and I would have approved 🙂

[img] [/img]

(I wonder if the op expected his thread to go this way)

Just to explain, not against the concept just the word and I know its unreasonable but there you go, I just have occasional unreasonable dislikes 😐

I just HATE these perversions of words that were quite adequate as they were

You mean the evolution of language? You hate that?

I bet you hate Shakespeare and Milton too don't you?

in the real world people don't spend time thinking about this shit. Maybe do some voluntary work if you are bored. It'd fill the emptiness in your life that makes you wonder or care about "upcycling". That's genuine advice BTW. I'm finding more and more that time is the only thing valuable. why waste it on forums being pretentious!

I love neologisms.

That stupid word "gifting". Do people really use it or is it just John Lewis?

It's irritating!

aphex_2k - Member

I've upcycled you rage filled post, put a stencil of a flower and sanded it down a bit so it looks a bit rough, and sold it to another thread for £200.

good work - where's the pic ? you know the one i mean "aphex use to work in the city but has downsized to a smallholding, sophie is 6 and likes her stable of abused ponies, the exhibition reopens as soon at the weather in tuscany breaks"

do it properly please

I did take some pics, on an upcycled Kodak Brownie. Unfortunately Prontaprint lost them. Will probably have to sell one of the yachts. *sigh*

I'm happy with language evolving. It's evolutions like this that annoy me:

To break in and steal stuff = burgle
Somebody who burgles = burglar
What a burglar does = burglarize

You know what gets on my thruppennies? Debbie Harry rapping.

A good take on 'upcycling' and 'recycling' here:

Making Paper Bricks in India
http://blog.makezine.com/2012/11/30/making-paper-bricks-in-india/

I've spent all summer collecting used flypapers where ever I have found them.. which I am upcycling for christmas as a kind of anti-festive tinsel..

[img] [/img]